SAN JOSE, Calif. — Karol G brought the tropics to Levi’s Stadium on Friday, Aug. 21, heating up a capacity crowd of 50,000 exuberant fans on a very chilly night at the home of the San Francisco 49ers.

And it would be way too easy to dub the result as one of the best Latin pop concerts of recent years. Instead, we need to go way bigger — like Karol G’s decadent, over-the-top Viajando Por el Mundo Tropitour (translation: Traveling the World Tropical Tour) itself — and call it one of the finest pop shows, of any language or musical style, to grace this region in a very long time.

The show that fans witnessed on Friday — the first half of a sold-out two-night stand in Santa Clara that will collectively draw some 100,000 concertgoers — was a deliriously great offering from a woman who now clearly ranks, in terms of talent, ability and popularity, among the very best in the business. Seriously, you could stack Karol G up against anyone — Beyoncé, Taylor, Gaga, Bad Bunny, etc. — and I wouldn’t bet against this 35-year-old Colombian superstar, who became the first Latina to headline the Coachella music festival back in April.

This brilliant diversely appealing performance succeeded on basically every level that a modern-day pop spectacle can — it was smart, sexy, well-paced, equally entertaining in terms of visuals and sounds, featured an ingenious stage design and, most importantly, was utterly dominated by a superstar who is loaded with talent, personality and charisma.

And I walked away from this show believing that Karol G should absolutely be the one to follow in Bad Bunny’s footsteps — made at the very same stadium earlier in the year — and be the next Latin artist to headline a Super Bowl Halftime Show. (If that comes to pass, it will actually represent Karol G’s second appearance at the big game — since she also made a cameo appearance during Bad Bunny’s set in 2026.)

Becky G, a rising star on the Latin pop scene who hails from Inglewood, opened the show with her own set that drew strongly from her fifth studio album, this year’s “Baraja Bendita.” Grooving alongside eight dancers, Becky G — who, despite the shared “G,” is of no relation to the headliner — gave every indication that she will continue to grow in popularity in the years to come.

“Every time I am here, it feels like home,” she said to the crowd. “Don’t forget me. I’m Becky G.”

That’s not likely to happen, especially if she keeps dropping albums as entertaining as her latest platter.

It was then time for the main event — Karol G — who took the stage following a lengthy countdown on the massive screens. As we approached all zeros on the timer, the crowd grew in excitement until, finally, the star of the evening took the ridiculously large stage and fans erupted in a way that may well have shook nearby Milpitas.

Working in a huge tropical setting, approaching the size of some of the smaller Pacific islands, Karol G gyrated among more dancers than one could easily count — mainly because they just kept right on moving in ways that made one feel like you might accidentally count them twice — as she opened the show with “Latina Foreva.”

From that powerful dance-pop anthem, celebrating the culture and sensuality of Latin women, Karol G jumped right into the fast, bouncy “Un gatito me llamó” (translation: “A kitten called me”). She danced about in front of a huge tropical cave-like backdrop that featured two huge screens and musicians rocking the beats and grooves from both sides of a stage that dominated at least a third of the stadium.

Yet, the stage didn’t just stop there. There were was two three catwalks shooting out into the crowd, eventually coming together at a point and creating two different pits where fans could get up close views of the action.

But, again, the stage didn’t just stop there. There was also a walkway from that tip of the catwalks that led to a secondary stage — one unlike any I’d ever seen before in 30-plus years of reviewing shows — erected at the very back of the field. (And, yes, I am going to make you wait a bit for more details on that one.)

Those first two songs hailed from Karol G’s fifth album, 2025’s “Tropicoqueta,” which is the one that this tour is built around. In all, the star would devote a baker’s dozen of spots on the 32-song setlist to this upbeat tropical music gem, which incorporates reggaeton, Latin pop, cumbia, salsa, vallenato and more. And that material really delivered some ideal platforms for Karol G to highlight her impressive dance moves and powerhouse vocals, as well as for the special effects crew to flex their muscles via some stellar pyrotechnics, dramatic lighting and cool props (such as the tank-sized parrot Karol G boarded to sing “Papasito”).

Yet, some of the best moments of the night came during the material from Karol G’s newly released sixth album, “No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto,” which contributed a quartet of songs to the mix. The record — which translates to “I don’t regret feeling so much” — boosts a vastly different feel than its upbeat predecessor, leaning more into melodrama, broken hearts and feelings in powerful ways. Not coincidentally, these selections — especially the stunning vulnerable breakup ballad “Si lo ven” — just reverberated with emotion through the cavernous stadium.

One of the show’s greatest strengths was its ability to volley back and forth between spectacle and intimacy, moving from big dance number productions and big-dollar effects to ample space for Karol G to showcase her personality and connect with the crowd. She’d accomplish that latter through hugs, direct eye contact, empowering statements to fans and, in general, just taking the time to make us all feel like we mattered to her.

It was in those moments, above and beyond what I saw during the firework-fueled scenes, that my jaw would drop a bit and I’d realize that Karol G is a truly elite performer.

And then there moments when I’d be thinking “What is going on here?” — but not necessarily in a bad way, but more in a “I didn’t see that coming” fashion. That was definitely the case when Karol G finally made it out to the secondary stage at the other end of the stadium floor and we found that it was not actually a stage but — surprise — a shallow pool of water.

Thus began one of the more erotically charged segments ever seen during a mainstream concert — and not in a comical Madonna kind of way — as Karol G turned 50,000 fans into voyeurs as she began to softly, slowly bath herself (in full costume, it seems prudent to point out) while crooning “El Barco.” She’d eventually kneel down into the water, where her female attendants/dancers quickly rushed over to help bathe her.

Then the rest of the dance crew joined in and the scene turned to a splish-splash party, as the dancers frolicked about, touching and spanking while “Bandida entrenada” blazed on. The whole segment had a distinct siren-call element to it.

Having dried herself off, Karol G would return to the mainstage for the final act of this five-act production, closing down the first night at Levi’s Stadium with “Bichota,” “Tusa,” “Coleccionando heridas” and other fan favorites.

Karol G setlist

1. “LATINA FOREVA”

2. “Un gatito me llamó”

3. “QLONA”

4. OKI DOKI

5. “Tá OK”

6. “S91”

7. “Tropicoqueta”

8. “Papasito”

9. “Amiga Mía”

10. “Ese hombre es malo”

11. “MAMIII”

12. “Te llevas To”

13. “Ahí”

14. “Alguien que te amaba”

15. “Si lo ven”

16. “EL BARCO”

17. “Verano rosa”

18. “BbY WOW”

19. “Ivonny bonita”

20. “Pineapple”

21. “GATÚBELA”

22. “AMARGURA”

23. “Tu perfume”

24. “Dile Luna”

25. “Bandida entrenada”

26. “OJOS FERRARI”

27. “BICHOTA”

28. “Tusa”

29. “Coleccionando heridas”

30. “Si antes te hubiera conocido”

31. “200 COPAS”

32. “PROVENZA”

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