Shakira! Shakira!

Shakira gave her first ever performance in the Middle East yesterday and we (Hippo, Ammon, Jassem & I) were there to see her shake it all.

The Food & Beverage Village at the Dubai Autodrome opened its doors at 12 pm. We were advised to go as early as possible to get the best seats. Since we couldn’t get any tickets for Centre Seating and only got those for the Flank Seating, we were determined to get front row there.

The kids wanted to go there at 12 sharp. But I managed to convince them to move out after the Friday noon prayers. We reached there at 230pm and we had our junk, water, cushions and sun block. We got a great parking spot, there was no line to get our wristbands, and we joked with the security and organizers as we also were draped in orange!

As we walked in the F&B Village, it was almost deserted. We walked up to the entrance of the seating area thinking of two things: (1) good we are early, we will get great seats, and (2) how will we survive the heat for 6 hours! We were already sweating! But we did not have to survive the heat as we were then told that we can hang in the Village but can’t actually go into auditorium till 6 pm!! We decided to leave the car, take a taxi to Ibn Battota were we chilled, ate, done our business and returned on the shuttle service provided by the organizers at 5 pm.

The shuttle bus dropped us at the front of the main entrance all the way at the other end of Autodrome of where the car park was. We split. Jassem & Hippo went to line up at the auditorium entrance, and Amoon & I went to get some of our stuff from the car. That’s when we saw the start of the problem of poor organisation. After we got the stuff from the car, we got stuck in a very long line just to get in again. Security searches were sluggishly slow as there were only two security checks at that entrance. The main entrance had many more checks but you would only know about it if you were dropped by a shuttle! Taxis were dropping people next to the car park. There were no signs of the main entrance from the car park either, just in case you opted to walk the long walk instead of standing still for 30 minutes. The congestion was truly unnecessary and was due to lack of proper organisation, as if it's the first time they organise a concert!

Hippo and Jassem found great seats on the first row. At 6:30 we were finally settled and relaxed! The hours had to just tick faster.

Columbians were all over the place, with their flags proudly hanging over the fences. I never knew there were so many Columbians in Dubai.

When the clock finally hit 9 pm, we got excited. The show will finally start, yippy!But instead of Shakira, we got an announcement saying the show will be delayed for 30 mins to allow the fans stuck in traffic and security checks to come in. I mean really how is that OUR PROBLEM when we came so early! The boos, jeers and angry screams did nothing much really. The place was really almost empty though tickets were sold out, so of course we would have to wait for the lazy fans who decided to come around 8 pm!

The half hour turned into a full one and Shakira finally started the show at 10 pm with an interlude of “Aateni alnaya wa ghanni”, a great Arabic classic. The fun has begun!

Shakira is an amazing entertainer. She has a lovely, strong, and unique voice which sounded “just like the CD”, unlike many artists we know. She showed off her musical skills by playing different guitars and a harmonica. And of course she displayed her exceptional and celebrated belly dancing and booty shaking abilities. The wows and aahs came from both men and women as they watched in amazement.

She sang in Spanish and in English. She sang slow and fast songs. She crawled on the floor and another time ran all across it. She is versatile, and she was completely brilliant.

Unfortunately we were sitting with the “wrong” Columbians! They parroted the lyrics of all songs but were glued to their seats and did not bother to even clap. How can any one sit when Shakirs is singing “La Tortura”, “Don’t Bother”, “Whenever Wherever” or “Hips Don’t Lie”? How can’t you not shout “And All The Things I Deserve For Being Such A Good Girl Honey!!” with her.

But the biggest disappointment was when the show ended at 1130 pm! How can it end when it just started!! And an hour and half of Shakira only does not equal a concert! Even if every second of that 90 minutes was splendid!

Oh well, time to rush out!

Again, the poor organisation was evident. It was very hard to get out as there was only one small exit. Huddling, we stayed together till we manoeuvred ourselves to the exit. We used the light sticks we waved earlier with the music to poke anyone who came close to us! Then we got stuck in the car park!

For 15 minutes we did not move from our spot. The traffic was not moving. So with great driving manoeuvres, we did a full turn and left to follow a trail of cars trying to find the way at the back. A desert safari trip was waiting for us! It was like a sand maze at the beginning, trying to find the right exit was not always very clear. At the end, we managed to go under the highway in what we think is a water tunnel, and made the u turn! We were out on Sheikh Zayed Road and free by 1230! While people were still in traffic! The power of 4x4!

In overall, Perfect 10 for Shakira, -10 for Mirage Promotions. Someone should have told them that they could have allured the fans by having opening acts, and the concert would not have lasted only an hour and half!!