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.
LIVE REVIEWS
It’s unusual for Sault, the elusive group headed by Little Simz’s past collaborator InFlo, to take the stage. So when All Points East revealed that they would be leading the opening day of this year’s festival (August 15), the excitement spread immediately. Even though they hinted at a global tour in 2023, their only live appearances to date were at London’s Drumsheds, where they delivered a sold-out extravaganza. This night, then, promised an experience no one wanted to miss.
The line-up throughout the day was stacked with strong names like Kirk Franklin, Sasha Keable, Nao, Ms Dynamite, and others. Sadly, every one of these sets was squeezed into a messy three-hour stretch, creating painful overlaps all across the park. After 6 pm, only Main Stage East stayed active, leaving festival-goers with a single option: to watch the headline run of Sault, Cleo Sol, and Chronixx. The latter two, both tied to the mysterious group, each had their slots as well as time performing with the collective.
Nothing quite sets us up for Sault’s epic five-hour showing, which proves both overwhelming and tangled. Dancers and a choir appeared cloaked in burnt ochre robes, resembling travelers from a fictional desert world, surrounded by sand, dunes, and golden-lined rocks. The production had serious funding – a full orchestra with piano, strings, harp, and guitars filled the soundscape, and in the middle of the crowd sat a dusty pyramid that most people ignored. Whispers carried through the audience about the spectacle’s grandeur, with one nearby voice remarking, “Doesn’t InFlo still owe Little Simz £1million?”
The pyramid stage design during Sault’s All Points East 2025 set. Photo credit: Jennifer McCord
Whatever meaning this grand production was meant to communicate was hard to grasp. The leading figures, who looked like InFlo and Sol, seemed to be chasing something, yet it was never clear exactly what. Perhaps it was freedom, since the lead vocalist echoed the refrain of ‘Free’, with additional nods to self-discovery and healing, but the storyline stayed muddy and difficult to follow.
Energy picked up once Sol and Chronixx emerged early in the performance, both in beige suits and reflective shades, slipping into the first act. Alongside the cloaked ensemble, they played through a range of Sault songs that stretched across all twelve albums. Fans were treated to hidden treasures like the mesmerizing ‘S.O.T.H.’ and emotional ‘Pray For Me’, alongside more recognizable tracks such as ‘I Just Want to Dance’ and ‘Why Why Why Why Why’. For many in the crowd, though, the event played more like a quirky encounter than the immersive artistic showcase Sault seemed to be aiming for.
It took nearly two hours for the night to loosen up, and that turning point came courtesy of Chronixx. His uplifting reggae and radiant spirit shifted the whole space, people skanked along to ‘Smile’ and swayed to ‘Likes’, and suddenly the atmosphere felt celebratory again. Once he exited, Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def) appeared out of nowhere in a strange yet brilliant surprise. Over chirping bird sounds and glitchy electronic noise, he reshaped ‘Umi Says’, spinning across the stage in a checkered drape, embodying the song’s spirit of liberation with almost comic exaggeration.
Chronixx performing at All Points East on Friday, August 15. Photo credit: The pyramid stage design during Sault’s All Points East 2025 set. Photo credit: Jennifer McCord
After four relentless hours of spectacle, Cleo Sol finally claimed the spotlight for her whole performance. The shift was instant, her gentle voice floated across Victoria Park, drawing hips to sway and couples to curl into each other, the entire air easing at once. She shone in glittering silver cocktail wear, moving gracefully with the poise of someone fully aware of how badly we needed this release. ‘Rose In The Dark’ carried an almost ironic weight as she sang “Hold on a little longer / It’ll be alright”, mirroring exactly what the crowd had been doing throughout the marathon. Closing with ‘Know That You Are Loved’, she stood atop the glowing pyramid while voices from the crowd echoed every lyric back to her, delivering the emotional peak of the evening.
She tried to squeeze in ‘Why Don’t You’ as an encore, but curfew struck, the lights snapped on, and the moment ended abruptly. The intention was clear, to unveil the breadth of Sault’s world through an unconventional showcase, yet the finale, like the beginning, left more questions than answers. For a group as rare on stage as Sault, a little less mystery and a little more music might have made their All Points East appearance truly measure up to the highs of Drumsheds.
Sault played:
‘Glory’
‘Free’
‘Let Me Go’
‘Over’
‘I Just Wanna Dance’
‘Warrior’
‘Faith’
‘Up All Night’
‘Son Shine’
‘Masterpiece’
‘Why Why Why Why Why’
‘Stop Dem’
‘Black Is’
‘Pray For Me’
‘S.O.T.H.’
‘T.H.’
‘W.A.I.’
‘Wildfires’
‘This Generation’
Chronixx played:
‘Big Bad Sound’
‘Here Comes Trouble’
‘Exile’
‘Survivor’
‘Market’
‘Captureland’
‘They Don’t Know’
‘Don’t Be Afraid’
‘Family First’
‘Spanish Town Rockin”
‘Skankin Sweet’
‘Majesty’
‘Sweet Argument’
‘Way You Make Me Feel’
‘Resilient’
‘Eternal Light’
‘Tenement Yard’
‘Saviour’
‘Love Is On A Mountain’
‘Smile Jamaica’
Cleo Sol played:
‘Love Yourself’
‘Rose In The Dark’
‘When I’m In Your Arms’
‘There Will Be No Crying’
‘Things Will Get Better’
‘Reason’
‘Don’t Let Me Fall + Outro’
‘Promises’
‘Sunshine’
‘Don’t Let It Go To Your Head’
‘Blue’ (Unreleased)
‘Know That You Are Loved’
‘Why Don’t You’
