Soda Stereo: Stop #2 of 5 - @ the Kia Forum
On Saturday, September 12, 2026, Soda Stereo hit their second stop of their 5-show ECOS tour. [Tonight's] stop? The Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA. Everything about that day was absolutely stunning, which was well captured by the band's (Instagram) story of the beautifully lit venue - from the outside; the sun was setting and they happened to capture a perfect wide-angle picture. It perfectly fit the day, and the energy, leading up to the show. I arrived to the venue a little before doors to see the crowd in all its glory before the show. Seas of heads, band shirts, and Argentinian shirts - the blue in the shirts seemingly flowing like waves in the ocean - flooded the circular patio outside of the venue, with even more people eagerly waiting to get their merch and to get to their seats.
Let me start off by saying that the show was 'a whole spectacle' - in all of the best ways. If you are a fan of Soda Stereo, or just really great rock music - and not just for Spanish speakers - you should definitely check out one of their last two shows.
Once doors opened, the once calm sea of people slowly started to flow faster, with individuals bumping each other, making their way through the curtains and into the main arena. I sat there with my best friend and chatted while we waited for the show start time - watching people who were out of place self-ushering themselves around.
The band seemed to be a little behind schedule as they came out about 20 minutes past 8pm, but it was a small price to pay for the level of build-up that they put on - and for the overall quality of the performance.
They started off by performing behind a big, opaque-ish curtain. The emphasis was that of mystery and the amazing light work (whoever was the light director, your work has not gone unnoticed). After the first song, the curtains opened up and the band was much more visible. If you notice my poor phone quality photo above, they also included a pair of 3D glasses. The band, and their team, performed two songs with 3D effects. While I do not think that the 3D added much to the show, it definitely was incredibly unique and made the show that much more interactive; I will admit that the 3D light effects were really neat.
Song after song, the band kept performing and knocking each one out with more 'umph' than the last. One thing led to another and before we knew it, the show was over. The performance, quite literally, lives rent free in my head. And, though I have been listening to Soda Stereo since I was a child, I never really keep up with bands or their members; it was no different for Soda. So, it was a shock when I heard that the frontman for the band, Gustavo Cerati, had passed over a decade ago; I was just excited to see the band. That said, my friend, who had tagged along, was aware of this fact. Even with his knowledge of this, he was still shocked to see Gustavo right there on stage - so much so that he even had doubted his recollection of memories. The realization only hit us when we saw the remaining two members, Zeta Bosio (Bassist) & Charly Alberti (Drummer) - playing on a small platform away from the main stage (excluding Gustavo) - that the ECOS tour was meant to be a innovative way to continue touring with their long lost member, still providing amazing performances to their fans without feeling like they have to replace Gustavo.
The end of the show was amazing; they rolled through the names of those who made the show what it was - who brought it to life.. like movie credits. As the lights came on, the crowd started making their way out, flooding the outer halls of the arena. By the time we stepped out, the merch lines were just as, if not more, full than before; lots of items already seemed to have been sold out. Stepping out further into the outer patio and then the parking lot, you could still feel the energy of the crowd as they spoke loudly about the anything-but-static show. Driving away, you could still see people walking blocks away from the venue, which just goes to show the lengths people would go just to attend.
Again - and I cannot stress this enough - the show was an absolute spectacle. If I wasn't already a lifelong fan of the band, this definitely secured a place in their fandom for me. I am extremely excited to see what they may come up with for future shows. Even if I saw something similar to what they put on this time, it would be a success - in my eyes.
