When they got together to play their music and remember old times as teen idols, they had no idea how far that act would take them. Seventeen years after the first reunion in Puerto Rico, six former members of Menudo — today in their mid-40s — are back onstage as “El Reencuentro — Together Again.”
After a successful concert in Miami in January, singers Charlie Massó, Ricky Meléndez, Johnny Lozada, Ray Reyes, Miguel Cancel and René Farrait will re-create the songs that gave the band fame worldwide during a concert at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney on Saturday.
The group promises more than two hours full of energy, with music and choreography that will flash the audience back to vivid memories of teenage years.
“It will be an experience to remember: Adrenaline will go up, and the energy will rise,” said Massó, who promises the audience a back-in-time voyage. “We all become 15 years old again. We all transform. It is something we can’t even explain,” the singer added.
“You have to see it to believe it. It is inexplicable. I don’t understand it. At the concert you see a lady dancing and jumping and her husband with his tie on his head,” said Lozada.
For singers who dance for hours and travel everywhere, the physical aspect is not a challenge because they say they like to stay in shape.
Massó, 45, a resident of Puerto Rico who travels for work to Mexico and Florida and who always goes back to his hometown, follows a daily exercise routine allowing him to perform in every concert as if it were the first performance of his life. The dances are easy but still a demanding aerobic routine, the singer emphasized.
Lawyer Ricky Meléndez, 47, one of the five members of the original Menudo band, agrees with Massó and Lozada but goes further and says the concert is like medicine for the body and soul.
“The concerts are a therapy for everyone, for us and for the public. They give us the opportunity to relive happy moments from time to time. That opportunity is tremendous,” said Meléndez, who was replaced by Ricky Martin in 1984.
“After the presentations, I’m a renovated Ricky. After the shows, everyone comes out renewed with a recharge of batteries. It feels good,” said Meléndez. ” When we are on stage, we enjoy. We see the public and what is happening and, wow, it’s magic!”
More than a group, “El Reencuentro” is defined as an event. It’s an occasion that the group put together based on each member’s schedule.
As the date for the “El Reencuentro” in Orlando approaches, Massó urges his fans: “Wear your jeans and put your tennis shoes on so that we will dance.”
After Orlando, the group has planned 15 other concerts throughout Latin America, beginning May 16 in Puerto Rico and then in countries such as Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.
Tickets for Saturday’s 7 p.m. show are $71.75. Details: houseofblues.com, 407-934-2583.
