When Shakira announced the stadium tour dates for her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran trek, Chicago was not part of the list, leaving fans wondering why the Windy City was left out. Soon after, it was unveiled that she’d headline Sueños Festival and on Saturday (May 24), the Colombian star closed out day one of the two-day event in Chicago’s Grant Park.
What was originally billed as a two-hour performance starting at 8 p.m., Shakira went onstage closer to 8:30 p.m. and played a 90-minute set. The crowd — which had quickly dispersed after Peso Pluma’s set — slowly returned to find a good spot to watch Shakira and the empty spots filled up, especially when the main stage lights were turned on.
Shakira’s crowd was multigenerational, which is noteworthy given that Sueños caters to a younger, perhaps Gen Z-leaning crowd. Many women in attendance paid homage to Shakira, wearing her signature belly-dancing hip belts. And Colombians proudly waved their flags, eager to hear La Loba howl.
“I was really looking forward to being with you tonight,” a beaming Shakira said, speaking in a mix of English and Spanish. “This is incredible. This city, wow I’m in love with this city, it’s so beautiful. Thank you for making me feel at home. There is definitely no better reunion than a she-wolf with her pack. Chicago, tonight, we are one.”
While it’s hard to replicate a stadium tour stage in a festival setting, it’s safe to say Shakira gifted Chicago fans an unforgettable night. Going from wearing a shimmery white jumpsuit and large black sunglasses to a sparkly pink dress in a blink of an eye, the “Pies Descalzos” singer, backed by a troupe of fierce dancers, kicked off with bangers, including “Girl Like Me,” “Las de la Intuición,” “Estoy Aquí,” “Inevitable,” “Te Felicito,” “TQG” and “Don’t Bother.”
“These last few years have not been easy for me, nobody is saved from falls. But if I have learned anything, it’s that the fall is not the end but the beginning of a higher flight. We, women, get up a little stronger, a little more wiser, every time we fall,” Shakira said, a nod to the empowering theme of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran era, inspired by the healing that comes from a heartbreak.
During her 90-minute set, Shakira’s hypnotizing dance moves and choreography were on full display, including her unmatched belly-dancing in “Ojos Asi” and the champeta and calypso footwork during “Waka Waka.” But a fan favorite moment was when Shakira revisited her rockera roots, singing “Pies Descalzos, Sueños Blancos” and “Antología.”
Of course, she closed with the global hit “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” which had all the women in attendance singing at the top of their lungs, ending an epic reunion between a she-wolf and her pack.
Sueños continues on Sunday (May 25) with Grupo Frontera and Don Omar as headliners. Meanwhile, Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran is set to visit Boston, Atlanta, Miami and Los Angeles next.
