John Summit’s KIA Forum Show Proved His Dominance in the Scene

From nostalgic moments to his biggest hits, John Summit left us impressed on the final night of his massive show series at the KIA Forum in Los Angeles.

This year has been yet another incredible one for John Summit as he’s asserted his dominance in the scene. From massive performances at Coachella and EDC Las Vegas to releasing his debut album, Comfort In Chaos, he left no stone unturned in 2024. Yet John Summit had one more surprise in store for his fans in Southern California before the end of the year: a three-night run at the KIA Forum.

John Summit is no stranger to shows at massive stadiums in Los Angeles. He took the stage during Kx5’s show at LA Memorial Coliseum and also dominated the decks at BMO Stadium last year for a sold-out night to remember. KIA Forum would be the home for his latest offering in the City of Angels, and it couldn’t have been a better fit for the three-night run of sold-out shows.

Social media was ablaze after the first two nights at the KIA Forum. Videos began to flood in, showing off songs John performed during his sets to the surprises in store. I opted to stay as far away from spoilers as possible. Instead, I went in blind and hoped that his set would include some tunes he didn’t play during his EDC Orlando set I had seen the weekend before.

It was chilly outside when Destinee and I arrived at the KIA Forum. After a very quick experience with parking, we grabbed our passes and headed into the venue. The downside of going on the third night of the show was that all the merch we wanted to snag was sold out. Instead, we opted to grab some food and water before heading up to our seats.

Photo Credit: @Donslens

The floor might’ve been fun and full of energy, but the seated area of the arena was just as great.

I get that dancing the entire time and being in a packed floor crowd can be an amazing experience, but I was surprised at how great of a time I had while in the seats. I didn’t have anyone bumping into me, the bathrooms and vendors were close by, I could sit down whenever I wanted, and the view from Section 203 was incredible.

Adding to that were the people in our section who were clearly living their best lives. John Summit draws a very diverse crowd, which was displayed that night. Flocks of girls wearing pashminas on their heads, older ravers dressed in comfy clothing, and others who made me wonder if I had stumbled into a bass show by accident were all present and accounted for.

While his roots are firmly in house music career-wise, it’s safe to say that he’s gone well beyond the confines of the genre over the past few years. That aspect has defined other greats in the scene but also allows him to bring versatility to his sets that others have tried to replicate or simply can’t offer.

Photo Credit: @Donslens

Music-wise, the night was spot on.

Unfortunately, we arrived late and missed Jenessa Acosta and Danny Avila’s opening sets. Cassian had taken the stage when we arrived and brought his signature indie-electronic, melodic techno style along with him. This was also the first glimpse I had at the production, and Cassian utilized the space’s lights and more to add even more impact with every drop.

A brief pause in the beats occurred after Cassian’s final track played, and the energy inside KIA Forum was palpable. It was time for the madness to begin.

The lights kicked back in, and an orchestra joined John up on the stage area to kick everything off with a rendition of “Where You Are.” It was off to the races from there, as he began to run through tracks like Westend’s “Drum Death,” Layton Giordani’s “Act Of God,” Odd Mob’s remix of “palm of my hands,” and his remix of Green Velvet’s “Shake And Pop.”

The whole venue was dancing, getting down and dirty to whatever John Summit decided to throw down. It was only nine songs in when he dropped some bass into the mix, igniting the crowd with Subtronics’ bootleg of “BACKBONE.” Then he dove even deeper with tunes like “Make Me Feel,” “Fade Out,” “Human,” and, of course, his remix of “Sweet Disposition” with Silver Panda before bringing it back around to “Gas Pedal” and other bass-fueled tunes.

Photo Credit: Kristina Bakrevski / @Kristinabakrevski

At this point, I checked the time and was stunned (and delighted) that we were only 45 minutes into the show. I thought the second half would be even more insane, and John proved me right.

Paige Cavell joined John Summit on stage to perform “Tears” live, and from there, I was completely enamored. He played tunes like “La Danza,” “Thin Line,” and a personal favorite, his remix of “i miss u,” which I hadn’t heard him play since 2022.

HAYLA’s appearance was another standout moment of the show. She brought so much energy with her powerful voice. As she belted out the lyrics of “Where You Are,” the crowd joined her in unison for a truly memorable moment.

John surprised me with a remix of another absolute classic, Delirium’s “Silence,” which he’s only played a handful of times since his Madison Square Garden show earlier this year. Breathing life into one of the most iconic trance tunes will always win me over.

The closing two tunes capped the night off and left everyone feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Julia Church and the orchestra hopped on stage to give everyone a final dose of energy with “Go Back.” Then, HAYLA arrived for another round, delivering the finishing blow with “Shiver.”

Photo Credit: @monchexg

John Summit’s show at the KIA Forum was yet another major milestone for this talented artist.

Five years ago, I caught John Summit for the first time at a little bar in San Diego with maybe 200 other people. Now, he has sold out three nights at one of the largest venues in Los Angeles. I’d love to say that I had that on my bingo card when I named him as one of our Artists to Watch in 2020, but he’s exceeded my expectations for his greatness.

There’s no doubt in my mind that John Summit is the man of the hour in the dance music scene. Backed by a blossoming label, a thriving community, and a range of music that does everything from stirring emotions to igniting dancefloors, it’s exciting to see what he’ll do next.

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