Backnang/Germany, 12 November 2026 – As part of her record-breaking Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, Shakira returned to Spain for the first time in eight years with a residency at the purpose-built Shakira Stadium at Iberdrola Music, a large-scale outdoor festival and event site in Madrid. Across 13 concerts spanning four weekends from September to mid-October 2026, the residency attracted more than 700,000 visitors to Madrid. Supporting the production was an extensive d&b audiotechnik system based on the SL-Series and supplied by Clair Global, providing the power, coverage and control required for one of the most ambitious live music events of the year.
Instrumental in bringing d&b to the tour was Front of House Engineer Bill Sheppell. “When we started discussing audio for the tour, I wanted to use the same tools I’d used previously because they delivered exactly the combination of impact, consistency and control we needed,” explains Sheppell. “Several times, while walking the upper bowls of stadiums, I’d stop and say, ‘God, I love this PA.’ The coverage and impact are exactly what we need for a production like this.”
As Shakira spent much of the show performing on an extended thrust positioned in front of the main PA system, maintaining vocal clarity and stage isolation while delivering a powerful show was critical. To meet these requirements, the production relied on an audio system based on the d&b SL-Series with GSL loudspeakers for the main and side hangs, complemented by flown and ground-stacked SL-SUB arrays as well as KSL delay systems positioned throughout the venue. Powered by d&b D90 amplifiers and optimized using d&b ArrayProcessing, the system delivered consistent coverage across the large-scale site.
“Shakira spends a huge amount of time in front of the PA,” adds Sheppell. “The directional control of the GSL system and SL-SUBs keeps the stage environment controlled and predictable. That benefits everyone: the artist, the band and ultimately the audience.”
Working alongside Sheppell was Systems Engineer Matt ‘Slag’ Fradley, who adapted the touring system design for the unique requirements of the Madrid residency.
“GSL, and KSL as well, just throws incredibly well. It delivers so much clarity and good-sounding energy over long distances”, says Fradley. “Then using ArrayProcessing to smooth that out across the venue becomes a vital tool. For a project like this, I don’t think there’s another product that compares to it.”
The purpose-built venue also introduced additional environmental and operational challenges, including strict local sound restrictions and a nearby hotel requiring careful management of noise beyond the venue perimeter.
To address these requirements, the team relied on the directivity control of the d&b SL-Series in combination with ArrayProcessing, enabling highly controlled coverage throughout the audience areas while minimizing unwanted energy outside the site.
The Madrid residency formed part of a tour that continues to break records, both on-site and online. In October, the Amazon Music livestream of Shakira’s Madrid performance became the platform’s most-watched livestream by a female artist in its history.
About d&b audiotechnik.
d&b audiotechnik provides professional audio technology and solutions to accurately transfer passions through high-end quality speech and music reproduction. d&b audiotechnik is internationally regarded as a leading company for sound reinforcement systems in installed and mobile applications, with a reputation for quality of construction, standard of service, system integration principles, and pioneering technological development.
Founded in Germany in 1981, d&b audiotechnik headquarters are located in Backnang, near Stuttgart, where research, development and production take place. With sales offices in major cities around the world, the d&b audiotechnik team numbers more than 800 co-workers. www.dbaudio.com.
