Saturday, June 26, 2010

Shakira at Glastonbury 2010


Dress code: Considerably more clothes than she wears for the She Wolf video – tight black trousers and a sleeveless T-shirt. The crowd are less clad after a boiling afternoon – during a torrid Whatever, Wherever, some rows look like a carpet of undulating chest hair.
What happened: Ever since Kylie was booked to play the festival, pop has raised eyebrows among the Glastonbury hardcore, but Shakira slots in effortlessly. A slinky cover of Islands by the xx (renamed Explore for some reason) is a nod to the indie kids, and she even wins over football fans with the unlikely claim that she's going to watch England v Germany in "an old pub in the East End of London", before playing her World Cup anthem Waka Waka. Yet it's the hits that seal the deal: Underneath Your Clothes, She Wolf, Whenever, Wherever and Hips Don't Lie are all irresistible and performed with aplomb.

Who's watching: Over on the Other Stage, the Cribs sneer: "I don't know why you're watching us when you could be watching Shakira." At which point, members of the audience think "Hmm, good point" and leg it over. There may be better ways to spend sunset on a Saturday than gyrating to Shakira with a cocktail in your hand, but watching the Cribs moan about "corporate indie" while serving it up isn't it.

High point: She Wolf, a reminder that more pop songs should have outbreaks of howling in them. Not to mention sections where the singer humps the amplifiers.

Low point: That she didn't bring on Beyoncé for Beautiful Liar (or indeed at all).

In a tweet: Her hips don't lie, and neither does the audience who loved it.

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