Rosalía's brilliant 'Lux' tour dazzles at Kia Forum
Rosalía's Monday night Kia Forum show was among the year's best arena concerts, Variety reports: a 110-minute cross-disciplinary spectacle where ballet, a 20-piece orchestra, spiritual imagery, and Motomami-era pop collided—and a Karol G confessional cameo ranked only 10th or 15th among its peaks.
Chris Willman's review confirms rosala8217s brilliant 8216lux8217 tour is a serious Tour of the Year contender in Los Angeles, two weeks into the U.S. leg. Expectations were sky-high after Lux landed on half the world's top 10 lists last December—and the Forum crowd got proof that the live show matches the album's ambition pound for pound.
Key Takeaways
- Rosalía opened night one at Inglewood's Kia Forum with a fragile white crate that unfolded into a cross, then delivered the first five Lux tracks with pointe work and operatic Italian.
- A surprise confessional segment with Karol G spilled relationship tea in Spanish, yet Variety calls it only the 10th or 15th best moment of the night.
- Choreography from (La)Horde, Charm La'Donna, and Dimitris Papaioannou paired with a floor-level orchestra through Berghain raves, Frankie Valli covers, and a thurible-style light rig.
- The finale, "Focu 'Ranni," mixed angel wings with mom-jean pillow fights—embodying the show's cozy, unpretentious spirit beneath ornate spiritual themes.
What Happened at Rosalía's Kia Forum Show?
Midway through the set, Rosalía and guest superstar Karol G settled into adjoining confessional-style boxes for a candid, camera-fed dialogue about a bad romance. Karol discussed an unnamed ex many fans assumed was Feid, detailing years of birthday snubs before she walked off a planned trip at the airport.
Variety describes the moment as deeply juicy for Spanish speakers—and a public alignment between two stars some fans had pegged as rivals. Yet the critic's blunt verdict matters more: as spicy as the Karol G encounter was, it was only about the 10th or 15th best moment in the show.
How Does the 'Lux' Tour Blend High Art and Arena Pop?
The opening stretch is deliberately stately. Workers wheel out a crate marked "Fragile" containing Rosalía in a tutu; when unfolded, the lid forms a cross. An orchestra of roughly 20 musicians plays from the arena floor as she performs Mio Cristo Piange Diamante and other Lux material on pointe.
Rosalía thanked choreographer Charm La'Donna and voice teacher Eric Vetro, noting she had just one month and a half to learn pointe for the first time. That humility defused any pretension before the night pivoted—Berghain turned the pit into a rave, Motomami hits returned, and she covered Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" while posed as a museum painting.
Highlights piled on: Bob Fosse-inspired illusions in "La Perla," flamenco energy on "La Rumba del Perdón," and a strobe contraption swinging over the orchestra like a smoking thurible. For more live-music coverage, see our Streaming & TV Alerts hub.
Why Does Variety Call This Tour a Frontrunner for 2026?
Willman places Rosalía's road show alongside recent L.A. standouts from Raye and Lily Allen, arguing it offers as much ambition as the Lux album itself. The critic frames the production as "one giant Transformer of a show"—classical tradition and modern arena spectacle occupying the same heaven-and-earth continuum.
With angel-winged dancers in mom jeans ending the night in a pillow fight, the Forum run underscored why critics keep reaching for "pretentious-in-a-good-way" adjectives. Read the full assessment in Variety's concert review.