Eight years after her last concert in Spain, Shakira reunited with her Madrid audience on Friday (Sept. 18), kicking off a 12-date residency in front of 55,000 fans at the Shakira Stadium, a temporary venue built specifically for this event.

Hours before the show, the vibrant atmosphere extended beyond the stage, with long lines at food stalls and interactive activity booths. Among the crowd, fans donned purple wigs, coin-adorned scarves tied around their waists, wolf ears and masks and elements inspired by Barranquilla’s Carnival.

“I can’t believe I’m here. It all feels like a dream,” the Colombian superstar said as she welcomed her fans. “Having you here again tonight, you don’t know how happy it makes me because it’s proof of the love and affection you’ve given me all these years.”

She humorously summed up in one sentence how much has changed since her last visit to Spain. “Everyone tells me, ‘Shaki, look at the face you left with and the face you’ve come back with,’” she joked, laughing. “Things have happened in my life since the last time I saw you.” Behind the joke lies much of the personal history that has fueled her recent songs, which now brought her back to Madrid.

The promise translated into a journey through more than three decades of music. Shakira danced almost nonstop for nearly two hours, transitioning from rock to reggaeton, showcasing her Lebanese roots, and transforming herself — and her wardrobe — multiple times as she connected the different eras of her catalog. Fans who’ve been with her since the beginning shared the space with a new generation that sang her most recent hits by heart.

Songs like “Girl Like Me,” “Te felicito,” “TQG,” “Soltera” and “Hips Don’t Lie” had the crowd singing along in a stadium that rarely quieted down. With “Dai Dai,” the 2026 FIFA World Cup official song, the celebration took on a special meaning for the local audience. “Spain, World Champion!” Shakira shouted, unleashing one of the most electrifying moments of the night.

Other special moments included “Acróstico,” dedicated to her children Milan and Sasha, which moved many in the audience to tears, and the much-anticipated “Te Dejo Madrid,” a new addition to the setlist compared to previous stops on the tour. Before performing it, Shakira recalled her first visit to Madrid at the age of 19, when she fell in love with a Madrileño whom she described with laughter as “a true Iberian specimen: dark-haired, fun and cheerful,” though she admitted he eventually broke her heart.

The opening night ended without surprise guests, despite part of the audience’s expectations. This mystery will remain open during the 11 remaining dates of Shakira’s residency in Madrid, where the She-Wolf reconnected with her pack, and they howled right along with her.