After some back and forth as to whether the arena would need to host Game 6 of the NBA Championship put the night into some limbo, Rosalía was given the go to kick off her LUX Tour at Madison Square Garden.
As the lights dimmed, Jimi Hendrix's "Angel" pumped out of the PA system as an orchestra made their way to the center of the world's most famous arena. Taking their place as the rock super ballad blasted away, the crowd rose to their feet as anticipation grew. When things went to a full blackout, cries let out and a night of stunning opulence proceeded to take place. A large white crate was placed centerstage and slowly unboxed via an elaborate stage crew to reveal Rosalía in a black and white near-ballerina outfit from which she proceeded to unfurl an elegant stretch of music that thoughtfully and triumphantly combined ballet and opera with extensive theatrics that instantly set the mood that this wasn't just a standard pop show, but an artistic endeavor to show her staggering range and undeniable talent. The first act was certainly the most dedicated to her ballet performance and she spent the majority of the opening numbers dancing on point while belting out her epic numbers with phenomenal form. Jaws were on the floor from the start and the crowd stood in awe of her performance for the entire first act. Breaking the night into several parts, she unveiled a perfectly curated set that highlighted her remarkable skills as not only a singer, but also her creative side as well as she led a crew of dancers through meticulously led numbers throughout which she continued to prove her esteemed vocal powers. When she dropped "Berghain," things flipped and the arena turned into an industrial rave that would've felt at home on the recent Nine Inch Nails tour. Strobes flashed and the bass throbbed while the strings on the ground went haywire. As the dance ensemble moved as a total unit, Rosalía stood firmly in the middle as they draped themselves around her in true classical form. Throughout the callbacks to such timeless music, every moment of the night felt fresh and truly of the moment, a contemporary show that will go down in the ages as a transformative pop tour to travel the United States. As she sang in Spanish (as well as Italian and English), a giant banner translated her lyrics above the stage, something I took as a nod to her obvious opera influence rather than something needed to cater to us Americans. When a museum-like tableau presented itself on stage, she graced us with a cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" to a wondrous reply from the crowd before she introduced Maggie Rogers to the stage to take part in a confessional. Rogers used this time to tell us about a time a New York Times reporter took her on a date, gave her a private tour of their corporate building, makeout in conference rooms only for her to learn he had a girlfriend! (No, she wouldn't disclose his name.) After sharing her disapproval of the man, Rosalía led us through "La Perla" and had the crowd sway under her control. As her dancers encircled her in full black body suits with white gloves, they formed a fram around her for some rather simple, but brilliantly used theatrics to make her appear to float over the stage, another tribute to classic performances of the past which she beautifully channeled throughout the show. She next ascended a staircase and sat atop a piano before belting out "Sauvignon Blanc" while the arena was lit up with the flashlights from the sold out crowd. For one of the final sets of the night, she joined the orchestra in the middle of the floor and led the building through another rave-like moment that had things rumbling with pure euphoria. Smoke covered the crowd and once again people were lost in the music to their utmost delight. Giving us a final moment with "Magnolias," she surrendered the night at long last, giving us all she had and leaving us all in pure states of elation. It was a night of monumental proportions and undoubtedly one of the best shows of the year.
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