By aaron lee | november 2, 2024
After recently appearing at San Francisco’s biggest music festival “Outside Lands,” KAYTRANADA decided the Bay Area needed more from him. Beautiful lights and impressive visuals filled the venue as KAYTRANADA brought his ”TIMELESS” Tour to The Greek Theatre for the 2nd night of his 2-day residency in Berkeley. Although the tour was named after his 2024 album “TIMELESS,” the artist played various tracks across his impressive discography. The show started with KAYTRANADA’s brother Lou Phelps, who had a 30-minute set of high energy bars. Following was Channel Tres, who came on stage backed with 4 dancers, playing a variety of vibey and uptempo tracks to set the tone for the night.
Grammy-nominated producer, rapper, and singer KAYTRANADA, born Louis Kevin Celestin made his rise to stardom following the release of his debut album 99.9% in 2016. This album was just the beginning of his successful career, followed by his biggest album BUBBA in 2019. The album featured collaborations with big names like Kali Uchis, Masego, and Pharell Williams, further cementing his legacy. This album would earn him 2 Grammys in 2021: Best Dance Recording and Best Dance/Electronic Album, making him the first Black and openly gay artist to win the 2 categories.
“We’re here for night 2 of the Timeless tour, we’re going on strong for 10 years, let’s keep it going!” KAYTRANADA shouted. Beside him was a glass of champagne that he would occasionally drink from. The stage production was on point the entire evening, I had very high expectations and his team still managed to exceed them. The intense color hues, flares, and creative visuals created a dreamscape that allowed for an ethereal viewing experience.
The heavy rain didn’t stop everyone from having a good time, as fans danced all night dressed in ponchos. The energy grew exponentially the later it got in the evening when he started playing his biggest songs including “10%” and “4EVA.” He even brought out his brother Lou Phelps for their performance of “Call U Up.”
One of the craziest visuals of the evening was during the performance of “Witchy,” which features Childish Gambino. As the track played, a hologram of KAYTRANADA showed above him, where he was seen floating and falling through the sky. The hologram had the crowd mesmerized and cheering louder than ever.
Overall, the show was phenomenal, with the right vibes and the best stage production I’ve seen in person. KAYTRANADA is one of those artists you need to see at least once live, even if you aren’t a big listener.
Aaron Lee is a freelance photojournalist for Majestic Music Magazine. See more of his work here.
