NIKI had her fans at UCSD’s Epstein Family Amphitheatre eating in the palm of her hands as she belted song after song throughout the night on a Wednesday of all days. NIKI was performing her second to last show of her U.S. run in San Diego. There were worries before the show as she had to cancel her previous show due to feeling unwell but she posted on Instagram beforehand that she got an IV drip so the concerns were unnecessary. The vibes in the room were roaring with excitement and anticipation for her to perform. After all, it was her first time performing in San Diego and it was obvious the audience were full of rabid fans even before the performance happened.

I brought a friend/super fan along to the show and there was already some turmoil before it even started. Since it being on a college campus, the concert was staffed with students. The people at the ticket table didn’t see our names for the tickets for the show and after we clear some miscommunication, they gave us our tickets. While my friend was getting coffee at the coffee stand next the ticket table, one of them actually came up to us and gave us better seats due to the hassle. After getting basically upgraded tickets, I knew we were in for a great night.

The line wrapped around the block on campus and once we got in, there was almost just as big of a line just for merch. The venue was divided to two sections: one being a section for everyone to be seated and another being a grass lawn section further back. There was food trucks outside the venue in case anyone wanted to quick bite to eat while inside, there was a place for photos where the backdrop was a NIKI poster and it was taken with a ring light with a camera. After scanning the area, my friend and I head down to get ready for the show.

The doors opened at 6:30 p.m. and there was 45 minutes until the first opener performed. The opener was Jacob Ray who entertained the crowd for a solid 30 minutes. The next and last opener was an Indian American pop singer/songwriter named Parovi. She showed up for all the west coast dates and was backed with her two band members who took the stage. Throughout her set, she vulnerably shared her struggles growing up with immigrant parents and indicated through her raw vocal performances. She even let the crowd know her mom and boyfriend were in attendance to the show and everyone showed her love even with the fact that she goes to UCLA.

Parovi hyped up the the crowd and got everyone ready for NIKI. As soon as she left the stage, the crowd flooded into the seated area to fill out the empty spots, all of them clamoring to get a closer glimpse of NIKI. It’s crazy to see how music can affect everyone because there was an older couple who had to at least be in their sixties in the row in front of us. Not the type of crowd you would expect at this type of concert but it was great to see nonetheless. Once she finally came onto the stage, the crowd erupted with cheers.

She started off the show with three upbeat tracks including “lowkey” that the crowd went bananas for. Her backing band was all female which was cool to see and despite feeling under the weather, NIKI looked vibrant as ever. NIKI had a full backing band which consisted of a keyboard player, a bassist, an electric guitar player and a drummer. NIKI wasn’t just singing though, she continuously switched off between playing acoustic guitars and would play piano too, showcasing just how talented she is.

After the she got the crowd amped up with the early tracks, NIKI performed tunes from her latest album Nicole. These songs simmered down the crowd but that didn’t stop them from singing along to every song. It was incredible to think that NIKI was the first musical act to ever perform at this venue and it we were all in the midst of an iconic experience. Everyone got their phones out when she sang “I Like U.” That was one of the most memorable moments of the concert with everyone around me just shining their light on their phones. NIKI ended her set with the fan favorite, “High School in Jakarta,” a song about her life growing up in Jakarta, Indonesia. She ended it off on a high note and the crowd cheered but still kept chanting “One more song!”, which NIKI happily obliged.

She returned for an encore to perform “Indigo” and ended it for real this time with her mega-hit “Every Summertime.” Ending on this song was a perfect way to end the night. “Every Summertime” is the amalgamation of all the styles of her songs that she performed throughout the night. It started out as an up-tempo pop tune that then slowly evolved into a song with r&b sections that give off Motown ballads. NIKI ended the night perfectly and even wanted to take a selfie with all of her fans. All in all, NIKI served and all of us fans ate good that night. I really hope she comes back to perform in San Diego but if you’ve read this far, please see her live. Guaranteed grade A, fun concert and would definitely want to see her again.