Liveshot: Omar Apollo delivers suave ACL performance despite vocal hiccups

Reya Mosby, Life & Arts Editor

The stage lit up in various colorful lights and letters spelling out “OMAR APOLLO” appeared on the screen behind the singer. When he took the Miller Lite stage, Apollo did the signature Michael Jackson spin before he tilted his head back, opened up his arms and soaked in the applause.

In his sunset-bathed performance, Omar Apollo stunned the crowd with romantic tenor and delicate falsetto in his opening song “Killing Me.” Showcasing a groovy bass line, audiences swayed to the yearnful love song, setting a suave and passionate tone for the rest of the set.    

Apollo showcased his advanced musical abilities during “Talk”, grabbing his sleek white guitar and strumming out a rock-inspired melody. This gave a new, refreshing feel to the R&B-dominated performance.


Bridging genres in this set, Apollo crooned “En El Olvido,” the heart-wrenching corrido, a traditional Mexican, narrative-driven folk song. This ended up being a fan favorite of the night, with most of the audience scream-singing. Apollo gave audiences several slower ballads throughout the evening such as “Ugotme,” an intimate song that left listeners feeling love struck. Apollo showed off his incredible range, one second delivering a belty yet intricate run, and the next seamlessly melting into a light, soulful falsetto that spun with vibrato.   

Between entertaining the crowd with playful interactions, swaggering around the stage and rocking out to the band’s instrumentation, the artist kept the audience eager to see what he would do next. On a few occasions, he even brought his dance moves into the mix. 

Apollo started losing his voice towards the end, but his proud and dutiful fans swooped in, singing out every lyric for him. With his voice worn, Apollo incorporated fan sing-along sections more often to compensate. Even then, these interactions did not feel out of place, as he spent the entirety of the show joking and talking candidly with the crowd. If anything, the additional fan involvement made the concert that much more special for true Apollo supporters.

Despite the complication, Apollo delivered a phenomenal performance with an eclectic catalog of music, stunning silky vocals, soaring high notes and high energy to accompany his smooth delivery of every note he sang.