Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull prove a tempting trio at tour opener

WASHINGTON – As trilogies go, the combination of Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull is a robust one.

It’s also a triad of testosterone. This Trilogy Tour kicked off Saturday at a festive, sold-out Capital One Arena in D.C.

The three Latin pop stars came equipped with their individual charisma and a heap of hits during a four-hour night that only felt like a slog during the 30-minute set changes among the acts (and no, the screaming DJ playing ear-splitting club jams in between didn’t help).

Here’s a look at how opening night of the tour – a 19-city run that will traverse the country until wrapping in Vancouver in December – unfolded.

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What is the order of performers on The Trilogy Tour?

All three artists are technically co-headliners — or perhaps co-co-headliners is more fitting — with each playing hour-long sets of 13-15 songs.

Pitbull is on deck first – at 7:35 this night, after doors opened late and sound checks were still unfolding as fans headed to their seats.

Iglesias follows, with Martin closing the night of bilingual music. Each performer offers their own specialized barrage of lasers, rotating lights and pyro; their distinct personalities and style of showmanship are adeptly spotlighted.

While this is the first time these three artists have shared a bill, they are not unfamiliar tour partners. In 2017, Iglesias paired with Pitbull, while in 2021, the son of Latin megastar Julio Iglesias teamed with Martin for a shared jaunt that also included a fledgling Sebastián Yatra.

Pitbull’s set is slick and brimming with positivity

The Cuban rapper, singer and businessman from Miami burst onstage looking cool and sharp in a black suit and shades, surrounded by six shapely female dancers and a sextet of musicians.

His roof-raiser “Don’t Stop the Party” served as an appropriate opener as he blanketed the air with a South Beach vibe and a trove of neon lights.

“Hotel Room Service” prompted a chorus shout-along from the crowd, while the man known affectionately as Mr. Worldwide and Mr. 305 and legally as Armando Christian Pérez engaged in relentless aerobics, working out his arms as much as his pelvis.

There is nothing particularly innovative about Pitbull’s mélange of Latin-flecked pop-rap. Still, his boundless energy and positive outlook on life – the words “kindness,” “love,” “honesty” and “success” flipped across the v ideo screen during “Time Of Our Lives” – is admirable.

“If someone is being negative to you, it means they want to be you,” he said, while later talking about the Sports Leadership and Management charter school – with free tuition – he opened in Miami in 2013.

Though Pitbull, 42, released the new album “Trackhouse” earlier this month, his giddy set mostly focused on his adrenalized hits with only the Lil Jon collaboration “Jumpin’” representing a current offering.

Pitbull donned a red jacket for “Gasolina,” his pairing with Daddy Yankee – shown on video - and popped on a glamorous cowboy hat to accompany his decade-old No. 1 smash with Kesha, “Timber.”

Before the zingy “Fireball,” Pitbull addressed the crowd in English and Spanish, patting his chest and smiling in gratitude.

Enrique Iglesias jokes – maybe – that this is his last tour

Emerging from a halo of haze and lasers, the slender Iglesias dove into “Tonight (I’m Loving You),” alternating its chorus with the more profane version of the song as he zipped down the catwalk, his seven band members and two backup singers providing musical heft.

Clad in his usual uniform of sleeves-rolled-up work shirt, trucker hat and slouchy zippered pants, Iglesias poured his sultry voice over "Duele el Corazón" – hand raised in a swimming motion as he bathed in the rhythm – and the gliding “Bailamos,” his first crossover hit from 1999.

Percussionist Gilmar Gomes quickly proved the MVP of the band, as apt to stand atop his setup and provide a midsong rap as he was to smack his congas.

Gomes joined Iglesias and some of his other band members at a B-stage at the back of the arena – where Iglesias would return toward the end of his set as well –  for the seductive “Cuando Me Enamoro” paired with “Loco” and “Me Pasé,” that lilting ache in Iglesias’ voice such a hallmark of his ballads.

“This might be the last tour for me. (I'm) getting old,” Iglesias, 48, said, possibly kidding. He also mentioned in 2021 that his “Final, Vol. 1” album might be his last, but a “Final Vol. 2” is due soon.

Back on the main stage, Iglesias alternated between standing on the railing of the two raised platforms on opposite edges of the stage and crouching to get closer to fans during “Escape,” which dovetailed into the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This”), a thundering combination of drums, colored lasers and frenetic lights.

Though the whispery “Hero” – a phones in the air moment, of course – slowed the heartbeat of the set, Iglesias ended with a celebratory rendition of his massive 2014 hit, “Bailando,” accompanied by balloons adorned with his initials dropped from the ceiling and lively vocal supplement from the crowd.

Ricky Martin adeptly showcases sex and swagger

Always a vigorous showman, Martin unleashed his sonorous voice on the opening "Pégate" and his elaborate choreography with his seven dancers – male and female – on the fizzy "María" with unfettered glee.

Primal percussion bolstered the booming sound from his nine-piece band, including a snappy trio of brass players, as Martin, in baggy black pants and a sheer black shirt that would soon be stripped down to a sweaty gray tank top, slithered around the stage.

His hips were on auto-swivel during a feverish, horn-infused “Shake Your Bon-Bon” featuring Martin brandishing his tattooed biceps, while the still goofily fun “She Bangs” found him encircled by his dancers as he romped through the song, full of sex and swagger.

Martin, 51, knows how to sell a ballad as effortlessly as he moves and his eyes-scrunched-closed renditions of “Tu Recuerdo,” accompanied by lovely acoustic guitar, and “Vuelve,” were impassioned drama.

As the stage glowed “Wicked” green, three of his dancers presented an intricate number using their flowing skirts as props before Martin appeared, swaying his arms in the air throughout “Por Arriba, Por Abajo” and emphasizing lyrics with a graceful body swoop or furrowed brow.

Of course, Martin will never escape the worldwide recognition that comes with the opening horn bleats of “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” and his fun, fiery rendition of his 1999 English breakthrough smash fulfilled every hope.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull Trilogy tour concert review