Los Angeles local, Tori Kelly was in her hometown this past weekend where she performed two sold-out shows in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.
Tori Kelly first began her singing career, writing and producing her original songs on Youtube back in 2007. Kelly faced many roadblocks in her career before finally getting signed to Capitol Records in late 2013.
Tori Kelly has spent the last couple months touring her newly released gospel album Hiding Place, co-written alongside gospel musician Kirk Franklin. Gospel music had a huge influence on Kelly’s upbringing and is something that she has been passionate about for a long time. This is definitely quite a change from Kelly’s typical pop albums and EP’s released in the past, but it is evident that her fans have been excited to see this new side of her.
Tori Kelly packed the house Friday night as fans flooded through the doors of the stunning Cathedral Sanctuary in Los Angeles. Kelly’s concert also caught the attention of famous American Rapper Kanye West, who attended the show with his daughter North West. Anxious fans sat in pews as they waited patiently for Kelly to come out on stage. As soon as Tori Kelly came on stage, the energy in the room shifted as the crowd erupted with excitement. As Kelly moved through each song, it was clear that she had formulated the perfect setlist, comprised of both new and past albums, sure to satisfy the crowd. Kelly even played one of her fan favorites “Dear No One” which debuted back in her Youtube days and remains a sensation. In the past, Kelly has always had a connection with her fans during shows, and she certainly didn’t disappoint this time around! Kelly made comments and laughed with her fans from the stage and even wished a couple lucky fans “Happy Birthday”! Along with Kelly on stage were three of her background vocalists, those of whom assisted her in creating a gorgeous gospel choir vibe during the show. Towards the end of the show, the group performed “Souls Anthem”, a rendition of the song “It Is Well” which left the crowd completely speechless. Similarly, the sanctuary was completely moved to tears as Kelly sang one of her album hits, “Psalms 42” with over two million streams on Spotify. Eventually, the night crept up on Kelly’s final song and she closed out the show saying goodbye to the crowd…but loyal Tori Kelly fans knew that this was not quite the last they would see of her. At each stop on her Hiding Place tour, Kelly would post a photo on Instagram at the end of the night with all of her fans after the concert. So sure enough as soon as the show ended, crowds of devoted fans made their way outside as they waited in the cold, hopeful to make it into one of Kelly’s famous Instagram Posts.
Tori Kelly has always prioritized her fans and sure enough at 10:15 pm, her curly blonde hair was spotted coming around the corner as she came to take photos with the dedicated fans waiting outside. This will be marked as a monumental period in Tori Kelly’s singing career as she finishes up touring her first gospel album.
Photo Credit: Sabine West(@sabinewestphotography)
