Rosalia Put on a High-Art Concert in Irving This Friday

On Friday night, Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalia lit up the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory at the Irving stop of her Motomami World Tour, her first major tour supporting her album of the same name.

Rosalia treated North Texas fans to a sleek, stylish performance, using a white canvas, her backup dancers and cleverly utilized handheld cameras to immerse the audience in her vision. In lieu of an opening act, sketches appeared on the canvas piece by piece leading up to the show, prompting cheers from the crowd each time it changed.

The minimalist stage design also served as a blank canvas for Rosalia’s eclectic influences as an artist, giving her pop, folk and reggaeton sensibilities equal opportunity to fill the space. Songs off Motomami in particular were creatively aligned with the motorcycle motif of the album. She wore black leather for most of her set and at one point even rode a makeshift “bike” made up of her own dancers.

Integral to the show was the steadicam operator, who was directly beside her for most of the show, often blocking her entirely from the audience’s view, forcing you to experience the show through selfie-esque projections on either side of the stage. Ironically, and perhaps intentionally, the back row had the best seats in the house.