After much anticipation, the deep voice of the sexy star breaks through the air. The Spanish lyrics from her début 1995 hit “Estoy Aquí fill the audience s ears, and all you see is the swaying of a curvy silhouette.
The opening minutes of pop sensation Shakira’s concerts washed over audience members like a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
They had it rough trying to get to the venue set at the foot of the pyramids.
And they were hungry for entertainment.
Shakira had to pull off quite the spectacular performance to get people over the trauma of traffic bottlenecks on the Fayoum road that led to the concert (with the luckiest ones waiting just an hour and a half), parking in the desert, breathing in dust and car exhaust while walking to the buses that transported everyone to the gig.
The concert was sponsored solely by mobile network provider MobiNil celebrating one million subscribers.
Although the ticket said there was an opening act, the first hour before Shakira’s entrance was an hour-long advertisement of the company playing a record with signature songs from their ads, and a huge screen running their TV commercials.
But Shakira did not disappoint when she greeted the crowd with her youthful smile and keen vibe. She did some erotic sounds, followed by a “Hello Egypt masa’el kheir . tonight I’m all yours! You would imagine that would turn the crowd into a frenzy, but the low energy was hopeless.
Maybe the audience was still recovering from the ordeal thus far.
“I was really surprised that there was no alcohol. All the other concerts like Ricky Martin, The Scorpions and Enrique Iglesias had at least beer. What did I get for my LE 750 ticket? Nothing. The organization is poor, said Genny Adel, a not-so-satisfied passer-by at the concert.
Well at least the Colombian-Lebanese starlet is a real natural on stage. For every song she performed the set changed to a different theme, and so did she.
The ex-blonde songstress started out in a silver tiny top, showing off her perfect abs she sang songs like “Don’t bother and “Illegal. She changed from one funky bass guitar to another during the first few numbers.
Of course through it all she was dancing, doing her new signature move (see her latest video with Beyonce “Beautiful Liar ), getting down on her knees, using the microphone stand as a dance-pole and shaking everything shakeable in a woman’s body.
At one point she pulls out a harmonica, showing us that not only can she sing, dance, and play guitar, but also the harmonica, almost all at the same time.
To sing one of her famous Spanish numbers, she changed into a gorgeous red dress she used to the max as she twisted and turned inside it like a true Spanish dancer.
More importantly is when she danced like a true Arab woman. The height of the show was most definitely when she changed into a beautiful belly dancing outfit, with a metallic bustier and a purple skirt.
Her belly dancing puts the likes of Fifi Abdo and Dina to shame. She masters the art of belly dancing while adding a “Shakira touch to it.
The authentic Arabic music slowly develops into her global hit record, her first English single “Whenever, Wherever and finally you started to hear some enthusiastic screams from the audience.
She then went off stage and mingled briefly with the audience. That received a few squeaks, still very minimal.
“She is a pro. She pulls off the show so well and effortlessly and her personality is captivating – she seems so laid back, says Dina Thabet, one of the invitees at the concert.
The Oral Fixation tour is her biggest one yet, with 99 dates which she has almost finished.
“What is the problem here? The traffic, the organization, or is it that people just don’t know how to have a good time in Egypt? The woman did a great job, but got barely a reaction, says Omar Fahmy who tried to enjoy the show regardless of the set backs.
When the concert looked like it was almost finished, many tried to escape early to avoid the upcoming stampede causing a smaller but effective mad dash, while Shakira was still performing.
Leaving the concert takes us back to the hellish experience in the beginning, as cars drove into the desert in all directions trying to find a road to take them out. Some cars and pedestrians were going against the flow, still trying to get in.
“Oh I know I am on tonight, my hips don’t lie and I’m starting to feel it’s right, echoed Shakira s voice faintly in the background, as people and cars ran around in all directions trying to avoid the mass bushwhack that was bound to happen.
Those who stayed to the very end spent another hour and a half to get to Midan El Rimaya.
