Review: Kali Uchis’ ‘Isolation’ tour disappoints fans

Show leaves audience with mixed feelings

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Stephany Jara

Kali Uchis entrances the crowd with her song, “Never Be Yours.”

Genre-defying Kali Uchis performed her debut album, “Isolation,” at The Bomb Factory on Tuesday, Sept. 25 with Drake as a special guest in the crowd.  

The doors to the arena opened at 8 p.m. allowing the audience to get situated and shop for merch. The show began at 9 p.m. with Gabriel Garzon-Montano as the opening act. Although he received “boos” from disrespectful people in the crowd, he still ended strongly with his song, “Montano.” By 10 p.m., fans were becoming impatient for Uchis, some of whom had been waiting in line for as long as 12 hours.

After teasing the crowd for a couple of minutes with her silhouette, Uchis appeared in the middle of the tiny stage performing “Dead to Me.” Immediately, the crowd pushed forward trying to get a better view of her, making the venue feel incredibly packed and hot. Some people from the crowd ditched the concert or even passed out from these conditions. This left fans sandwiched between people taller than them, forcing them to watch the back of people’s heads for the entirety of the night.

Uchis brought things back when she sang fan favorites “Never Be Yours” and “Loner.” Afterward, she sat on the stage and had a heart-to-heart conversation with the crowd explaining her current struggle with being newly single as well as expressing her gratitude to be able to do the thing she loves as a living. The crowd lovingly applauded as she stood back up to finish her show singing “Tyrant” and “After The Storm.”

Uchis went backstage to take a break leaving the crowd chanting her name. After five minutes, she re-appeared and ended the night with her first song on her album, “Body Language.”

Although Uchis’ outfit and vocals were amazing, the conditions made it incredibly difficult to enjoy her performance. The singer later took to Twitter to address shoving at her concerts as well as making sure free water would be passed out at her concerts from now on. Because this was one of Uchis’ first times at a bigger venue, it is safe to assume these conditions will be dealt with and her concerts will improve.