The internationally renowned Kali Uchis set forth on a 25 date North American tour with Gabriel Garzon-Montano in tow. The rising R&B luminary who's debut album, Jardin was named one of "The Best Albums of 2017" by Billboard and Okayplayer played two shows at The Warfield in San Francisco last week with Kali. Contributing writer, Alicia Deschamps covered their sold-out, Monday night show.
On a regular but much anticipated Monday night, I left the office beat from a long day at work and headed to The Warfield to see one of my new favorite singers Kali Uchis and her opener Gabriel Garzon-Montano.
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| Gabriel Garzon-Montano @ The Warfield 9/17/2018 photo by Marc Fong |
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| Kali Uchis @ The Warfield 9/17/2018 photo by Marc Fong |
The show that night had sold-out quickly, so a second show was added the following night. Though I knew that going in, I was still pleasantly surprised to join a very enthusiastic crowd mostly full of younger ladies dressed for a Friday night on the town and giddy like they were waiting to see Justin Bieber. Everyone seemed ready to have a great time as the room buzzed with excitement waiting for the show to start.
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| Gabriel Garzon-Montano @ The Warfield 9/17/2018 photo by Marc Fong |
First up was Gabriel Garzon-Montano, a blond, slim, tall presence that walked on stage through purple lighting, giving me all sorts of Prince vibes with his sexy, open shirt outfit and confident demeanor. It was like he's been doing this for decades. Then, he started singing and everything made sense: why Paste Magazine featured him in their article "The Best of What's Next", why all these twenty-somethings were entranced by his music and why he was on tour with Kali Uchis (as the two musicians are perfect compliments of each other). When he introduced himself in Spanish the crowd went nuts. He was truly mesmerizing from the moment he graced the stage.
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| Gabriel Garzon-Montano @ The Warfield 9/17/2018 photo by Marc Fong |
Observing him meticulously as I swayed with every song, I found it funny that he was singing "Fruitless" from his first studio album Jardin: a song about not being able to find his way home yet he seemed at home on stage, singing and hopping between different instruments. For a second I forgot about Kali Uchis and I wasn't mad about it.
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| Gabriel Garzon-Montano @ The Warfield 9/17/2018 photo by Marc Fong |
After the typical stage turn-over, I found myself in a now packed theater. Then the music was qued and the crowd went wild when a siren silhouette appeared in the background. And I do mean wild.
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| Kali Uchis @ The Warfield 9/17/2018 photo by Marc Fong |
Here she was, Kali Uchis, the bilingual, Colombian-American songstress with the most catchy yet thoughtful song of 2018 (in my opinion) hypnotizing us with her Latin hips and soft yet delightfully powerful voice. Clad in white pants with waistline fringe, perfect for that desired dramatic effect when hips move to the beat of the drums and a bedazzled bra that brought on fond memories of the Queen of all Latin girls herself, Selena.
Kali delivered song after song to a crowd full of fans more than happy to sing along with her time after time. The most surprising perhaps, the throwback vibe song "Miami", an unplugged version performed to perfection, hypnotizing the crowd who like me probably wondered how she made a great jam even better. We may never know but we sure did enjoy it.
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| Kali Uchis @ The Warfield 9/17/2018 photo by Marc Fong |
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| Kali Uchis @ The Warfield 9/17/2018 photo by Marc Fong |
"Just a Stranger", about wanting money instead of love is one of the catchiest songs off her debut album Isolation, was so well received you'd think it was the anthem of this generation.
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| Kali Uchis @ The Warfield 9/17/2018 photo by Marc Fong |
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| Kali Uchis @ The Warfield 9/17/2018 photo by Marc Fong |
Equally great was "After the Storm", her hit single that caught my ear while I browsed for unnecessary things at Urban Outfitters on a random Saturday afternoon earlier this year. Thank god for Shazam.I seldom find an album that I like in it's entirety but Isolation truly delivers whether listening to it at home or enjoying it live. Throughout the show she thanked fans for their support, sharing the most personal anecdote before singing "Killer" a post break-up song she wrote after her four year relationship ended at age 19.
Overall Kali gave the audience what they wanted, soulful songs with seductive dance beats that made us all forget that Mondays are suppose to be awful. This might have been her first sold-out show in San Francisco but I definitely think it won't be her last and I can't wait for the next one.
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| Kali Uchis @ The Warfield 9/17/2018 photo by Marc Fong |
review written by Alicia Deschamps.
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