Their World Cup Performance Could Have Been Better

Maybe my concert standards are woefully high, but I just wasn't impressed by Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull's World Cup opening ceremony performance. After the crazy scare that had us convinced Jennifer Lopez wasn't going to be at the World Cup and then just as quickly reassured us that she was going to show up, maybe I was expecting too much. FIFA gave us a heart attack with that erroneous announcement on Monday, after all, so surely the performance was going to be ten times as amazing to make up for it? Well, I'm sorry, but it wasn't. It really, really wasn't.

The best part of the World Cup opening ceremony was everything but Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, and Claudette Leitte. Performers surrounding the stage were paying tribute to Brazil's diverse regions by dressing up as everything from musical instruments to flowers. One performer was carried in wearing face paint and sitting in a canoe. The energetic drummers were brightly colored crowd pleasers getting more into the song than anyone else.

And then there was J. Lo, Pitbull, and Claudette Leitte. There were just so many things wrong with the performance. In the first place, there was some kind of sound issue that made it near impossible to hear them singing the entire time. Thank goodness for pre-recordings, right? Second of all, aside from pumping their fists in the air and swaying from side to side, they didn't really put on much of a show. Maybe they didn't want to take any attention off the Brazilian performers, but if the most interesting thing about your performance was Pitbull's pants then you know you've done something wrong.

In addition, this is the third time we've seen a huge production for "We Are One" and it's the show for which the song was written. How is it the worst production of the three? Remember Lopez and Pitbull's 2014 Billboard Award performance with the light show and the choreography?

I wouldn't even have minded seeing a performance more along the lines of the "We Are One" music video. You know, the parts that weren't just clips of football matches. At least Jennifer Lopez danced in that, unlike at the actual opening ceremony.

It's not clear that happened to make this particular performance of "We Are One", which should have been the greatest performance of it all, almost insultingly boring, but perhaps this was due to the production issues that FIFA mentioned in their original announcement of J. Lo's absence. While they revised the announcement to say that she would be there, no mention was made of having resolved the production issues.

If you're a huge fan of J. Lo, Pitbull, Claudia Leitte, or just this song in any form, then you'll probably enjoy the performance. If you were expecting to see a real show, focus on everything going on around the three singers and you'll be a lot happier. Watch the performance below.