Thoughts on a powerfully layered display of estrogen, complete with a giant glowing ♀︎.
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♀︎ Shakira slashed distorted chords on a Gibson Firebird. This allowed us to consider the inflammatory potential of "birds," while her use of a capo, rarely employed in heavy music, permitted her not only to adapt the male-associated electric Firebird (Eric Clapton's and Steve Winwood's choice in 1968 and 1972) to a woman's hands, but to bisect a phallic symbol.
♀︎ Shakira interpolated an instrumental snatch of Led Zeppelin's internationally flavored "Kashmir," from which we might remember the lines "All I see turns to brown as the sun burns the ground, and my eyes fill with sand as I scan this wasted land." In addition to the environmental message, we subliminally absorbed the unarticulated dual meanings of "brown."
♀︎ In tribute to her partially Lebanese heritage, Shakira bellydanced and ululated. She acknowledged the bondage inherent in bellydancing by wrapping herself in a golden rope, which she contemptuously discarded. And the vocal trilling gave her a chance to stick out her tongue.
♀︎ During her cover of Cardi B's materialistic "I Like It," Shakira was stalked by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, dressed as some kind of silver sheik. The extraterrestrial male oil surrogate could not abduct her; we welcomed the recognition of Puerto Rico; and Bunny exited with "Viva la raza!"
♀︎ In another bondage-themed segment, a leathered and studded Jennifer Lopez executed a pole dance, which might have seemed submissive if she had not used the pole as a vibrator.
♀︎ Lopez mounted an ivory drum kit, slammed the pale skins, and then joined in singing "Let's Get Loud," wherein a troupe of young girls in virginal white dresses emerged from silver cages. Moving.
♀︎ A few flag-unfurling seconds of "Born in the USA" were just enough to make us think.
♀︎ At show's conclusion, Shakira and J. Lo united to finish together. Boys, we don't need ya.
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Watch the full performance here.