More than halfway through Carlos Vives’ sold-out show at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday (Oct. 28), the very loud audience — which had been on its feet for nearly an hour — suddenly got even louder during the Colombian singer’s rendition of “La Bicicleta,” his 2017 hit with fellow Colombian star Shakira.
Vives, clearly thinking it was in response to his urging crowd participation during a musical interlude, moved forward, waving his arms. With his back turned to the giant screen on the back of the stage, he missed the real cause of the commotion, as Shakira stepped on stage from the back entrance and started singing a part of the chorus. Still unaware, Vives turned toward his band, and did a visible double-take when he saw Shakira inches from him.
His first reaction was to run away from Shakira. Then he ran toward her. She pulled his arm. They hugged. They danced as a couple Colombian style. “He didn’t expect it!” a delighted Shakira told the crowd. “You didn’t expect it!” she told Vives.
He didn’t. The truly surprise appearance had been hatched just the night before between Shakira and tour promoter Loud and Live, and kept a total secret save for a handful of people in production. Shakira, now living in Miami, was approached to see if she might be interested in singing with Vives during his important Miami stop. Yes, but keeping it a secret. And so it was.
With no rehearsal or soundcheck, Shakira arrived to the Kaseya when Vives was already well into his set, posting live video on her Instagram feed where she delightedly told fans what she was going to do. Dressed in sparkly loose jeans and a crop top, she sang with Vives, then stayed on stage for an extra song as he serenaded her.
“Surprising my brother Carlos Vives onstage tonight,” Shakira wrote on her Instagram, to which Vives replied a few hours later: “Shak. I can retire. Now, chao. I leave happy. Nothing tops this. You made me the happiest man. I love you. WHAT A SURPRISE.
It was an exquisite moment for an exquisite night. Vives’ show in Miami, home to a huge Colombian diaspora and where he sometimes has spent months at a time, was as expected, a sell-out. The show, part of his El Tour de los 30, which celebrates the 30 years since the release of his turning-point album Clásicos de la Provincia, has included a free, massive show in Madrid’s Puerta de Alacalá and will culminate with a show in Colombia’s Estadio El Campín in December.
Watch the Shakira-Vives moment on Instagram below.
