The Phenomenal Benjamin Ingrosso at The Echo

Attending a show at The Echo is always an adventure! From having to find parking to making sure you arrive at the right venue, either downstairs or upstairs. As a fan of live shows, the silver lining is one always has a great time. On this particular Wednesday evening, I found myself on Sunset solo to experience Benjamin Ingrosso live. I found parking, read the signage, & hoped my car would still be there when the night was over as I walked down the block to the venue entrance.

I arrived at The Echo around 8:25pm, I was a little annoyed that I had missed the Meet & Greet opportunity by an hour. It just wasn’t meant to be, I guess. There wasn’t much of a line, but one should never judge a show by the line outside. Doors had already been open for about an hour or so & at the capacity of 780, the show was sold out.

At 8:32pm my ticket was scanned & I entered the venue. The feeling of excitement rushed through me as the atmosphere was already buzzing with good energy. The front of the stage was fairly packed so I made my way to FOH (front of house) to take in the whole scene.

There was a lot of chatter as fans awaited Swedish Pop sensation Benjamin Ingrosso. It wasn’t normal chatter either. I assumed couples were talking about their day, friends were catching up; whatever it was, it was chatter but in a language or languages I didn’t understand. I was intrigued to hear the different tones. Although I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, the voices carried throughout the venue & I couldn’t understand any of it anyway. Without knowing what was being discussed, it was wonderful to know that music had brought all of us together at that moment.

Music has no barriers or age limits. There were children near the front of the stage, with protective gear for their little ears of course. Couples of all ages & I mean it when I say all ages. From teens who weren’t afraid of some PDA, to older couples who held hands as they spoke to one another. To my right, there were middle aged couples having a drink, & I was surrounded by teens who were excited for the show to begin.

I assumed there would be no opening act, as the stage seemed to be set for Ingrosso. Curtains hung across the stage with red lights shining bright, giving the illusion of a theatre-like set. It was like Broadway in Los Angeles, except there were no seats, yet, nobody seemed to mind. It was seamlessly on brand for the album & tour alongside a neon sign that read “PINK VELVET THEATRE.”

I will admit, I had never heard of Benjamin Ingrosso before being invited to the show. As a fan of music, I surely did my homework though. With Ingrosso’s history in entertainment & songwriting, I had high expectations before pressing play on “Pink Velvet Theatre” & he didn’t disappoint.

“Pink Velvet Theatre” was released in October of 2024 consisting of 14 tracks, which include elaborate intros that prepare the listening ear for the greatness that is to come. The energy that can be felt throughout the album is reminiscent of feel-good pop music, minus the corniness. This album isn’t just about love, but at the same time it is. Ingrosso walks the listener through all of the emotions that one experiences when it comes to love. All the highs & the lows, the need to chase after what the heart desires, the triumph of leaving certain standards behind & to be loved at his worst if need be. Ingrosso does all of this over great instrumentation where the listener’s body cannot help but move to the music. I knew after the first listen to experience these tracks live would give me a much greater feeling than my headphones can ever give me. There was no telling what I would encounter once he hit the stage.

From what I can see, as I’m fairly short, was a keyboard, drums & a few mics set up on stage. I waited patiently for the sound engineers to take their positions. A clue I learned to look out for in college that meant the show would soon begin. The engineering crew would seem to appear out of nowhere, hit a few buttons, get that serious look & just like that; the show begins.

The bright lights stayed red as Edith Piaf’s Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien played, you’ve heard it before countless times in movies & TV commercials, I promise. The crowd continued to talk as if the venue decided to play it, but I knew it was preparing us for the show. The energy of the engineers became more serious as more buttons were pushed, the lights on the “PINK VELVET THEATRE” sign went out, & the show truly began.

The lights dimmed & phones appeared across the crowd as the instrumental of “PVT?” played loudly. A voice blared through the speakers greeting the crowd, “People! People! Gather closer, closer! Yes, you too in the back! Closer to the stage!” The voice continued to narrate, “Tonight it’s all about one man… This show might be happening right here, or it might be happening in his imagination.” The lights go out, a spotlight comes on, as the band walks through the smoke to take their positions. The neon sign flashes with a surge of energy as the band begins to play, & the crowd goes wild for Benjamin Ingrosso gracing us with his presence.

Microphone in hand, he greets the audience with a contagious smile. Dressed in an all white tracksuit, a necklace, & no shirt. He glides across the stage, making everyone in the audience feel seen with a wave & a wink. “Aaaall myyy liiiife, let me see you jump!” he belts as the crowd jumps in unison. The energy is high & the show has only just begun. “Today! Ima give you my all, Los Angeles!” We all screamed in gratitude. 

The luxury of seeing a great performer in a small venue, aside from bragging rights, is the intimate crowd interaction. Great crowd interaction can turn a casual fan into a lifelong one, & he surely made a handful of lifelong fans that night. Ingrosso controlled all of us effortlessly, asking the crowd to jump, clap, tell us he loved us, whatever Ingrosso asked of us we obliged happily.

As Ingrosso hopped on the keys, it was very evident that he knew how to carry the audience through the highs and the lows of the show. The mood was set as the lights dimmed & he dove into the end of ‘Angela.’ I was surprised at the audience for continuing to hold conversations throughout his performance as the energy slowed down for a quick second. A majority of the crowd was fully engaged with Ingrosso though. He went through all the hits, ‘Look Who’s Laughing Now,’ ‘IKnow IKnow,’ ‘Better Days’ & more from PVT. Through the screams & the cell phones in the air, a portion of the crowd began to sway their hands to the beat. It didn’t catch on fully, but Ingrosso didn’t seem to care as the song came to an end & he was able to take a breather.

“Los Angeles is my favorite city on earth!” he stated as the crowd screamed in response.
Now, I don’t know if he says that to every city so I chuckled a bit at the sentiment.

“I’ve been going to & from LA for the past 8 to 9 years, Los Angeles is truly my second home.”
I mean, any musician can say that, right?

“My band here has never been to LA so I had to take them to MY LA! The LA that’s personal to me.”
Oh, he has a personal LA? I was intrigued.

“I had to take them to eat the best burger in town! The best burger! Now, I don’t like putting my spot on blast so I’m going to trust you all to keep it between us.”
My first thought was, ‘Do I write this down for my review?’

“I’ll tell you my order,” he says with a smile. “Double double, no onions, & neapolitan shake.”
Oh my goodness, he’s talking about In N Out.
I genuinely laughed out loud.

As if the music & the epic performance wasn’t enough, it was at that moment I knew I was fully won over by Ingrosso.

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After Ingrosso introduced his band, he went back into song. His breath control as he glided across the stage with ease was immaculate. As he pushed through the rest of his set, his energy stood at a strong 10 until the end. He was sweaty by then, his top jacket unzipped fully as he flared his hair about on stage. He closed out the show with a literal spin as he bowed for the crowd. His band joined him for the final bow as they all smiled proudly & proceeded to walk off stage.

The lights turned blue as the crowd began to chant for an encore. “One more song! One more song!” And yet again, we were greeted by the same voice who opened the show. As the narrator spoke, the crowd didn’t disperse at all. Instead, they continued to stay in their place & chat like they did before. 

The narrator continued though, “Tonight you were a part of something special. A show unlike any other, a journey to The Pink Velvet Theatre. And for that, Benjamin thanks you. I thank you & now, it’s time to return to reality… Or at least try to.”