LIVE REVIEWS
There is a clear distinction between warm and cool in the world of Ivan Cornejo. Headlining the Kia Forum on the first of two sold out nights at the Los Angeles arena, the música mexicana artist and Southern California native appeared on stage Saturday night through a bold gleam of orange light that wrapped around his silhouette. Opening with “Atención,” from his Billboard 200-charting (No. 17) “Mirada” album, Cornejo’s first interaction with his audience is overwhelmingly optimistic — “I have an idea, I don’t know if it’s good or bad,” the 21-year old sings in the guitar ballad.
Color plays an important role throughout the progression of the “Mirada” tour setlist, constructed mostly of songs from the 2024 album, and streaming favorites like “Está Dañado” and “La Curiosidad” from his sophomore LP “Dañado.” The lights switched to a marine blue for “Llamadas Perdidas,” from his 2021 debut “Alma Vacía,” a color that would come to signify heartbreak. If the song was about losing yourself by losing your first love, the glow was blue and starry. To represent hope and a revived outlook on life and relationships, the stage became the sun, and the arena of teenage hopefuls radiated yellow and orange. The only color that deviated from that spectrum was pink for the “I’m currently in love” songs. In the audience, more than a few fans carried signs with the same slogan: “You healed hearts you didn’t break.”
By the time he signed his first major label record deal with Interscope at the age of 19 (the result of a bidding war), Cornejo was already known as a defining voice for Gen Z Latinos thanks to his emotive songwriting and unique blend of regional Mexican and alternative rock music. Some of these influences were showcased in the pre-concert playlist of Billie Eilish, the Marias and Tame Impala, and nostalgic classics like Bobby Pulido’s 1995 hit “Desvelado.”
You wouldn’t necessarily identify Cornejo as a rock star, but there are certainly commonalities. Throughout the hour and thirty minute show, he leaves a lot of room for guitar solos and power chords, especially for the electric guitar, which is at the core of his three-album catalog. You can easily recognize a song is his by the twangy inflection of his voice. A defining quality of the best música mexicana artists is their ability to sing clean register breaks with a whining tone and with great force (Vicente Fernández was known for his intense vibrato) — Cornejo is no different.
The night went without long speeches but he did take the time to address his L.A. fans directly, emphasizing the importance of community and to “stay strong during these rough times.” Proceeds from the show are going to helping raise funds for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), who are supporting families impacted by the Trump administration’s raids and mass arrests of migrants by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.). The crowd erupted in ceiling-shaking shrieks and applause with his point proven: “Los Angeles, you guys are the loudest!” he shouted.
Cornejo is fulfilling the end of the North American leg of his “Mirada” tour — which started with his debut at Coachella — on Sunday night. He will perform continue performing in cities across Latin America starting July 5 in El Salvador.
When Lady Gaga steps onto the stage at The O2, towering above the crowd on the wide skirt of a deep red crinoline dress, it’s immediately obvious that this won’t be an ordinary Tuesday night. Known for never holding anything back, the theatrical pop visionary dives straight into world-building, transforming the arena into a surreal, camp horror setting. She faces off against another version of herself, surrounded at different moments by skeletons, witches and plague doctors.
“I must sing and build the walls to cradle my own space, and my own sound will grow the fortress of a home erased,” the two Gagas declare in unison before the grand entrance. What follows feels like a powerful reflection on the refuge and sense of belonging she has carved out with her music since her breakout moment with ‘Just Dance’ in 2008.
Aside from her newest release ‘Mayhem’, it’s the songs from her early records ‘The Fame’ (and its reissue ‘The Fame Monster’) and ‘Born This Way’ that take center stage. Although Gaga has reinvented herself many times over the years, it was those early projects and eras that built the groundwork for her artistic journey and gave her the freedom to experiment however she wished.
Lady Gaga credit: Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Live Nation
Her imagination and creative drive are fully on display tonight. One moment she’s sinking into the folds of her massive skirt, bursting out from a cage as ‘Abracadabra’ echoes around the venue. The next, she’s locked in a fierce duel with her chessboard “white queen” double during a striking performance of ‘Poker Face’. When she sings ‘Perfect Celebrity’, she moves into a sandpit, using it to show the complicated push and pull between love and resentment, gently holding and then violently gripping the skeleton lying beside her.
A breathtaking rendition of ‘Paparazzi’ keeps that feeling alive, as Gaga stumbles down the runway dressed in a white lace look partially covered with metal plates and crutches, like a knight stripped of its armor. The night is filled with imagery and layers of meaning, but she never loses sight of making it pure entertainment.
She also uses the moment to acknowledge the people who have supported her along the way. A triumphant ‘Born This Way’ becomes a tribute to the queer community. Gaga speaks from the heart, saying they have “inspired me for my whole career” and tells them, “You are so precious to me and to the world.” Sitting at the piano during the acoustic segment, she is clearly touched by the audience’s overwhelming love and takes a quiet moment to express her emotions.
Lady Gaga credit: Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Live Nation
“I feel very, very lucky to be here tonight,” she says, looking back at the first time she performed in the UK twenty years earlier. “I feel so humbled that, almost 20 years later, I’m still here.” After emotional versions of ‘Dance In The Dark’ and ‘The Edge Of Glory’, she asks the crowd, “If I come back 20 years from now – I’ll come back sooner – but will you come and see the show?”
There’s hardly a soul in the room who wouldn’t say yes, especially after a night this imaginative and flawlessly executed. Returning to full theatrical energy, Gaga leans into the absurd for ‘Bad Romance’, telling the crowd to “put your paws up” and showing off her hands with ridiculously long, sausage-like fingers, as if she’s stepped into a gothic version of a scene from Everything Everywhere All At Once.
As flames appear on top of the opera house behind her, she walks offstage and reemerges for the encore without makeup, wearing a plain black outfit and a beanie over the hair hidden beneath countless wigs throughout the show. It’s a quiet nod to the person behind all the spectacle, but still part of the performance. Like everything she’s done tonight, it’s executed with complete precision and heart.
