For the next fifteen minutes, we were subjected to television advertisements for Pepsi and Ford, both sponsors of the tour. No “Shake Your Bon-Bon,” no “She’s All I Ever Had.” Just “ba ba ba ba ba...the Joy of Cola.”

After Jessica Simpson’s brief performance, the curtains pulled back and revealed Ricky Martin’s prodigious set. Like an arena-sized version of U2’s Pop-Mart tour, it contained all sorts of platforms and conveyer belts used by Martin throughout his entire show. It’s not the fame or the big bucks that makes a pop star career so appealing; it’s because it looks like so much fun.

Starting things off with a bang, Martin rose to the stage atop an old Mustang, singing “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” With flashing screens and backup dancers galore, it was almost sensory overload for the mostly estrogen-high audience. Martin’s extensive setup was further revealed at the end of “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” as his entire million-piece backup band emerged from behind the curtain.

Further into his set, Martin enticed the audience with an up-close, acoustic performance of “Vuelve,” one of the many Spanish-language songs included in his set, as well as the electric “Shake Your Bon-Bon.”

For his encore, Martin sang “She’s All I Ever Had,” sprawled on a white couch and sensually dragging a rose across his skin. Leaving the crowd transfixed, Martin concluded the show just in time for the audience to get home and rest up for another tough day at elementary school.