Kaytranada “Timeless Tour” review
Photo Courtesy of Caleb Otte
Out of body. Surreal. What the hell did I just experience?
I walked out of Kaytranada’s “Timeless Tour” Los Angeles concert last Sunday completely dumbfounded and elated all at the same time. Due to scheduling conflicts at BMO Stadium, the show happened a week later than it was supposed to, but it was completely worth the wait.
Louis Celestin, better known as Kaytranada, is a music producer and his album “Timeless” is a Grammy-nominated masterpiece. The electronic dance collection is curated so that even the most stiff people will move their body to it. Even if it’s just on in the car, I can’t help but bump my shoulder.
The album is great but the vibe at a concert, in reality, is what matters the most. You can love a musician to death, binge-listen to their songs and worship everything they release, but that doesn’t mean you will enjoy their show. They have to be a good performer. I have listened to the “Timeless” album on repeat for months and it is one of the best pieces of art I’ve had the pleasure of consuming. Every time I hear the song “Pressure” start, my mood is lifted. But that didn’t guarantee that this would be a show that I will be telling my grandchildren about, rather it was what Kaytranada provided beyond the music.
It takes a certain level of grandeur as a producer to have a massive stage presence. Yet from the first moment that Kaytranada hit play, I knew it was going to be special. With a glass of white wine perched just above his mixing board, the Haitian-born musician transitioned seamlessly between the songs on his album and his most popular tracks. It felt as if the entirety of Los Angeles was in the palm of his hand and he controlled the energy of the city. Banger after banger came on, with zero chance to catch your breath. It was just flashing lights and dancing for nearly two hours.
It would go black for one moment and then boom, an almost biblical beat drop and lights show came next. Kaytranada played fast and loose with the ordering of the setlist, which kept the crowd on its toes. He took moments to hype up everybody and would dance behind his mixing table. It felt as though he was as big of a fan of his music as we were, and you could see him singing the lyrics of his featured artists. He was having fun, so we were having fun.
There were also longer pauses of a barely visible stage, which usually resulted in Kaytranada bringing out a surprise guest. A few smaller artists who had collaborated on the album, such as Rochelle Jordan and Lou Phelps, made it feel like “Timeless” was coming to life right in front of my eyes. And then he also came with some big hitters. For one, dance-pop star PinkPantheress came out carrying a purse, wearing a panther print dress and dancing to her and Kaytranada’s song “Snap My Finger.” She didn’t even sing, but her stage presence was top-shelf. Watching her dance made you want to dance even more, and the simple fact she showed up was enough to make me happy.
The icing on the cake for me was when rapper Aminé was brought out. He and Kaytranada have been long-time collaborators and came out with an album in 2023 called “KAYTRAMINÉ,” so he was certainly a fan favorite. Or, at least, he was this fan’s favorite. I have loved Aminé for years now, both his work with Kaytranada and solo acts, so that made my night. Given the fact that I heard and danced to almost every song I wanted to, the special guests were a surprise added bonus.
Another aspect that elevated the concert was the fine details of production. The screen behind Kaytranada constantly had an amazing visual on, and the side screens were basically locked in on the main man the whole time. It felt like we were part of a movie. One of my personal favorite moments was when “Dance Dance Dance Dance” came on. The signature video of this tour that has been circulating social media is of Kaytranada hitting a myriad of poses as the spotlight comes on and off of him, in sync with the beat of the song. After hitting a plank on the ground, the beat fully dropped and the light show came back. Nothing made me want to dance, dance, dance more.
There were also two supporting acts for the concert which started around 7:30 p.m. and ended somewhere around 11 p.m. First came Amaarae, an R&B artist who is most well known for her song “SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY” that went viral on TikTok. I had only heard that song before, and getting to hear it live was fun. Overall she was a good, but not great, opening act.
Next up was rapper Channel Tres. I went from standing to sitting so fast, because this was a headliner-level performance. He and his backup dancers had perfected choreography for each song he played, and being from the LA area it was clear that Tres wanted to leave the crowd in awe. The fluidity and creativity of his set was refreshing, and he played hit songs such as “I’ve Been In Love” which he made with the band Jungle. Their care-free and party energy have clearly rubbed off on the rapper and his 45 to 50 minutes of stage time were put to great use.
The most memorable moment from the set was a guest appearance from Ty Dolla $ign, which was mainly unexpected because I didn’t know that opening acts could bring out other artists. They first performed their song from Tres’ album “Head Rush” before playing Dolla $ign’s hit song “Carnival.” I will strongly consider going to a Channel Tres concert if and when he goes on tour because I was never bored or wanting his time on stage to end. Unfortunately, that has been the case in the past for non-headline acts but never with Tres.
The concert ended with an encore, as Tres came back out on stage for he and Kaytranada to perform “Drip Sweat.” Fireworks were set off and once he did finally exit, I tried to start processing all of my emotions but was left with no words and yet, somehow, every word that has ever been spoken. I say that in a good way, though, because how many experiences in life truly stupefy us?
It was a classic, timeless.
