Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On...And I Mean LOTS Of It!

Yay, I'm so psyched for the upcoming release of Shakira's "Oral Fixation 2" on November 22nd! :) I remember the first time the title was made official that many music fans thought it sounded like foreign porno! LOL! The title actually comes from a Freudian term, for Sigmund Freud argued that what we do and why we do it, who we are and how we became this way, are all related to our sexual drive, and your type of personality correlates to your sexual drive. So he set up a model in his essay "Three Essays on Sexuality" and outlined five manifestations of this drive. Oral is the first one. And it is said that in resolving the conflicts in one stage helps you to move on to the next stage, but if you fail to resolve in that particular stage, you become fixated there and personality and behavioral disorders occur because of that. Oral Fixation is, therefore, the worst of the five states. Babies in this stage would perceive the mother's breast as not just of nutritional value, but love as well, therefore intending to produce a sucking habit and encourages gratification. And Freud attributes smoking, chewing, drinking, hostility and sarcasm to those who are fixated here.

I have the utmost respect for Shakira, as her rise to stardom came naturally in Latin America, where her poetic soul and graceful spirit comes from Barranquilla, Colombia, a tragic, war-torn country that's in ongoing anarchy each and every day. She's been opinionated since she was 12, has an IQ of 140, graduated from Catholic school when she was 15 and since has given the world stellar records one by one.



I believe the main problem with her English-language debut "Laundry Service" was the way the album and Shakira herself were marketed. Because Shakira had died her hair blonde upon crossing over, many had that wrong perception of her being another pop tart, another Britney Spears. Plus the "Whenever, Wherever" video, which always gets me hot, featured a lot of her sexy dance performance, which many of her Spanish-language videos from the "Pies Descalzos" and "Donde Estan Los Ladrones?" eras had many political implications and social conscious imagery and poetry.



So it's understandable how many have a existing perception of Shakira being just the new breed of ditsy pop diva. But she has so much more depth and personality than any multi-platinum pop star worldwide. She runs her own major charity, "Pies Descalzos", which provides services for needy children across Latin America. She is the UNICEF Ambassador for her home country of Colombia, who has heavily promoted a new UNICEF campaign to build schools and feed children in third-world countries. She is a most multiculturally minded woman (Shakira's half-Lebanese) who learned to belly-dance from her grandmother who grew up in Lebanon, and loves belly-dancing to this day in honor of her. And she has never been afraid to speak her convictions in her music, from "Octavo Dia", where she challenges violent foreign policy in the world, to her new rocker "How Do You Do" from her upcoming English-language release, which bashs Bush and like "troublemakers" that govern the world and exploit faith: (You can download a clip of this new rocker here, the transcribed lyrics below) Shakira is as graceful as she can be, and a wonderful inspiration to me.

How Do You Do (sample)

"What language do you speak?
If you speak at all?
Are you some kind of freak
Who lives to raise the ones who fall?
Hey, would you tell me why
The cat fights the dog?
Do you go to the mosque or the synagog?
And if our fates have all been wrapped around your fingers
And if you wrote the script, then why the troublemakers?

How do you do
How does it feel to be so high and are you happy?
Do you ever cry?
I sometimes cry
You’ve made mistakes well that’s ok
Cuz we all have, and if i forgive yours, would you forgive mine?

Forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
Give us this day our daily bread
Daily bread
Daily bread
Thine is the kingdom
And the power
And the glory
Amen"



I am so happy and lucky I got to see Shakira in concert at the Pepsi Center with my friend Ms. Doyle (Paloma de Paz) who was my former Spanish teacher from Denver Academy. Sometimes looking back on beautiful past memories can make you feel emotional, especially when you memorize them so well. Turning my head I can envision the whole day, January 28, 2003, like a holographic animation. Seeing Shakira, my idol, was phosphorescent, but even more resplendant was getting to share the experience with a friend. I literally cry remembering it all while listening to "Laundry Service", with a smile on my face being lullabied to "Que Me Quedes Tu". Paloma de Paz, if you're reading this, I am forever blessed with your friendship and you truly bring peace to many hearts, God Bless You!

I remember her picking me up around 4:30 at my house, and then giving her directions to the Pepsi Center down the interstate in Espanol, "Izquierda, Derecha, Izquierda, Derecha!" It was quite a warm January evening, it got up to about 60 that day, and it was still incredibly mild outside. And all around bright orange, amber, and pink hues flashed about the skies! Felt like a big bubblegum sorbet! Before the concert at 7:30 we went over to the Denver Pavillions and ate at Sevilla's on the third floor, an absolutely captivating, ambrosial Spanish restaurant and salsa club. We spoke between English and Spanish on and on about Shakira, poetry, and proverbos en Espanol projected on the walls. Then we had some delicious Ceviche as an appetizer before enjoying some absolutely delicious Paella Clásica Sevilla, with all that saffron, chorizo sausage, and manzanilla olives with mussels, clams, chicken, the works. Sevilla's has got to be my favorite non-Oriental restaurant forever, probably a very praised #2 on my list. I really should go back for the Mariachi Happy Hour, Miami Nights or for Free Salsa Lessons. I've always been in love with the Latin culture and would love to dance Latin. Hey, I can be the next Carlos Gardel, the Nuevo Zorzal Criollo!

"Si supieras,
que aun dentro de mi alma,
conservo aquel cariño
que tuve para ti...
Quien sabe si supieras
que nunca te he olvidado,
volviendo a tu pasado
te acordaras de mi..."



Hehehe, the Latin music truly is an aphrodisiac to me! Me and Ms. Doyle then had...the Obsesion de Chocolate!

Dun-dun-dunnnnnnn!

Ahhhhhhhhh!

LOL! No, it's alright, no harm there, but it truly was one of the most delicious cakes I ever tasted! Now how about that Banana Acaramelada, that sure must be one hot mama of a dessert, you're next to dance!

Once we enjoyed a wonderful meal, we stepped out to the RTD Light Rail and took it down 16th Street to where we parked, and then rode off down to the Pepsi Center. Immediately getting in, I made sure I got my Shakira T-shirt (the very one I proudly wear in my semi-gloss Passions picture!) another one for collecting and my Shakira tourbook. We went up the escalator shortly after, as I put on my official Shakira merchandise to the third floor, where our seats were: Section 323, Row 2, Seats 21 and 22, which I paid a proud $78 for in this grand Tour de la Mongosta experience.

It was rather high up, but I brought along my pair of mini-binoculars so we can see the opening act, Pay The Girl. First, at 7:30, Pay The Girl took the stage, a new rock act based in Cincinatti, Ohio, who got their name when hanging out at a local diner in Athens, Ohio, and they wished to have enough money to pay for tuition and still have some left to party, and there when the waitress came to them with the bill their initial reaction was to look at each other and say "Go ahead, pay the girl!"

Jason Phelps, the lead-singer of the band, kicked off a set of six powerful rockers from their release of their self-titled debut album. The band has a striking resemblance to Bon Jovi and Live with a mix of radio-friendly and heavy rock, with matchbox twenty-esque lyrical soul. They opened with three heavy-rock ballads, including "Traded" and "All You Are", followed by "Junkie", a lament about emotions during the most difficult times, "Beverly", a bittersweet radio-friendly rocker about first love which would sound great as their second single, and they closed the set with their first single, "Freeze".

After their performance, they said fans can see them in Section 102, which I went to and shook hands with the band members. They were awesome, I acually got their album when it came out that March, great blend of rock!



After a half-hour break, Shakira finally began to shake up the crowd. The stage was covered with a red and yellow curtain featuring the mongoose on the left side and the cobra on the right, resembling the "Tour of the Mongoose", which from beginning to end of her performance the message of peace was delivered.

Finally, the lights dimmed and the curtains glared red, with the mongoose and cobra each shining a bright silver as the classic rock hit "Welcome to the Jungle" played loud. As the song came to a closure, the curtains opened up, and Shakira’s nine-piece band began a rock introduction, then, Shakira finally ran onto stage with fire bursting from both sides of her on the stage and began her seductive belly-dance to Ojos Asi, her Arabic-flavored rocker, beginning with a solo dance then entering right into the lyrics, lengthening the song from its original duration with her belly-dancing.

The rocker was followed by another Latin rocker, Si Te Vas, which Shakira encouraged much audience participation in singing on. Then, she grabbed an electric guitar and strummed along to her power ballad "Fool", following that performance up with the salsa-flavored Ciega Sordomuda, one of her three career #1 hits.

Afterward, she stopped to welcome everyone to the Tour of the Mongoose and encouraged everyone to have peace and to hug your loved ones and in the meantime also have fun. She then stepped down from the balcony and leaped right into Rules, followed by Estoy Aqui, which she had everyone singing along the chorus too. Next, she started up her new single, The One, which had many of her fans singing along also. The television screen then featured an inspirational quote by Jimi Hendrix, "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace"

Once again, she grabbed a guitar, only this time an acoustic one, and stopped to say "Some of you may not know this one, but this is off of Donde Estan Los Ladrones and hope you all like it" and played Inevitable, with a powerful hard-rock ending.

All a sudden another inspirational quote appeared, and the floor began to light up with color, as Shakira appeared performing a drum solo for a minute then climbing down from the drum-set shouting "Are you ready for more, ARE YOU READY FOR MORE?" and more fire burst from the side of the stage and she began her disco-romp Ready For The Good Times, which she both sang along to and also shouted to the audience “Are you ready for the good times?” and had everyone repeating the chorus. After the melodious dance-club ballad, she soared into another ballad, Underneath Your Clothes, in the acoustic version.

Then, the lights all went out, and on the television screen, a movie clip appeared featuring people in the E.R leaning over a bed watching the heartbeat monitor and praying that whatever was there would live, and after the heartbeat disappeared, after a break of silence, it came on again and the bold big red letters “Rock and Roll Will Never Die” appeared and fire exploded on the stage and Shakira ran out to cover Aerosmith’s “Dude Looks Like A Lady”, where she performed an impressive John Popper-esque harmonica solo before cruising in bellowing “What a funky lady…” Following that cover was a cover of AC/DC’s “Back To Black” which had Shakira up to her best belly-dancing of the evening and sliding her legs over the balcony poles and kneeling to the floor on her hands and knees with her slow sensual dancing until closing up the rocker, featuring the neon lights shining behind her.



After two exciting covers, she got back to her basics and stormed up Octavo Dia, where the television screen began showing a clip of George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein playing a game of chess in black and white and Shakira began her Grammy-winning political masterpiece “Octavo Dia”, an urgent cry for world peace. Toward the end of the song, Shakira stopped as the band kept playing and said “I’ll tell you something, I don’t like to sing about politics. I like to sing about something much more important. I like to sing about love, and love is lacking in our leaders, and our leaders are lacking love! So give peace a chance!” and then skipped around on stage as the band had a long hard-rock conclusion with the video clip revealing Bush and Hussein as puppets dradled by the Grim Reaper and showed scenes of starving children and homeless while the two world leaders placed oil rigs, tanks, guns, and factories on the chess board, and the song slowly came to a mellow close with a dove against a black-and-white radio screen slowly soaring, then turning into many doves in neon as her dread-locked keyboardist immediately rose to the stage to assist in vocals with Shakira on the reggae-flavored “Un Poco De Amor” which he lent the reggae vocals in English and Shakira the rest in Spanish with the doves turning into many symbols on the screen and by the songs closure the symbols turned into smiles and into hearts to represent love.

Next, red and white lights flashed upon Shakira as she began her rocker “Poem To A Horse”, a song about drugs ruining anyones life and emotions. After another explosive rocker, Shakira toned down the audience with the soft, sonorous love ballad “Tu” with the keyboardist on piano, then closing up the set with an exciting performance of Objection, with her crawling on her hands and knees and staring into the camera lens against the beat of the drums until finally crooning the rocker. She then said “You all are wonderful, rock on Denver, have a wonderful night!” and her and her band disappeared but then Shakira rose up from beneath the stage with a chandelier on her head and began another dance until beginning the exciting encore of Whenever, Wherever, with Shakira beginning with more lovely belly-dancing then beginning to sing along with the whole audience singing the chorus with her. By the songs explosive finish, she stood on the ladder platform and rose high above the audience pointing to everyone in the audience “Now it’s your turn!” and from each section everyone singing the chorus” until finally she got everyone and the ladder took her back down onto the stage, continuing to dance and sing the song then leaping up into the air onto the floor and fire and sparks going off from the left side of the stage to the right side of the stage and finally she said “You all have a good night, and remember, whenever, wherever, we’re meant to be together! Peace everyone!” and bowed and jumped down into a trapdoor as final fireworks went off and confetti filled the whole auditorium as her band continued to rock for two more minutes with the black-and-white clip of the mongoose and the cobra on the screen and the second the mongoose attacked its neck exploded on the final guitar riff with the message "Bite the head off of hatred" filling the screen. then they bowed and left the stage.

That was most beautiful! Shakira is by far the one person I would dream to have dinner with some night out of any celebrity. Ms. Doyle was literally baptized by that evening and now I have turned her into an all shook-up Shakira maniac! LOL! I have done my job, I have taken over Denver Academy with Latin fever! Call it Sangriaenza!

This will be one memory I will never forget! What was your favorite memory of 2003? Please feel free to share, I love stories and believe everyone has a scintillating one to share!



Buenos tardes, todos los amigos de mi! Adios para ahora!

Love,
Noah Eaton
(Mistletoe Angel)
(Emmanuel Endorphin)