Shakira returned to the Spanish stage on Friday, September 18, opening the Madrid residency of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour with a performance attended by around 55,000 people.

The concert marked her first return to Spain in eight years and the beginning of a 12-show run at the purpose-built Estadio Shakira, part of the temporary Macondo Park complex at Iberdrola Music in Madrid's Villaverde district.

A return with a personal message

The opening night was not only a major concert for Shakira. It was also an opportunity to reflect on the time she spent in Spain and the circumstances surrounding her departure.

Early in the show, the singer referred to comments she had received about how different she looked when she left Spain compared with her return.

She then acknowledged that many things had happened in her life since her previous appearances in the country, framing her return around the personal changes she has experienced during the intervening years.

Her comments came during a concert built around themes of transformation, independence and moving forward.

Eight years after her last Spanish performances

Shakira's return to Spain follows an eight-year absence from the country's live concert circuit.

Her previous Spanish appearances came during the El Dorado World Tour in 2018. The Madrid residency now forms the European closing chapter of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour.

Madrid is the only European city included in this residency format, with the 12 performances spread across four weekends between September 18 and October 11.

A purpose-built stadium for the residency

Rather than using an existing permanent stadium, the production takes place in the specially created Estadio Shakira within the Iberdrola Music site.

The temporary venue was constructed specifically for the residency and forms the central part of Macondo Park, a wider entertainment and cultural space created around the concerts.

The complex includes areas dedicated to music, literature, food, fashion and other cultural activities, extending the experience beyond the concert itself.

55,000 fans for opening night

Around 55,000 people attended the first concert, according to reports following the performance.

The audience filled the specially designed venue as Shakira moved through music spanning more than three decades of her career.

The set combined recent songs from the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran era with some of the biggest hits from earlier stages of her career.

Songs including La Fuerte, Girl Like Me, Las de la Intuición, Estoy Aquí, Hips Don't Lie and more recent material formed part of the extensive performance.

A show built around transformation

The concert drew heavily on the themes that have accompanied Shakira's recent musical era.

Her performance incorporated multiple costume changes, extensive choreography, large video screens and a stage designed to bring her close to different sections of the audience.

The production also revisited different periods of her career, allowing older hits to sit alongside material released more recently.

Antología becomes a moment of reflection

One of the more personal moments came when Shakira performed Antología for the Madrid audience.

The song, originally released early in her career, provided a connection between the artist's history in Spain and her return to the country after several years away.

The performance also underlined how much of Shakira's career has developed during her long association with Spain.

Madrid becomes Macondo

The residency is part of a much larger project than the concerts themselves.

Macondo Park takes its inspiration from the fictional town created by Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez in One Hundred Years of Solitude.

The temporary complex transforms the Iberdrola Music site into a Latin-focused cultural and entertainment space, with programming running around the concert schedule.

Visitors can encounter exhibitions, food, literature, entertainment and other activities before the main performance.

A wider celebration of Latin culture

Shakira has described the Madrid residency as an opportunity to celebrate Latin culture, and the programme surrounding the concerts reflects that intention.

Other artists are scheduled to perform at Macondo Park during the residency, while the wider programme also includes literary meetings, cultural activities, gastronomy and other events.

The project therefore positions the Madrid stay as both a concert residency and a broader cultural experience.

Twelve concerts through October

The Madrid residency continues with further performances on September 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27, followed by concerts on October 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11.

The concerts are scheduled at the Estadio Shakira within Iberdrola Music.

The Madrid city authorities have also put a special transport and mobility plan in place because of the expected crowds, including additional public transport measures and free shuttle services on concert nights.

A return to a country that shaped her career

Shakira spent many years living and working in Spain, making the return particularly significant in the context of her career.

Her first Madrid concert in the new residency therefore carried a different meaning from a standard tour stop.

The concert brought together songs from across her career, a large-scale new production and personal references to the period since she last performed in Spain.

The European chapter begins in Madrid

With the first show now completed, Shakira's Madrid residency will continue for the next several weeks.

The 12 concerts are expected to bring hundreds of thousands of people to the capital, with the temporary stadium and Macondo Park operating as the centre of the project.

For Shakira, the opening night marked her return to a country closely connected with both her professional and personal history, this time presenting a new chapter of her career through Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.