"There's nothing better than a she-wolf reuniting with her pack! Awooo! Madrid, tonight we are one!" These are the words Shakira addressed to the more than 50,000 fans present in Madrid at the inaugural concert of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour at the Shakira Stadium, in a completely sold-out evening. It marks the beginning of an unprecedented residency of 12 concerts, the artist's only European engagement this year.
Shakira also told the crowd: "Good evening, Madrid! Welcome to our European residency!! I can't believe I'm here! It feels like a dream! Everyone tells me: 'Shaki, look at the face you wore when you left and the face you're wearing now that you're back,' and I reply: 'Yes, so many things have happened in my life since the last time I was here.' Seeing you all here tonight makes me so happy, because it's proof of how much love and support you've given me all these years. So tonight I'm going to give you everything I have." The show opened with "Intro La Huesera," followed by "La Fuerte," kicking off a spectacular performance that traced Shakira's entire career through songs from her vast repertoire. The artist took the stage wearing a vibrant Etro jumpsuit featuring the house's Paisley Jungle motif, created in collaboration with Swarovski and adorned with 600,000 crystals. Among the highlights of the setlist were "Girl Like Me," "Tgq," "Hips Don't Lie," "She Wolf," and many other tracks, along with her most recent hit, "Dai Dai" feat. Burna Boy. Released last May 15th, the single spent 7 weeks at number two on the global chart and is the most successful song of the year. Since its release, the music video has also surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube.
Later during the show, while performing "Acróstico," Shakira debuted for the first time a custom golden look by Gaurav Gupta, created exclusively for the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, comprising a Lunar Wolf brass breastplate inspired by the she-wolf, paired with a hand-woven silk brocade skirt from Banaras, India, shaped into sinuous waves. The bespoke creation required over 500 hours of work by a team of more than 10 artisans.
Initially announced with three concerts, the Madrid residency was quickly extended to 12 shows. Over half a million tickets were sold within hours of going on sale, making the residency one of the largest live music events in Europe this year. The Shakira Stadium is a temporary structure purpose-built within Iberdrola Music, with a capacity of over 50,000 spectators per evening, designed by architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). The experience extends beyond the concerts, transforming the Shakira Stadium and Madrid into a true destination for fans throughout the duration of the residency, through a wide programme of concerts, exhibitions, meet-and-greets, workshops, cinema, gastronomy, literature and other cultural experiences dedicated to the global Latin community and to the creativity, music and culture that unite it.
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