Colombian superstar Maluma is one of the biggest stars in Latin music and his mission to expand his career outside of Latin America is one he’s been working on for years. The star was last in the UK in 2022 when he performed at The O2 in London as part of his ‘Papi Juancho’ Tour, which was much-delayed thanks to the pandemic. Graduating from Wembley Arena, which he played in 2018, Maluma has seen his popularity rise here in the UK. Last night he brought his latest tour ‘+Pretty + Dirty’ to The O2, following the opening night in Barcelona, and fans were treated to a charismatic and energetic performance.
Given that he is a huge star, a Maluma show always feels like a big event. A countdown was emblazoned on screen, warning that it was 10 minutes until the superstar would arrive on the stage. The largely female crowd (and largely Spanish-speaking) were going wild before Maluma even stepped onto the stage. As the countdown reached zero, the curtain fell and a video segment played. This then cut to live footage of Maluma backstage making his way from the dressing room onto the stage for the first song of the night, ‘Borró Cassette’ from his 2015 breakthrough album ‘Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy’. Decked out in a fur coat (hopefully fake fur), a bejewelled red baseball cap and shades, Maluma looked every inch the superstar and he delivered the vocals to match. At various points during the night he was flanked by a troupe of gorgeous female dancers, playing up to his Dirty Boy persona.
The setlist for the night pulled across 13-year-career with fans treated to songs from every era of his career, including several of his huge collaborations that he’s released outside of his own projects. The first half hour of the show was relentless, with Maluma moving from one hit to the next ripping through classics such as ‘El Perdedor’ and the huge ‘Carnaval’. ‘Marinero’, one of three ballads during the set, from 2018 album ‘F.A.M.E.’ was an unexpected inclusion and it’s a fantastic showcase for what Maluma can do as a vocalist. ‘Vente Pa’ Ca’, which Maluma recorded with Ricky Martin, got a huge reaction from the audience as did the one-two-punch of ‘Corazón’ and the Shakira collaboration ‘Chantaje’. For ‘Cuatro Babys’, one of the harder hip-hop leaning tracks in the star’s catalogue, Maluma took off his shirt and swaggered around the stage with impressive confidence.
2019 album ’11:11’ got a look in with ’11 PM’ and ‘HP’, both of which turned into huge audience sing-a-longs before Maluma brought salsa to the stage with his huge hit ‘Felices Los 4’. Before ‘ADMV’, Maluma was emotional as he spoke to the crowd about not having been in the UK for three years and urged them to appreciate the moments in life we get with family and friends. The gorgeous ballad hit all the right notes, and it was a special moment in the set. The tempo then picked up again for ‘Parce’ and ‘Madrid’ before Maluma launched into one of his signature hits ‘Hawái’.
Exiting the stage, Maluma let his backing singer sing selections from his ‘7 Dias en Jamaica’ project and introduce the band, while he moved to a smaller stage at the back of the arena for the next section of the show. Once on there he performed several songs including current single ‘Cosa Pendientes’ and his collaborations ‘X’ (recorded with Ozuna) and ‘Ohnana’ (recorded with Farruko & Nicky Jam). As he sang the latter, he walked through the audience back to the main stage, sending fans into an absolute frenzy.
Moving into the final stretch of the set, Maluma was joined by an acoustic guitarist for a stripped back version of ‘Sobrio’ from 2023 album ‘Don Juan’, decked out in a cowboy hat, before moving on to his smash ‘Según Quién’, which was recorded with Carín León. The final song of the night was the uptempo ‘Coco Loco’, which was a fitting end to a packed set that delivered everything you could want and more.
The only criticism I have of the show is that in the second half, it felt a little stop-start as Maluma frequently went off stage either for a costume change or a location switch. Given the whole night was so high-energy it wasn’t a huge deal but the storming first half was definitely stronger. Fans were entertained by dancers and Maluma’s backing singer, but fewer moments where Maluma was off-stage would have been welcome.
Seeing Maluma live is always an experience. He’s without a doubt one of the best live performers in music, always bringing energy and charisma to the stage. Able to back up the hype with stellar vocals, he’s an incredibly versatile artist who is as comfortable rapping as he is singing. Playing for almost 2 hours, Maluma gave his audience great value for money and it’s incredible to watch just how much his fanbase here is growing. With new album ‘+Pretty +Dirty’ due this year, Maluma should continue to rise even higher, and honestly I’m already counting down to his return to the UK.
Set list: 1. Borró Cassette 2. El Perdedor 3. Obsesión 4. Miss Independent 5. Carnaval 6. Marinero 7. Vente Pa’ Ca 8. Corazón 9. Chantaje 10. Cuatro Babys 11. 11 PM 12. HP 13. Felices Los 4 14. ADMV 15. Parce 16. Madrid 17. Hawái 18. La Burbuja / Tónika / Agua de Jamaica (Band intros) 19. Mojando Asientos 20. Nos Comemos Vivos 21. Cosa Pendientes 22. +57 23. X 24. Ohnana 25. Sobrio 26. Según Quién 27. Coco Loco Venue: The O2, London Performance date: Tuesday 18th March 2025
