Lineup: Kali Uchis/Gabriel Garzon-Montano
Venue: House of Blues, Boston, MA
Gabriel Garzon-Montano: Comparing a young artist to an immortal icon is something I try to avoid doing, but in this case, I just can't. Within 90 seconds of the start of Gabriel Garzon-Montano's set, I was overwhelmed by the similarities between him and Prince. Montano is a multi-instrumentalist (he shifted between guitar and keyboard last night, but plays a ton more instruments on record) whose music featured funky baselines, soulful vocals, the occasional shredding guitar solo that seemingly came out of nowhere and an overwhelming aura of sensuality. Even his vibrant-colored wardrobe and mannerisms were reminiscent of the Purple One. Regardless of the Prince parallels, Montano is a super talented musician with an electric stage presence and that powerful, starmaking combination made his performance an unexpected delight.
Kali Uchis: Indulgent pre-review rambling time! I honestly hadn't heard of Kali Uchis until she was announced as one of the openers for Lana Del Rey's most recent US/Canadian headlining tour late last year. Fast forward to early May of this year when a wave of excellent WOM convinced me to give her long-anticipated debut LP Isolation a listen. After a handful of spins, it completely hooked me. Her willingness to infuse a variety of decades-spanning influences (reggaetón, jazz, soul, trip hop, doo-wop) with more traditional pop/R&B sensibilities along with her lush yet powerful voice has made Isolation a standout that is easily among my favorite records of 2018 thus far. The prime spot Isolation has carved out in my music listening rotation over the past five months was enough to convince me to go see her live and by the end of the night, I came away with an even stronger admiration of Uchis than I had going in.
Like her studio material, Uchis' performance was very low key. The bulk of her interactions with the crowd came through the dance moves she busted out during the breaks in the song where she wasn't singing and her backdrop was limited to some colored lights. Minimalism might've defined the stage setup and general atmosphere, but the end result was anything but. This was the type of performance that sneaks up and floors you before you've even had time to fully process what you're experiencing.
I can't possibly put enough of an emphasis on how vital of a role her live backing band played in affirming the strength of this performance. They pulled out extended instrumental jams during the spots where the guest artists are on the studio versions, allowed for the tempos of certain songs to be rearranged (most notably "In My Dreams" and "Miami"-which were delivered in a borderline acoustic fashion) and allowed the backing vocal tracks to be reduced to the bare minimum. All of these seemingly small things allowed Uchis' hauntingly beautiful vocals to get the shine they deserved, which in turn made this set a home run.
As I'm writing this roughly 16 hours after the conclusion of the show, I'm still in complete awe. I love an over-the-top spectacle more than most, but a subdued display of talent and artistry like this is every bit as satisfying and memorable. Uchis has all the tools to become a bona fide superstar in due time and I'm just thrilled that I got to see her perform in a relatively intimate venue before that probable ascent occurs.
Grades:
Gabriel Garzon-Montano: B+
Kali Uchis: A
Setlists:
Gabriel Garzon-Montano included:
Golden Wings (opener)
Crawl
Sour Mango
Fruitflies
Keep on Running (closer)
Kali Uchis (order may be off):
Dead to Me
Never Be Alone
Tomorrow
I Feel Love (Donna Summer cover)
Todos me miran (Gloria Trevi cover)
Tyrant
Loner
Flight 22
Feel Like A Fool
Your Teeth in My Neck
Nuestro Planeta
In My Dreams
Miami
Killer
Just a Stranger
Gotta Get Up
After the Strom
Encore:
Ridin' Round
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