Shakira in Montreal!

When I first arrived in Mexico for a second semester abroad, I barely spoke any Spanish. I knew the basics, “Hola”, “Como estas”, and so on but I clearly wasn’t ready to entertain a conversation with others. I have to admit that my first month was pretty rough because of the language barrier I was facing. One way I tried to learn Spanish, other than in class was through music. I would listen to songs and read the lyrics. When I didn’t understand a word, I’d pick up a dictionary and look up the word. I was very motivated! One of the artists that I discovered when in Mexico was Shakira. I heard her English songs back home but I wasn’t too impressed with her music. I felt like she was trying to be another Britney Spears at the time. But all those perceptions changed when I began listening to her Spanish songs. I realized that not only was she singing and dancing, but she was also writing all of her songs. That’s where she gained her credibility as an artist with me.

To my surprise, as I was randomly listening to the radio in the car one day, I heard that Shakira was coming to Montreal! Whether I was going to the concert or not wasn’t debatable, I was definitely going! Although it took her an hour of waiting for her to get on stage, the wait was well-worthed after the performance she gave to her fans. Not only does she look and sound the same as on the radio but she also dances the same as in her videos! This is when you know that her work is not edited! The songs she sang her both English and Spanish which made my night because I love her Spanish music more than her English. The acoustic performance she gave at one point during the concert was by far the best part of it. I love the sound of tam tams and acoustic guitars and then add Shakira dancing barefoot to that, it was awesome!! She also played Gypsy, one of the first songs we posted on Off-Track Backpacking. I love it!

Enjoy these videos from the concert!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d_Y3Id0NwQ]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdPrRg6Wctk]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrN2NKGgT3k]