Venezuela ? Colombian pop singer Shakira was warmly welcomed to Venezuela on Saturday by President Hugo Chavez.

Chavez, who said he may go undercover to watch the hip-shaking superstar perform, gave special authorization for an airfield in central Caracas, normally reserved solely for government use, to be used as a venue for her concert Saturday.

“Shakira’s arrived. … Welcome, Shakira,” Chavez said during a televised speech.

Chavez said that the other day he’d put on a wig and not even his bodyguards had been able to recognize him. “Maybe I’ll put on a wig and go see Shakira,” he quipped.

Chavez, who says he is leading a socialist revolution in Venezuela, frequently criticizes what he calls the onslaught of major multinationals and U.S.-style capitalism on traditional Venezuelan culture.

But he appeared to have little concerns about the international pop diva, who is backed by music labels Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Epic Records, calling her “sister of this great Latin American homeland.”