Shakira will be shaking up Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza with a concert on November 28, promoter Rabih Mokbel told the National. It is the only stop in the region during her ongoing world tour.
The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer was previously slated to headline Abu Dhabi’s Offlimits Music Festival on November 21. Her November 18 concert at Doha’s Stadium 974 was also canceled.
“The only worry we have is that, production-wise, flying 200 people in Shakira’s crew to the Middle East is humongously expensive,” Mokbel, founder and chief executive of Venture Lifestyle and the promoter of the Giza show, told the National. “So, the fewer countries she has around us, the less likely she would be to do Egypt, because then the Egypt date alone would not be enough to cover her costs. But to be honest, she wanted to do the Pyramids.
“And it’s never about the money. It’s always about the uniqueness of the locations,” he added.
The last time the Colombian singer-songwriter played at the Pyramids was in 2007.
By today’s standards, the ancient Egyptian venue has a limited capacity of 20,000 attendees. The plan to have her perform there will involve roughly 600 shuttle buses and a meeting and parking point near the Grand Egyptian Museum.
The concert is yet another attempt to attract tourists to Egypt, which has previously sought collaborations with travel companies. “If you translate that financially, this is an indirect $20 million to $30 million in income for the economy,” Mokbel explained.
The pyramids hosted a number of major international acts over the last five or so decades, including Frank Sinatra in 1979, Sting in 2001, Mariah Carey in 2010, and Maroon 5 in 2022.
Concerts at other ancient venues, like Travis Scott’s performance at the Circus Maximus in Rome, have caused seismic activity. Some have argued that these concerts pose a risk to ancient sites.
Ahead of Shakira’s concert, Serbia’s electronic music Exit Festival will stage the first multi-stage, multiday festival at the Pyramids in October. Charlotte de Witte, Adriatique, and Michael Bibi are expected to perform.
