Shakira brings her she-wolf fierceness to the Toronto stop on her world tour
Shakira
3.5 stars (out of 4)
Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Mon., May 26, 2025
Her career has spanned 30-plus years, and she has the accolades to show for it, though it's been seven years since Shakira embarked on a major tour. But recent events in the Colombian singer's personal life compelled her to release her 12th studio album and return to the stage with her 'Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran' ('Women No Longer Cry') tour, which stopped at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.
Involved in a very public breakup with longtime partner Gerard Piqué, in 2023 the singer dropped 'Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,' a viral rap anthem whose lyric 'las mujeres no lloran las mujeres factura' ('women don't cry anymore, they cash in') struck a chord with female fans as a post-heartbreak manifesto. Now, the 'she wolf' is back on stage to reclaim her power and reunite with her pack.
For her Toronto show, Shakira performed her most beloved numbers, from '90s deep cuts to recent chart-toppers. It took a bit of warming up to get there, though. After an hour's delay, a CGI Shakira avatar flashed on the video screens as the crowd, dressed in an explosion of leather, leopard skin and belly dance wraps, shrieked. Throughout the night, the avatar would serve to connect the narrative of her healing journey.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
The singer entered the arena fight-night style. Making her way to the stage, she ascended from below on a platform with two deejays, suggesting that we'd just entered Club Shakira.
For the first half of the show, she served up the essence of her recent foray into electronic dance music. She came across as a polished pop persona dressed in a shimmering pink outfit, performing perfectly synchronized choreography to such hits as 'TQG' and 'Te Felicito.' Interspersed among them, alt-rock-leaning singles like 'Inevitable' and 'Don't Bother' couldn't help but seem misplaced.
The second half picked up momentum as Shakira ventured into her early-aughts material, such as her billion-streaming 'Hips Don't Lie.' Placing her best-known song mid-set felt tactical as it reinvigorated the crowd. Familiar favourites were reimagined with new arrangements: 'Chantaje,' her 2017 duet with Maluma, now had a salsa beat. The remixes allowed the performer to showcase her considerable dance skills; all eyes were on her hypnotic belly dance solos. And no, those hips did not stop moving the entire show.
Fake Shakira currency rained down at the Toronto concert's end.
Laura Palombi
She finished the concert with the breakup anthem that kicked off this new chapter in her career, as a gigantic inflatable wolf was rolled out and loomed over the stage as her protector. As she sang, 'Women don't cry anymore, they cash in,' fake currency with Shakira's face printed on it rained from above. The show closed with a wolf's head superimposed over Shakira's face on the screens, as her healing journey was complete.
Let the mighty she wolf howl.
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Winnipeg Free Press
7 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Shakira performance for World Pride opening concert abruptly cancelled due to technical issues
WASHINGTON (AP) — One day before the kickoff concert for World Pride 2025 in the nation's capital, headlining performer Shakira has abruptly cancelled due to equipment difficulties. 'We are deeply disappointed that unforeseen circumstances have forced the cancellation' of the concert, the Capital Pride Alliance, the main World Pride organizer, said in a Friday statement. 'Updates about the relocated Opening Ceremony program will be released as soon as they are finalized!' The multi-platinum singer had been scheduled to headline the opening celebrations Saturday night at Nationals Park. The reasons are apparently an extension of equipment issues related to her Thursday night concert in Boston's Fenway Park, which was also cancelled hours before it was set to begin. A Friday night concert at Fenway for country star Jason Aldean was also cancelled. 'Due to complications with the previous show in Boston, Shakira's full tour production cannot be transported to Washington, D.C. in time for her scheduled performance at Nationals Park,' the Capital Pride Alliance statement said. 'Despite every effort to make it happen, it is not possible to move forward as planned.' The Alliance noted that the full slate of citywide events was still on for opening weekend, and said the kickoff ceremony would be relocated and reorganized. The cancellation presents a further challenge for the Alliance, but at least a non-political one. Organizers have already said they expected international attendance to measurably suffer as a result of concern and anger in the LGBTQ+ community over President Donald Trump's policies. Trump's public antipathy for trans protections and drag shows has already prompted two international LGBTQ+ organizations, Eagle Canada and the African Human Rights Coalition, to issue warnings against traveling to the U.S. at all. The primary concern is that trans or non-binary individuals would face trouble entering the country if passport control officers enforce the administration's strict binary view of gender status. Some potential international participants have already announced plans to skip this year's events, either out of fear of harassment or as a boycott against Trump's policies. But others have called for a domestic mobilization to flood the capital. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos said that security fencing would be installed surrounding the final two-day concert and rally on a multi-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue. Early hotel reservation numbers for the final World Pride weekend, June 6-8, were originally down from the previous year, according to Destination D.C., which tracks reservations. But Destination D.C. President Elliott Ferguson told reporters on Thursday that, 'what we're seeing now is a surge at the last minute, especially with the national community.' Ferguson speculated that concerns about international attendance had 'galvanized the local community, the national community to want to come to the city.' ___
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Toronto Star
Shakira brings her she-wolf fierceness to the Toronto stop on her world tour
Shakira 3.5 stars (out of 4) Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Mon., May 26, 2025 Her career has spanned 30-plus years, and she has the accolades to show for it, though it's been seven years since Shakira embarked on a major tour. But recent events in the Colombian singer's personal life compelled her to release her 12th studio album and return to the stage with her 'Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran' ('Women No Longer Cry') tour, which stopped at Scotiabank Arena on Monday. Involved in a very public breakup with longtime partner Gerard Piqué, in 2023 the singer dropped 'Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,' a viral rap anthem whose lyric 'las mujeres no lloran las mujeres factura' ('women don't cry anymore, they cash in') struck a chord with female fans as a post-heartbreak manifesto. Now, the 'she wolf' is back on stage to reclaim her power and reunite with her pack. For her Toronto show, Shakira performed her most beloved numbers, from '90s deep cuts to recent chart-toppers. It took a bit of warming up to get there, though. After an hour's delay, a CGI Shakira avatar flashed on the video screens as the crowd, dressed in an explosion of leather, leopard skin and belly dance wraps, shrieked. Throughout the night, the avatar would serve to connect the narrative of her healing journey. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The singer entered the arena fight-night style. Making her way to the stage, she ascended from below on a platform with two deejays, suggesting that we'd just entered Club Shakira. For the first half of the show, she served up the essence of her recent foray into electronic dance music. She came across as a polished pop persona dressed in a shimmering pink outfit, performing perfectly synchronized choreography to such hits as 'TQG' and 'Te Felicito.' Interspersed among them, alt-rock-leaning singles like 'Inevitable' and 'Don't Bother' couldn't help but seem misplaced. The second half picked up momentum as Shakira ventured into her early-aughts material, such as her billion-streaming 'Hips Don't Lie.' Placing her best-known song mid-set felt tactical as it reinvigorated the crowd. Familiar favourites were reimagined with new arrangements: 'Chantaje,' her 2017 duet with Maluma, now had a salsa beat. The remixes allowed the performer to showcase her considerable dance skills; all eyes were on her hypnotic belly dance solos. And no, those hips did not stop moving the entire show. Fake Shakira currency rained down at the Toronto concert's end. Laura Palombi She finished the concert with the breakup anthem that kicked off this new chapter in her career, as a gigantic inflatable wolf was rolled out and loomed over the stage as her protector. As she sang, 'Women don't cry anymore, they cash in,' fake currency with Shakira's face printed on it rained from above. The show closed with a wolf's head superimposed over Shakira's face on the screens, as her healing journey was complete. Let the mighty she wolf howl.
Globe and Mail
17-05-2025
- Globe and Mail
World Pride comes to Washington in the shadow of, and in defiance of, the Trump administration
The World Pride 2025 welcome concert, with pop icon Shakira performing at Nationals Stadium, isn't until May 31. But for host city Washington D.C., the festivities start with a string of localized Pride events beginning with Trans Pride on Saturday. Hundreds of LGBTQ+ rallies, seminars, parties, after-parties and after-after-parties are planned for the next three weeks across the nation's capital, including Black Pride and Latin Pride. It all culminates in a two-day closing festival on June 7 and 8 with a parade, rally and concerts on Pennsylvania Avenue by Cynthia Erivo and Doechii. The biannual international event typically draws more than a million visitors from around the world and across the LGBTQ+ spectrum. But this year's events will carry both a special resonance and a particular sense of community-wide anxiety due to the policies of President Donald Trump's administration. Trump's public antipathy for trans protections and drag shows has already prompted two international LGBTQ+ organizations, Egale Canada and the African Human Rights Coalition, to issue warnings against travelling to the U.S. at all. The primary concern is that trans or non-binary individuals will face trouble entering the country if passport control officers enforce the administration's strict binary view of gender status. 'I think it's a fair assumption that the international numbers won't be as high due to the climate and the uncertainties,' said Ryan Bos, executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance. 'At the same time we know that there's an urgency and importance to showing up and making sure we remain visible and seen and protect our freedoms.' Opposition to transgender rights was a key point for Trump's presidential campaign last year and he's been following through since returning to the White House in January, with orders to recognize people as being only male or female, keep transgender girls and women out of sports competitions for females, oust transgender military troops, restrict federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender people under age 19 and threaten research funding for institutions that provide the care. All the efforts are being challenged in court; judges have put some policies on hold but are currently letting the push to remove transgender service members move forward. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found support for some of his efforts. In February, Trump launched a takeover at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, publicly promising to purge drag shows from the institution's stages. Within days of that takeover, the Kennedy Center abruptly pulled out of plans to host the International Pride Orchestra as part of a week-long series of World Pride crossover events entitled Tapestry of Pride. In the wake of that cancellation, the Capital Pride Alliance cancelled the entire week and moved some of the Tapestry events to alternate venues. Some potential international participants have already announced plans to skip this year's events, either out of fear of harassment or as a boycott against Trump's policies. But others have called for a mobilization to flood the capital, arguing that establishing a presence in potentially hostile spaces is the precise and proud history of the community. 'We've been here before. There is nothing new under the sun,' said D.C. Council Member Zachary Parker, who is gay. 'While this is uncharted territory a fight for humanity is not new to those in the LGBTQ+ community.' A recent editorial in the The Blade by Argentinian activist Mariano Ruiz argued for 'the symbolic weight of showing up anyway,' despite the legitimate concerns. 'If we set the precedent that global LGBTQI+ events cannot happen under right-wing or anti-LGBTQI+ governments, we will effectively disqualify a growing list of countries from hosting,' Ruiz wrote. 'To those who say attending World Pride in D.C. normalizes Trump's policies, I say: What greater statement than queer, trans, intersex, and nonbinary people from around the world gathering defiantly in his capital? What more powerful declaration than standing visible where he would rather we vanish?' The last World Pride, in 2023, drew more than 1 million visitors to Sydney, Australia, according to estimates. It's too early to tell whether the numbers this year will match those, but organizers admit they are expecting international attendance to be impacted. Destination D.C., which tracks hotel booking numbers, estimated that bookings for this year during World Pride are about 10 per cent behind the same period in 2024, but the organization notes in a statement that the numbers may be skewed by a 'major citywide convention' last year that coincided with what would be the final week of World Pride this year. Still, as the date approaches, organizers and advocates are predicting a memorable party. If international participation is measurably down this year, as many are predicting, the hope is that domestic participants will make a point of attending. 'The revolution is now,' said Parker, the D.C. council member. 'There is no greater demonstration of resistance than being present and being you, and that is what World Pride is going to represent for millions of folks.'
