los angeles, ca - may 15, 2024

Wednesday night at the Kia Forum felt like a mystical wonderland full of magical creatures. Thousands of fans, adorned in baby doll bodies, puffy skirts, elf ears, and glittering accessories, giggled and skipped to the front gate. The audience Martinez has built over the years is absolutely part of her glittering world and all were in attendance this evening. Every person in the parking lot was beaming with light, and giving off a particular aura of goodness that felt so bright it beamed outward. You can tell how much music means to people when it transforms an entire energy field in this kind of way.

Marking the 4th stop on her current Trilogy Arena Tour, Martinez showcases her talents and vision so thoughtfully you can see the expanse of what her genius brain has built and felt over the last decade. The Trilogy Tour hits differently because you can experience multiple eras of Martinez’s brilliant career one after the other. Having released and toured three studio albums, the Trilogy Tour is her fifth concert tour and first all-arena tour showcasing three albums creatively moving from Cry Baby in infancy to K-12 and into Portals, feeling as though you’re growing with her from Cry Baby into dying and being reborn a cosmic creature.

Every piece of the show was meticulously crafted, from the incredible women-fronted opening bands, Beach Bunny and Men I Trust, to the choice of her album arrangement, the outfits, on-point dancers, props, and lighting design to her pristine vocals. You can witness the time and dedication Martinez and her team have put into this, and everything felt just like you’d wish it to, but really much more.

Woven into who she is as an artist are pieces of her truth and her evident beliefs. Often, these bits are left to decipher in her artworks, but sometimes, she leaves nothing to be deciphered and delivers the message straight forward. Along with the dazzling easter eggs telling pieces of her story, she incorporated her feelings and beliefs in shining colors throughout her Trilogy act. She ended her show by expressing sincere gratitude to all for attending and saying, “I love you so much, get home safe, Free Palestine.” I can only say the world in which Martinez is building and sharing with us all, is somewhere I absolutely want to exist.

Attending the show was an escape from the outside world into somewhere magical, not in a way where you’re avoiding reality but instead tuning into deeper truths and vulnerable parts being served to you on a sparkling creative platter that makes you feel more human and less alone. The way Martinez wields her talents and power can only be described as purely authentic. She’s making meaningful art with full intention to such an impeccable height that stands out from the rest and resonates realistically to stand the test of time.