Kali Uchis live at The Shrine, Los Angeles

Many Angelenos “followed their dreams” on a Friday night, catching a packed Kali Uchis show at The Shrine for her “in your dreams” tour. The night was filled with dancing, friends and high vibes as the crowd hung on to every lyric and move from Columbian-American performer Kali Uchis. The cheers during, before and after each song were so loud and constant, they almost drowned out the sound of the music, filling the vast, gaping Shrine hall, and absolutely drowning any hope of hearing what Kali Uchis was saying when she spoke to the crowd. But the gist was “follow your dreams.” “Life is short, and we should be fulfilling our purpose,” was one message that was heard loud and clear.

The Shrine’s upstairs balcony was definitely a better place to watch the show from, visually, but sonically downstairs in the crowd, getting as close as possible and feeling the bass and drum beat was the best place to be experientially. The set was a mix of latin, funk, soul, electronic and indie-pop songs, as merging these genres has proven to be Kali Uchis’ greatest strength. The songs performed from her latest album Isolation were received exceptionally well, as everyone sang along to songs off the album including “Miami” and “Just a Stranger.” Isolation featured exceptional collaborations with big names like Tame Impala, Jorja Smith and Tyler, the Creator, skyrocketing her popularity and reach even farther. But her earlier songs were received with just as much enthusiasm, with extra loud cheers for “Loner.”

Kali Uchis was backed by a four-piece band, but they were all backlit giving her the spotlight. “Loner” and “Nuestra Planeta” gave the guitarist the spotlight for a minute to lend a wailing guitar solo. She slinked around the stage, often dropping to a squat and shaking her hips with her arms above her. Her moves and outfit really played up her sex appeal, as she donned a triangle bikini top, high-waisted leather skirt with some chain adornments and a high ponytail à la Ariana Grande. She closed the set with the opener from Isolation, “Body Language,” a bossa-nova style song. Unfortunately, there was no encore even though the crowd continued to chant, “Ka-li! Ka-li!” at the close of the set. Kali Uchis continues her tour, heading to Texas, the South and then Canada.

Gabriel Garzon-Montano opened the evening with a set infused with R&B, Soul and Funk.

Setlist:

1. Dead To Me
2. Tomorrow
3. Tyrant
4. Flight 22
5. Feel Like A Fool
6. Loner
7. Just a Stranger
8. Your Teeth In My Neck
9. Nuestro Planeta
10. In My Dreams
11. Miami
12. Killer
13. Rush
14. After The Storm
15. Body Language