MEXICO CITY, March 3 — Pop star Shakira gave a free concert on Sunday night in front of 400,000 spectators on Zócalo Square in Mexico City – a record number for the venue, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
“This is a dream. How poetic to see this place so full of people,” said the 49-year-old in the largest square in the Mexican capital, surrounded by the illuminated cathedral and the National Palace.
It was her second appearance there. Many people arrived hours before the start to secure a good spot for the show.
The open-air concert was the first large gathering of hundreds of thousands of people in Mexico since the unrest sparked by the killing of a powerful drug lord by the military in other parts of the country a week ago. It passed without incident.
“Our hearts are still beating faster from what we experienced last night!” wrote the mayor of Mexico City, Clara Brugada, on the X platform on Monday.
Thanks to Shakira, the square in the historic centre of Mexico City was “full of magic, music and incredible energy,” she wrote.
The Colombian had previously achieved another record in Mexico.
The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer took to the stage of the Estadio GNP for the 13th and final time on Friday during her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” (Women No Longer Cry) tour – more appearances than any other artist before. She sold about 800,000 tickets in total.
Another milestone awaits the pop star on May 2, when she will give a free concert on the legendary Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro.
Last year, around 2.5 million people attended Lady Gaga’s performance there.
