Rosalía was one of the last artists to take the stage at Lollapalooza Brasil 2023. The singer sold out the Interlagos Circuit in São Paulo in one of the most excited and deafening performances of the festival. There wasn’t a quiet person in the audience.
It was very clear that her show for Rosalía could not be less than a spectacle. The screens do a separate color show that harmonizes with the singer and backup dancers. They create a 360° scene on stage, with corridors of lights and a white floor that changes color with the stage lights. So no matter where you looked, from the audience, from home and even upside down: the show would be nice.
Not to mention the synchronicity of the dancers and the artist, who move across the stage with complete fluidity. Everything perfect. To the point of fascination?
Rosalía’s perfection seems to have one very clear reason: to make every moment of the show impeccable footage for TikTok. In fact, it is quite clear that the main objective is in the social networks, because at different times the show is not filmed by the multishow cameras that are broadcast on TV, as in other presentations, but by mobile phones.
All imaging is done by an exclusive team. They differ significantly from each other and are fully calculated. There are spins around the stage (and the dancers are out of the way), shots from the top of the stage (in moments of synchronization and people look up at the right times), and very different angles.
The biggest proof, however, is the constant use of cellphones for filming. They are recorded vertically as it is the necessary format for Instagram Stories and TikTok. They play on the stage screen and also on TV, highlighting some important moments of the show. Rosalía interacts with the device while singing and performing, speaking into the camera and even kissing the phone. The dancers take turns and also record many things from different perspectives in supposedly relaxed moments. But as if by magic, Rosalia always knows who’s filming and where to look.
Nevertheless, the artist more than once left the audience’s sight, went to a hidden part of the stage, accessible only with a cell phone camera, to dry her face and drink water. It is very rare for an artist to leave the stage at Lolla.
Every interaction with cameras, cellphones and people is impeccable showing how Rosalía’s every step, hand raised and smile on stage were combined and rehearsed to the point of exhaustion to arrive at the perfect moment of the perfect show.
The result is really great, an intact presentation where every piece harmonizes. The audience reacts, crazy and involved in what is happening. But it’s quite clear that it’s also pretty plastered: everything has its place, and there’s not much room to move around.
And the goal? Make the ideal content for the networks. In a world where we have prerecorded clips and so much experience online, the question remains: Shouldn’t a live performance be more casual, interactive and relaxed? Perhaps it would be better to separate the time to do TikTok from the time to interact and dedicate to the fans.