SPRINGFEST 2025: Kehlani brings her Crash World Tour to Northeastern University

In the four years since starting college, I had never been to a Springfest concert. This is due to the fact that none of the previous years’ performers had piqued my interest. So, when I found out that Kehlani was this year’s Springfest headliner, I scrambled to secure floor tickets. That also meant heading to the venue early to obtain a practically front-row view of the performance.

The show began with a well-curated set from DJ Baby Indiglo. Makayla Alexa, better known as DJ Baby Indiglo, is a native of Inglewood, CA but was raised between California and Massachusetts. Her set was a mix of many genres including R&B, hip hop, Afrobeats and house music. Personally, I loved her set and the vibe it set for the rest of the concert; however, I would have loved to experience it in a more low-key setting, like a club, where I could dance around and really feel the music. Unfortunately, the crowd felt dull and unresponsive which was a shame because her talent truly deserves more recognition. 

Massachusetts-native, alt-pop artist Isaac Dunbar was the next opening act. Although his music was not exactly my cup of tea he had a fun, high-energy performance. I also commend his ability to execute such a performance as it was the largest crowd he's ever performed for.

Overall, the opening acts were a perfect match for the concert’s vibe, complementing both sides of Kehlani’s performance — her classic R&B hits and her new experimental, queer and electric rock-inspired tracks.

The main performer, Kehlani, is a two-time Grammy-nominated artist from the Bay Area. She flew to Boston all the way from Honolulu as she wrapped up her 54-show world tour for her fourth studio album Crash. However, there was a part of me that was a bit skeptical about the performance. This is because her setlist at the Springfest concert included nearly the entire setlist from her Crash World Tour — she performed 23 out of the 26 songs on the setlist. Thus, the majority of these songs came from her album Crash which just so happens to be my least favorite album in her discography. This is because it's her least R&B, neo-soul album and the most experimental, featuring a rock-inspired sound. Yet, she blew my expectations away with her performance. She played a plethora of songs I know and love, so I had no reason to doubt my ability to sing along or match the vibe.

The sheer number of songs she performed made the concert unbelievably remarkable. From her silky vocals to her sultry stage presence, as well as her seductive dance moves and talented stage members, everything about the performance was on point. Because they had just been on tour together, all those present on stage, from the background dancers to the band members, had incredible chemistry. The performance had a solid mix of both Kehlani’s newer music as well as her older releases. She opened the performance with the song “Next 2 U,” which blends her R&B melodies with the intensity and heavy bass influences of rock music. She performed two songs from her 2015 mixtape, You Should Be Here. This included the title track as well as her collaboration with Chance the Rapper.

During her performance of “Sucia,” Kehlani walked off the stage and serenaded the crowd. I was lucky enough to be standing directly behind the person she was singing to, which was an incredibly euphoric moment. When she stepped up and stood over the crowd, I was genuinely just a few inches away from her face. It was such a special moment since I felt as though she was singing directly to me. The opportunity to stand that close to someone whose music I cherish and adore was a truly unforgettable moment.

She performed the most popular songs from her 2020 album It Was Good Until It Wasn’t. First, she sang her post-break up bop “Toxic.” The crowd chanted “All of this love is toxic,” in unison to the chorus. Next, was the sensual and provocative hit “Water.” Personally, I absolutely love this song — not just because it's a nod to water signs and I'm a Scorpio, but also because of its infectious beat and catchy lyrics. It’s short and sweet, so when I heard the dreamy intro beat I was ready to belt out the lyrics. Lastly off this album, she performed “Can I.” I was eagerly awaiting this song because I am obsessed with it from the Aaliyah sample to the vibrant fusion of beats and vocals.

Kehlani also performed various mainstream hits and fan-favorites from her other pieces of work. This included the iconic, catchy song “Distraction” from her debut album SweetSexySavage. From the same album, she performed her well-known song “Gangsta” that gained attention after being featured on the Suicide Squad soundtrack. She sang her verse from “Ring,” which is featured on Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy album. Kehlani slowed it down with performances of her love ballads. She performed the song “everything,” which is a slow, soft love song that will definitely be played at my future wedding. I adore this song, in fact I have come to love her blue water road album deeply since it came out in 2022. I was disappointed that this was the only song performed from this album and I wished she did more. However, I am glad she at least played “everything,” as it's such a meaningful song, particularly for someone like me who's experiencing the same kind of queer love it describes. Similarly, another song that resonates deeply with queer love is “Honey.” The 2017 single is one of Kehlani’s most notable songs. Personally, it was the first Kehlani song I was introduced to, introducing me to her immense talents.

She only performed two songs off her 2019 mixtape While We Wait. She performed “Nights Like This” as the precursor to the closing track. As Kehlani’s most streamed song, it was a crowd favorite, pumping the audience up for the finale. In August, Kehlani released a sequel mixtape, While We Wait 2, and performed the song “When He’s Not There” from it. This song is a silky, sultry collaboration with Lucky Daye. I was a huge fan of this song when it dropped as a single thus, I was excited to see her perform it. Her dance moves brought the lyrics to life, enhancing the song. The performance closed with two versions of the “After Hours.” The first was the “After Hours (Cater 2 U Mix)” which mashes the original track with the iconic Destiny’s Child song with her infectious song. She also performed the original version of “After Hours” which gets its addictive beat from sampling the song “Move Ya Body” by Nina Sky and Jabba. Because of the high appraisal “After Hours” received and the fact that it is the most popular song off Crash, I was expecting it to be the grand finale. However, I was pleasantly surprised as a fellow Beyoncé stan that she played both versions of the song! It was the perfect ending to such a phenomenal show and extraordinary performance.

Kehlani’s performance was dynamic, as she effortlessly showcased both upbeat and slower songs, blending rock-style influences with a neo-soul/R&B sound. She brought an incredibly high energy to the performance. Her dance moves highlighted her talent as a seasoned performer, while she also kept things trendy and up-to-date by incorporating online trends into her choreography.