Melanie Martinez and Isabel LaRosa at Moody Center

August 9, 2026August 9, 2026 Kate Atkinson 3 Views 0 Comments Austin, HADES, Isabel LaRosa, Melanie Martinez, Moody Center, music blog

Monday night the Moody Center in Austin, TX, was hacked by Hades Tech as Melanie Martinez and Isabel LaRosa took over the stage. This was the 11th stop of the “Hades: The Sacrifice Tour” and the fourth stop to feature Larosa as the opener for the night.

Cuban-American singer songwriter Isabela LaRosa kicked off the night by being carried to the center of the stage by her two dancers, Jesse Lloyd and Shondale Gordon, as she started her set with “older”. Accompanied by her brother and guitarist, Thomas LaRosa, and drummer, Rhys Hastings, LaRosa performed singles and tracks from her recent album Promising Young Woman. LaRosa’s performance at Moody Center highlighted her stance as a rising star by not letting anything, including issues with her mic pack, affect her performance. Watching her moves and stage presence reminded me of Tate McRae and hope to see LaRosa rise to similar success. Larosa rounded out her set with her hit “i’m yours”, which has seen great popularity on TikTok.

Melanie Martinez’s tours have always been more than a concert for her fans and the experience of the Hades tour is no different. From stage design to transitions to choreography, everything has intention in tell the story surround Circle, the star character of Martinez’s newest album HADES. The album was performed in order as it addressed various social and political issues taking place in the world today, with robotic voiceovers and projected text between songs to give more context to the story. Martinez was joined on stage by her six dancers, Alex White, Andrea Bess, Angel Mammoliti, Shauna Davis, Nico Lonetree, and Zero, with her band stationary inside the changing backdrop. The backdrop wasn’t the only thing that evolved to aid in the telling of Circle’s stories and warnings; A dining table and chairs emerged for “White Boy with a Gun” and a different costume was included for “Vatican”. Martinez also ensured there wasn’t a bad seat in the house as she and her dancers moved to a secondary stage in the center of the crowd for six songs during the show, including “Avoidant” where Martinez invites a fan to sit on stage with just her and a mirror. The evening concluded with “The Last Two People on Earth” as confetti rained from the sky and Martinez said a grateful goodnight.