Shakira @ Wembley Arena, London

Shakira @ Wembley Arena, London - Sunday 18th March, 2007

Reviewed by Jeevan Panesar

The buzzing crowd exiting Wembley tube station was in no mood for a quiet night as it swarmed excitedly into the Arena on Sunday, for Latino fever had taken over and fans were anticipating the arrival of Columbian hip shaking diva Shakira.

Inside, it seemed as if the whole of London’s Spanish community had congregated to welcome Shakira with Columbian, Brazilian and Venezuelan flags waving; fans had braved the cold and kept themselves entertained with the Mexican wave as they waited for her to grace them with her presence. In the interim, supporting act DJ Cut Chemist amused with the likes of M.I.A and Blur and his visual/track mixing skills, but this eventually failed to keep the restless crowd engaged.

Shortly after nine, the petite singer appeared barefoot, sporting a tiny sparkling top and burst into song to the adulation of her fans. Her mainly Spanish song selection was not compromised by her crossover and mainstream success or her location, yet she still managed to get her non-Spanish speaking fans in the crowd involved: “Tonight London, I’m all yours, so sit back and enjoy the show.”

And her energy was infectious: from the intimate songs like ‘Don’t Bother’ and ‘Illegal’ to the upbeat worldwide hits ‘Whenever, Wherever’ and ‘La Tortura’, Shakira kept the crowd singing and dancing along with the same passion as she exuded herself. As if the 10-time Grammy award-winning songstress wasn’t talented enough with her colossal vocals and song writing skills, she also impressed further with her performances on guitar and harmonica.

Apart from the vocal concert, if there is but one expectation you would have from seeing Shakira live, it would be witnessing her famous hips in dance action. Throughout the show, Shakira didn’t disappoint with various dance sets and numerous outfit changes; all of which not only showed off her toned physique and her professional dancing ability, but also appeared free styled, spontaneous in spirit and oozing bags of personality from the star.

In addition to her personal entertainment value and the great crowd atmosphere, it was great to see Shakira display genuine affection towards her fans and performing with a constant smile on her face. Whether she was jumping into the crowd area to greet her fans or flirting with her band, she seemed very comfortable and happy to be there and most endearingly, very humble and appreciative for the whole of her 90-minute set. The understated setting, with no overly technical choreography, or over-styled backgrounds engaged the audience more intimately to the sole reason for their presence and accentuated Shakira’s raw Latino style - which is what you assume her fans adore her for in the first place.

Ending on a high note, a group of dancers clad in Bollywood themed outfits joined Shakira on stage for her most successful hit to date, ‘Hips Don’t Lie’, and had everyone out of their seats and free for the last dance of the night. On the way home with the crowd imitating her signature yodel and unique take on Latin-infused belly dancing and as highly spirited as on arrival, it was clear that Shakira had successfully left her mark on London.

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	Shakira @ Wembley Arena, London - Sunday 18th March, 2007 Reviewed by Jeevan Panesar The buzzing crowd exiting Wembley tube station was in no mood for a quiet night as it swarmed excitedly into the Arena on Sunday, for Latino fever had taken over and fans were anticipating the arrival of Columbian hip shaking diva Shakira. Inside, it seemed as if the whole of London’s Spanish community had congregated to welcome Shakira with Columbian, Brazilian and Venezuelan flags waving; fans had braved the cold and kept themselves entertained with the Mexican wave as they waited for her to grace them with her presence. In the interim, supporting act DJ Cut Chemist amused with the likes of M.I.A and Blur and his visual/track mixing skills, but this eventually failed to keep the restless crowd engaged. Shortly after nine, the petite singer appeared barefoot, sporting a tiny sparkling top and burst into song to the adulation of her fans. Her mainly Spanish song selection was not compromised by her crossover and mainstream success or her location, yet she still managed to get her non-Spanish speaking fans in the crowd involved: “Tonight London, I’m all yours, so sit back and enjoy the show.” And her energy was infectious: from the intimate songs like ‘Don’t Bother’ and ‘Illegal’ to the upbeat worldwide hits ‘Whenever, Wherever’ and ‘La Tortura’, Shakira kept the crowd singing and dancing along with the same passion as she exuded herself. As if the 10-time Grammy award-winning songstress wasn’t talented enough with her colossal vocals and song writing skills, she also impressed further with her performances on guitar and harmonica. Apart from the vocal concert, if there is but one expectation you would have from seeing Shakira live, it would be witnessing her famous hips in dance action. Throughout the show, Shakira didn’t disappoint with various dance sets and numerous outfit changes; all of which not only showed off her toned physique and her professional dancing ability, but also appeared free styled, spontaneous in spirit and oozing bags of personality from the star. In addition to her personal entertainment value and the great crowd atmosphere, it was great to see Shakira display genuine affection towards her fans and performing with a constant smile on her face. Whether she was jumping into the crowd area to greet her fans or flirting with her band, she seemed very comfortable and happy to be there and most endearingly, very humble and appreciative for the whole of her 90-minute set. The understated setting, with no overly technical choreography, or over-styled backgrounds engaged the audience more intimately to the sole reason for their presence and accentuated Shakira’s raw Latino style - which is what you assume her fans adore her for in the first place. Ending on a high note, a group of dancers clad in Bollywood themed outfits joined Shakira on stage for her most successful hit to date, ‘Hips Don’t Lie’, and had everyone out of their seats and free for the last dance of the night. On the way home with the crowd imitating her signature yodel and unique take on Latin-infused belly dancing and as highly spirited as on arrival, it was clear that Shakira had successfully left her mark on London. Return To Concert Review Archive
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