If you can’t tell by the title who this article is about, shame on you. However, it is our duty to inform you that 1) you have been living under a rock and 2) we are talking about the beloved, bald-headed, Cuban rapper, who goes by Pitbull/ Mr. 305/ Mr. Worldwide/ Armando Christian Perez. Follow along on our experience of the “Can’t Stop Us Now” tour where we had the honor of witnessing the greatness of THE Mr. Worldwide at the Hollywood Bowl Tuesday, Sept. 27.

Pre-Concert:

Alex: I hurried out my front door to meet up with Henry Curran ’23 and his girlfriend who had pulled up to my house. We started hyping each other up for Mr. 305’s amazing performance when Brandon Patriquin ’23 walked over to us holding a HOCO proposal poster with some iconic lyrics from Pitbull himself. I was already so excited about the concert, but this proposal just made me even happier. We started driving up to LA, blasting our favorite Pitbull songs — we were pumped, but none of us knew what to expect when we got to the actual concert.

As we arrived, floods of people crowded around the steep hills surrounding the amphitheater. I was so excited to see Tori Gomez ’23 waiting for me to take the picture-perfect image in front of the stage. As we took our seats, I admired how massive the large space was, and it gave me chills in anticipation of the show.

Tori:  I have been waiting to see Pitbull and his groovy dance moves in person for 12 years, 12 YEARS! Memories of listening to Pitbull from my purple iPod flash through my mind during the car ride to the concert with my family. There was lots of traffic, so I decided to take a nap because, Mr. Worldwide deserves ALL of my attention. Surprisingly, the line to go through security went by pretty fast, so next I was in line to buy a $6 water bottle and a $13 box of popcorn. They had some pretty fancy pizza, but my family and I figured that we could grab a snack after the concert. Finding out that I would see Alex Bohn ’23 at the concert made my day and allowed us to write this article together! As I met up with Alex so we could take a photo together, I was so glad to see that she was just as excited to see Pitbull as I was.

Queen Iggy:

Alex: Now, my childhood was 100% based off of my Wii Just Dance discs, and if you’ve never played, that’s just unfortunate. But my point is that I was stoked to hear that Iggy Azalea (the singer of an all-time favorite, “Fancy”) was opening for Mr. Worldwide. The lights dimmed and there she was, rapping and dancing as if she owned the stage (and to be honest, she definitely did). There were songs that I didn’t even know she rapped for but there I was, grooving in my seat to some awesome pump-up jams that I definitely recommend you listen to when working out. As Queen Iggy left the stage, I chatted with my friends who were all even more excited to see Pitbull come out on stage.

Tori:   Soon enough, it was time for Iggy Azalea to open up the show, and I’m telling you, I got absolute chills.  The thing is, she wasn’t even the main show and I already was so hyped, so I knew Mr. 305 would kill it. Iggy’s hit songs had my head bopping nonstop. To be completely honest, I am really surprised I didn’t break my neck. Thankfully no one was sitting on my right, because someone might have gotten bumped into as I was jamming out and the last thing I needed was for someone to ruin my night by complaining about me getting too hyped. You cannot blame me though, because Iggy’s opening acts set the bar way up in the sky, but have no fear- the king himself did nothing but give an unforgettable performance.

The Moment:

Alex: And then…. There he was. Mr. 305. Mr. Worldwide. Dale-man. Pitbull. In all his shining glory, he walked out on stage and started singing “Don’t Stop the Party” which was a huge mood booster. Pitbull mentioned many times that he was grateful: for the love, for the support, and for the opportunity, or as he put it “Gracias por el amor, por el apoyo, y por la oportunidad!” Oh Pitbull, what an inspirational legend, he deserves a TED talk.

Anyways, I was having the time of my life dancing my heart out and screaming the lyrics until my singing was jagged breaths. Amazing song after amazing song just kept playing, and I thought to myself, “Oh my gosh… I’m at an actual Pitbull concert. This is awesome!” Mr. Worldwide knew exactly how to lead the crowd to having the “Time of our Lives,” and he did a sure good job at it. Although, I have to say that my two favorite songs that he played were “Feel This Moment” and “Hotel Room Service.” I already loved both of these songs before the concert, but I can say for a fact that I appreciate them so much more after the experience.

Tori: When it comes to Pitbull, there isn’t one song that you can just stand still to. For example, he played ALL of his hit records, from “Fireball” to “The Anthem,” and of course “International Love,” and through it all I never stood still. My sister, Pia Gomez ’25 was by my side getting hyped with me, because she, like myself has waited a LONG time to see the shiny bald-headed man in person.

Post-Show Depression:

Alex:  Sadly, the concert had to come to a close, and I wish I could say that I did not get scammed buying a Pitbull shirt from a random stranger on my way out, but I now proudly own a 3XL t-shirt that I guess I will be using as pajamas (Brandon’s idea). Who cares anyways? I got a t-shirt for $10 rather than $45. That sounds like a killer deal to me. To sum up, I’m in total post-concert depression, but I guess that’s just how it is when you experience Mr. Worldwide live. And hey, I’m totally 100% ok with that. My love for Pitbull has definitely been blown way out of proportion, but you know what? He deserves all my love and if you don’t think he’s that cool then you’re missing out.

Tori: When time came to get back to the car, I am not joking when I say that it took my family and I an hour to get out of the funky parking lot safely. Car Honk after Car Honk, my family and I finally made it out. We then headed to one of the best places that would be open at 1 in the morning, King Taco. I had some pretty yummy nachos with carne asada on top. It was kind of hard for me to not fall asleep while completely devouring the nachos. And that was the end of a wonderful night.

I must say, after successfully completing my first Pitbull concert, I highly recommend each and every one of you attend one, if given the opportunity. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. Mr. Worldwide set the bar so high, but I can now die in piece, knowing that I have seen the king live in concert. My life is complete.

Our thoughts on what was probably the greatest moment of our lives:

We might need more than a week to recover from the amazing life changing event that was Mr. Worldwide’s concert, but look at us still blessing you all with this article. High five for us guys. What’s even better is that we want to leave you guys with a quote. If you know it, feel free to sing along in your head as you read, “This is for everybody going through tough times. Believe me, been there, done that. But every day above ground is a great day. Remember that.”