Coincidence or not, it was a full moon Tuesday (Feb. 11) in Rio de Janeiro. The sky was clear, without stars, as the biggest star got ready to shine at the Nilton Santos Stadium, also known as Engenhão. Accompanied by her army — correction: her pack — She-Wolf Shakira marched toward the stage, focused on performing the greatest show of her life for the kickoff of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour. She delivered, showing once again why she’s considered one of the greatest Latin artists in history.
Even with technical problems — including faulty monitors and a problem with screens — Shak remained calm and in good spirits.
“This is the first show, of course, something had to happen,” she said, laughing. With everything resolved, Shakira began the concert with “La Fuerte” from her latest album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, which gives its name to the tour.
The Colombian artist performed for more than two hours, playing a setlist that included the biggest hits from her 30-year-plus career. With the help of highly realistic projections made with AI, the singer brought visuals that told key moments of her personal and artistic journey.
In addition, the competent band and dancers put on a show of their own. Shakira made sure to thank each member of her team and introduced each one by name on stage. The she-wolf seemed to be overflowing with joy, like a child. At the end of each act — difficult to say which was the best — she had a huge smile on her face.
“This is a true encounter between a little she-wolf and her pack,” Shakira said.
Proving that women cash in — and how! — Shakira made a heavy investment in this tour. She was accompanied by cameras that showed every step of the show on a giant screen. Her speed in changing outfits was impressive: I counted eight, but there were definitely more. In some of her acts, she recreated scenes from music videos like “Te Felicito” (with Rauw Alejandro), and also recreated the atmosphere of the “Chantaje” video (with Maluma), where she sang from her dressing room — and the audience followed everything, including the costume changes.
Adjectives fall short to explain the magnitude of the singer’s performance; she seemed like a force of nature on stage. According to her: “Falls are not the end, but the beginning of the highest flight.” And after her turbulent period, today she shines with tranquility — with each passing day, time is becoming her ally, just like a fine wine.
Below, see Shakira’s 10 best moments at the first concert of her Las Mujeres No Ya Lloran World Tour.
It may seem clichéd to start with the opening, but the show is impactful from the very first moment. As the lights go out, a powerful drumbeat echoes. On the screen, a glowing figure with golden hair appears — representing Shakira herself and strongly resembling her statue in Barranquilla, her hometown.
Throughout the video, the AI-generated Shakira transforms to show various facets of the artist over her more than 30-year career.
One of the most anticipated moments was “Camina con La Loba” — and the opportunity to understand the campaign that, in Brazil, mobilized the fans on social media to show their best and most creative howl. Those selected were part of the army — or rather, the singer’s silver pack — and went up on stage wearing metallic jackets and glasses. Accompanied by their leader, the group marched towards the stage to start the show.
Would you like to walk with the she-wolf too? Shakira is inviting her fans in Latin America to join the initiative here.
In the fourth of the 13 acts into which the show is divided, the singer recreated and amplified the setting of the music video for “Te Felicito,” one of her collaborations with Rauw Alejandro. Items like the purple locksmith mask and the robots, which also appear in the clip, made it to the stage, but they were the smallest of the details in the pink world that emerged.
In the following medley of the setlist, the diva brought the elements of nature to represent the songs. The mermaid of “Copa Vacía” (with Manuel Turizo) was with the water, while the hit “La Tortura” (with Alejandro Sanz) made the performance hot as fire. Every song featured dance solos from the singer, preparing us for what was to come…
One of Shakira’s biggest hits, the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Hips Don’t Lie,” is a timeless anthem that has marked generations to this day. And when the time came for its performance at the concert, the audience’s reactions were divided between singing, dancing and looking hypnotized at the Colombian star, who proved once more that her hips don’t lie.
In an intimate way, she took us backstage during the show — while also recreating part of the atmosphere of the “Chantaje” music video, one of her collaborations with Maluma. With her camera following every step of her way, she led us to her dressing room, where she touched up her makeup and changed outfits while singing the song.
Shortly after, she returned to the stage and, alongside her dancers, brought the best of Colombian salsa to the party.
At various moments during the show, Shakira performed dance solos, but during her special act dedicated to belly dancing, it was almost impossible to take your eyes off the screen. Just like the Brazilian telenovela O Clone (2001), we can say that the artist was key in the popularization of belly dancing in Brazil.
Bringing a cozy atmosphere, the singer shared that one of the favorite songs of her sons Milan, 12, and Sasha, 10, is the Brazilian song “Mama África” by Chico César. In fact, when singing the song, Shakira changed the Portuguese lyrics, “My mother/Is a single mother” to, “Yes, I am a single mother,” in Spanish.
“It’s like an MTV Luau,” said a fan in the audience. It was reminiscent of a beach luau, similar to the one featured on the popular TV show in the 2000s.
It’s a fact that, to date, no official World Cup song has surpassed the global impact and strength of “Waka Waka,” the official song for the 2010 competition.
Shakira’s performance of the hit on Tuesday night turned a quiet moment into a huge, colorful party, with everyone screaming and jumping. Before I knew it, I was in a circle dancing to the choreography of the single with people I’d never met before.
The end of “Waka Waka” felt like a farewell. As a result, many people left — and missed one of the most memorable moment of the night: the hour of the She-Wolf.
After a few seconds of silence, an imposing wolf appeared amid the fog on stage. Before revealing himself completely, the screen displayed the ten commandments of a she-wolf. Alongside her pack of dancers, Shakira ended the show in majestic fashion, with the most anticipated hits of the night: “She Wolf” and “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” the song in which she says it all by stating that women don’t cry anymore, they cash in.
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