As you made your way towards LA Live, walking through the horde of people, all you could see were folks in sparkly, glittery, and shiny outfits, from skirts to t-shirts to bedazzled jeans, and everyone with sunglasses. I’ve always found it fascinating how committed fans get into the dress code for a specific artist’s concert. But of course, as we were in the presence of her beauty, it was no surprise that everybody dressed as shiny as they could for a Bad Gyal concert here in Los Angeles, California, at the Novo Theater. Bad Gyal decided to come all the way from Spain to perform here in Los Angeles for all her fans. From a mile away, you could easily tell who was attending the concert by the shiny apparel and her very well-known bright-colored sunglasses, which she is famous for. It’s not often you get such a big reggaeton star performing in a theater here in Los Angeles, and needless to say, we were truly blessed to witness Bad Gyal’s majesty on that stage.
As I made my way up the elevator, you could literally see people dancing in the elevator, on the escalators, and even in line, singing her famous “Chulo” song, which went trending across all social media platforms. Personally, I have been to many reggaeton concerts here in LA, and the fans always bring the same energy, but for some reason, this one had a special kind of vibe. It had fans of all ethnicities and cultures, all ready to dance the night away so much that they couldn’t even wait to get inside the venue. For a while now, a lot of world-renowned reggaeton artists have always been from South America, but Bad Gyal really put her name on the map for representing Spain as a reggaeton artist, similar to Rosalía’s huge impact when she became big in the United States. The same energy I felt from Rosalía’s concert, I felt exactly here at the Novo Theater. As soon as I entered the venue, all I saw were the darkly dimmed pink neon lights, the DJ on stage, and people drinking and dancing as if it were a literal nightclub. To make it more interesting, the music selection wasn’t your generic mainstream reggaeton songs. I like to believe that I listen to a lot of Reggaeton beyond the main hits, and what caught me instantly by surprise was the music they were playing from other reggaeton artists from Spain. Even more worthwhile was that the entire crowd knew all the lyrics, eagerly anticipating Bad Gyal taking the stage tonight.
As the DJ cleared her table, grabbed her equipment, and left, the lights finally shut off. You could hear the ambient sound and see the fog machine begin to cover the entire stage floor with fog. The more fog that appeared, the louder the screams. Then there it was, the capital letter’s B and G next to one another with a shiny ring around it projected on the screen behind the stage. Instantly, you saw four dancers walk out from the sides of the stage and kneel on one knee, pointing towards the upper stage. Then she finally came out, walking up the steps from the back, as beautiful as you could have ever imagined. With her tall height, long blonde hair, diamond microphone, diamond apparel, and famous sunglasses, she finally showed up as the fog cleared. She took a look around the entire venue, from left to right, up and down, grabbed the mic, and said, “Hola Los Angeles.” Such a simple phrase, yet the entire crowd went insane, and you could literally feel yourself shake because of how strong the noise and the jumping were. I don’t know how else to describe it other than it literally felt like she was admiring us, her fans, as we just stared and screamed at her beauty. She finally grabbed the mic once again and asked us, “LA, are you ready to party? Because all of my concerts are parties.” Then the beat dropped, and the dancers began to dance as she made her way down the steps, making it feel like you were in a Barcelona nightclub.
As the night progressed, she played all of her biggest hits, including “Chulo,” possibly her biggest song to date that trended all over the charts, “Sexy,” another big song she released, and even played her early deep cuts such as “Fiebre,” a song she released seven years ago. Everyone in that theater was not only going crazy, but they truly got what they paid for, and Bad Gyal did not let Los Angeles down one bit. It was so impressive to see her not only sing incredibly but also how amazing her and her dancers’ choreography was, especially in the outfits she wore. Though I may never have danced in heels, I can only imagine how hard it must have been dancing in her tall heeled boots while singing all at the same time. Bad Gyal truly showed why she is as incredible as they all say she is, and we truly got to experience her talent at the Novo Theater. It was very inspirational to see her and how she has progressed in her career. Being a huge fan of reggaeton, I’ve heard of Bad Gyal a while back as she started to make some noise in the music industry, but to see her finally get to this point in her career made me glad to see.
As the night ended and she wished her goodbyes to Los Angeles and left the stage, the crowd started chanting for an encore, and of course, she gave us one, coming back out to perform her famous song “Chulo” once again. Not only did she deliver what the fans expected, but she completely blew it out of the water and went the extra mile for her fans here in Los Angeles. Although from Spain, she brought the entire Latino community together for one night to party, enjoy, and dance the night away. I honestly never thought I’d have the opportunity to see Bad Gyal live, but here we were in Los Angeles, California, at the Novo Theater, and what better place to experience her live set than here. Bad Gyal is on the same path that Rosalía was on, putting Spain on the map for reggaeton music all over the world, and her fan base will continue to follow and support her throughout her career. It was truly an amazing night of being in the presence of her majesty, and all of Los Angeles would agree.
