A silky white draping stood by itself on the stage at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday night. 

In no rush but perfectly at the listed 8:50 p.m. start time, the curtain slowly lifted to reveal Omar Apollo standing center stage with a divine light shining upon his striking, sparkly ensemble. 

As the singer began his set with “Be Careful With Me,” a rush of energy traversed the crowd, who overrode the venue’s sound system with a heightened excitement following the performance of Malcolm Todd and Kevin Abstract, supporting acts of the “God Said No” tour. 

Daily headlines, sent straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with the latest at and around USC.

“I’m just gonna take it in. I’m gonna take a second to take this in,” said Apollo, looking at the Hollywood Bowl crowd for the first time. 

Emotional gratitude touched both the artist and the audience for a second until Apollo began to take the crowd on a journey of ill-fated romance, relationships and grief from memories with “Useless” and “Spite.” 

Distinct from Omar Apollo’s previous performances was the inclusion of dance as an extension of the storytelling present in each lyric. Dancers worked in sync with tempo and tone to accompany Apollo’s varied hip thrusts, spins and expressive movement during “Less of You,” “Done with You” and “3 Boys,” and later on in the crowd-hyping singles “Kamikaze” and “Tamagotchi.” 

“Petrified” lit up the Hollywood Bowl with camera flashlights as the Indiana-born singer stood under a spotlight on a bare stage to pour out lyrics on the fear attached to uncertainty in giving love to someone. The drape enclosing Apollo contorted and shifted throughout the performance as a vehicle for emotional climaxes and his deep moments of self-reflection. 

Immediately after, the stage shifted into color during “Drifting.” Fleeting moments of blue, orange, red, purple and green hues on stage aligned with the desires of letting go and floating away, as depicted by the draping mimicking waves. Utilizing color and motion made each piece distinct and immersive while still making the story of the show coherent and whole, allowing for a seamless transition into “How.” 

Audience participation was mandatory during “Invincible,” the first collaboration between Omar Apollo and Daniel Caesar, when the screen projected the lyrics in a bold font. Fans who knew the words by heart and attendees deeply grateful for the boost sang in unison, making it a standout moment of the night. 

Aside from his indulgent Okane fur coat and custom Loewe statement pieces, Apollo presented himself as a witty, sensitive, family-and-culture-centered human whose down-to-earth nature pairs with his superstardom to make an artist who never feels inaccessible. 

Halfway through the performance, the 27-year-old singer shared how pivotal performing at the Bowl was, not only for his career but for those nearest to him. 

“My mom and dad are here, my two brothers. We’re missing one sister, she’s got nine kids, she couldn’t make it, she back in Indiana,” Apollo said. “My family is here and that makes me really happy. They’ve never seen me do anything this colossal and this is a big moment, and I really just wanna extend that.” 

After asking, “How many Latinos in this bitch right now? How many homosexuals are here right now?” Apollo sang “En El olvido” and “Dos Uno Nueve” as the screen behind him played videos from his childhood. Latine fans sang along with the singer while joyfully throwing their hands in the air and wrapping their arms around one another. 

After challenging people in the pit to do their loudest grito, Apollo sang the fan favorites “Endlessly” and “Killing Me.” Beyond the music itself, a trust was formed out of the celebration of culture and identity, which the singer intentionally continues to amplify.  

Moments when the artist and his guitar were the sole captors of the stage allowed Apollo to speak, or rather sing, volumes with his sweet-sounding voice that effortlessly switched from guttural growls of pain most felt during “While U Can” and “Life’s Unfair” to enlightened falsettos in “Want U Around” and “Pedro.” With each high note and soulful belt, the singer showed how a truly agile vocalist can make live singing sound undemanding. 

On the fourth to last night of the tour, Apollo infused humor into every crowd conversation and lighter moments of the set as he was given gifts, flashed by fans and shown a fresh set of nails. Balancing hard-hitting ballads, lighter Latin pop/R&B and the emotions that come with every tune meant there was a song for every audience member present. 

Collective heartbreak was transformed into shouting and yelling during “Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me At All),” Apollo’s hit single from his 2022 debut studio album, “Ivory.” He handed the mic over to the impassioned fans as he smiled and beckoned for the space to be even louder. After performing the song, the singer expressed he did not want to part with the crowd and the special night.

“I don’t even wanna start the next song,” Apollo said.  

After singing “Glow” and a brief break offstage, Omar Apollo returned with “Go Away,” to end the night. This final song has lyrics especially timely for the night, as fans longed to hold on to the artist and the experience itself. 

As the singer concluded telling stories of his relationships, fans went down the Hollywood Bowl escalators, reconciling with a unique heartbreak that only an artist like Omar Apollo could evoke.