Gig played on 23/12/2002

The intro tape of Doves, Massive Attack and finally, at full blast, Guns N Roses' 'Welcome To the Jungle' is a good indicator of what is to follow. She might be the face of Pepsi and imaginatively pigeonholed as the 'Latino Britney Spears' but Shakira is also good friends with Gabriel Garcia Marquez and a vocal opponent of war in Iraq. Tonight we will witness giant cobras, the philosophy of John Lubbock, candelabras as hats and a cover of AC/DC's 'Back In Black'. Truly, this is the strangest show since the Flaming Lips' carnival last rolled into town.

Emerging from beneath the aforementioned snake, the tiny Columbian superstar kicks off with renditions of 'Ojos Asi' and 'Si Te Vas'. The lack of concession towards her UK audience is admirable. The Shakira voice is bombastic and she slinks and shimmers and generally walks like an Egyptian across the stage. A beguiling combination of blonde hair and left-field dramatics she appears immediately at odds with her competent but MOR backing band. Like Kate Bush fronting Mike And The Mechanics.

For the third song, 'Fool', she straps on a guitar - she will later play both drums and harmonica - and then things take several turns to the weird. We get footage of Ozzy, Bowie and Axl in hospital gowns while the legend "ROCK N ROLL WILL NEVER DIE" flashes before us. The band plays Aerosmith and AC/DC covers while our heroine headbangs along in shiny tartan bondage trousers. Next, they don masks of political leaders for 'Octavo Dia' while the film switches to a chess game between George Bush and Saddam Hussein. The inevitable white dove and peace signs appear before a Studio 54 version of 'Ready For The Good Times' flips the mood again. This is all as good as it sounds.

It's carefully choreographed of course, down to the last pitter of the patter, but it works brilliantly. Compared to the cartoon machismo of Ricky 'Android' Martin and Enrique 'Sincerity' Iglesias, Shakira makes a real connection with her audience. She plays 'Underneath Your Clothes' and 'Objection (Tango)' and they wave lighters and bop in the aisles accordingly, eating from the palm of her hand.

The closing 'Whenever, Wherever' - where the flaming candelabra makes it's appearance - brings the house down. Shakira wiggles furiously, is hydraulically lifted over the crowd (who are showered in ticker tape) and finally disappears through a hole in the ground. Arena rock like it should be.

by Adam Webb