Shakira returned to Barclays Center on Tuesday (July 21) for the second of her back-to-back Brooklyn dates, and while the Colombian superstar hardly needed help whipping the crowd into a frenzy, she still delivered the night’s biggest jolt by bringing out Wyclef Jean for a show-stopping performance of their Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit, “Hips Don’t Lie.”
Two days after making history at the first-ever World Cup halftime show, Shakira kept the momentum going in New York with a set that balanced global-pop spectacle and the rawer spirit of her earlier catalog. The Wyclef cameo was the clear breakout moment: Shakira, barefoot and dressed in a tan, branch-like bohemian look that echoed the earthy costumes worn by her female dancers, turned the stage into a hypnotic fever dream as Jean emerged in all black, with shades, a fedora-style hat and a colorful bandanna peeking out underneath.
Together, they launched into one of Shakira’s most recognizable songs — the hit that has become inseparable from her legacy. When Jean delivered his verse, including the immortal “let me see your hips like you come from Colombia,” the audience erupted. Shakira and her dancers answered with serpentine, mesmerizing choreography, and by the end, the two stars were dancing side by side as the arena roared back every word.
Still, the guest appearance was only part of what made the show memorable. A major thread running through the concert was Shakira’s embrace of her early rocker era, spotlighting the sound and spirit that defined her before the English-language crossover years. She leaned into that identity visually too, wearing a sparkly, body-hugging purple one-piece with the flair of an ’80s hair-metal fantasy reimagined through her own lens.
At different points, she strapped on a glittering pink electric Fender and reminded fans just how central guitar has always been to her artistry. She also picked up an acoustic guitar for “Inevitable,” one of the night’s most emotional moments, and later dipped into fan-favorite classics that turned the arena into a giant sing-along. Dónde Están los Ladrones?, her landmark 1998 album, was especially well represented, with songs like “Ojos Así” casting a trance over the room and “Ciega, Sordomuda” landing like a full-body release of nostalgia and joy. “Dónde Estás Corazón” also hit hard, as thousands of fans sang along to every word.
She kept the old-school energy flowing with “Antología,” another one of the night’s loudest sing-alongs, before moving into later hits and English-language favorites including “Underneath Your Clothes.” She also made room for newer material like “Soltera,” proving that even in a set packed with history, she knows exactly how to keep her present-day catalog in the mix.
If the first Barclays show underlined Shakira’s command as a hitmaker with surprise guests like Tyla, Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy, the second doubled down on something deeper: her range. She can still deliver the arena-pop spectacle people expect, but Night 2 showed just how powerfully her rock roots and Latin alternative beginnings continue to connect.
The Colombian superstar is set to perform again in New York on Thursday (July 23) at UBS Arena.
