Selena’s The Last Concert: How The Fuck Does Something Perfect Become An Underrated Live Album?

A couple of things made me write this. First, I L-O-V-E Selena. I’ve purchased the same Selena shirt 4 times within the past year, I regularly daydream about killing someone who said “what’s with that Texano crap” when I put on “Baila Esta Cumbia” several years ago, I’m a big fan. Then again, isn’t everybody with ears?

The moment in Selena’s career I return to most is a live performance now referred to as The Last Concert. It was the 3rd and final time Selena performed at the Houston Astrodome, one of the most infamous stadiums ever built. Selena not only routinely put asses into this iconic landmark, but she set attendance records every time she performed.

Her final attendance record was so huge that the only thing capable of dethroning it was WrestleMania X-Seven. This means seeing Selena live was considered as important as a WrestleMania that took place back when we cared about wrestling.

The Last Concert effectively captures what made Selena unique. She’s 23 and commanding a record setting Astrodome audience. No matter how many times you experience this performance, it’s jaw dropping the level of charisma on display while she performs the near 8 minute “Disco Medley” before launching into “Amor Prohibido.” The expert level of conditioning Selena exhibits while dancing around a stage and hitting an array of notes with ease is probably why this is the most reliable album I have for cardio.

While focusing on the immense enthusiasm Selena displays during this concert, now’s a great time to mention what reason more than anything else made me vomit all these words out.

Because of my love for this album, I began looking for other live albums to listen to during jogs. I’m looking through multiple Greatest Live Albums lists and………I never fucking see The Last Concert included. Few performers could ever point to a show where they had the same energy Selena showcased during The Last Concert, and she’s not cracking these fucking lists with 50 entries. She set a fucking attendance record and according to lackluster music critics regurgitating their dad’s opinions, that pales in comparison to Cheap Trick putting on a show after flying across the globe to find a single fan outside Rockford fucking Illinois.

Obviously the disrespect pisses me off, but there’s optimism to be gained from this. The positive thing to take away is when it comes discovering what entertainment makes a serious connection with you, you’re on your own. Now more than ever, critics have as much to offer as a politician telling voters what they intend to do with their fingers crossed behind their back.

Saying critics are more hopeless than ever comes across as a statement pulled out of my ass, but it feels accurate. Try finding a “legitimate” book critic who isn’t walking on eggshells in front of their woke peers. I’m envious of readers who grew up in a time when adults recommended books. How did we reach a place when the people known for book recommendations only have Harry Potter and White Fragility on their shelves?

Film critics also feel valueless. They’re now strongly advised to not write Worst Films of the Year lists and if they do, even the laziest ones are considered controversial envelope pushers in the eyes of online bores obsessed with sanitizing everything. Unless it’s a host at TCM, I’m good. Your petition for Moonlight to be added to The Criterion Collection only further proves my point.

When it comes to figuring out what entertainment should be considered essential, the stuff with have a real connection with, we’re on our own. When it comes to needing more in entertainment recommendations than outsider cred or regurgitated opinions a previous generation voiced more effectively because they weren’t boring us with tradition, the gatekeepers have nothing to offer. The lack of recognition Selena’s The Last Concert receives on lists that alleged experts have contributed towards is a strong indicator of that for me.