And it was everything I could’ve ever wanted.
I am a big fan of Lizzo’s work, and have been listening to her newest album (also titled “Special”) on repeat since its release back in July. Shortly after their Emmy win, I also watched her Amazon Prime reality TV show titled Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, where the superstar auditions and selects plus-sized dancers to join her on crew full-time and accompany her on tour. Lizzo herself hosted the show, and while there were moments of drama (arguably necessary for a reality TV show), it was overall a very wholesome experience where the underlying message was one of self-love, acceptance, and looking out for each other. It was high energy and loads of fun to watch, and suffice it to say, it got me stoked to see the girls alongside Lizzo on the big stage. I did notice some of the chosen dancers were conspicuously missing, and I have yet to go on an internet-scouring rampage to find out what happened to them. But that’s neither here nor there.
The hype that I was feeling leading up to the concert was truly uncontainable. The day of, I was facing some personal barriers, but as the clock ticked closer to the time of the show, the anticipation was through the roof. When we finally walked into the venue around 8:30 p.m. (unfortunately missing the headliner, Latto, due to the aforementioned personal complications), one thing that really stuck out was the dress code. Everyone was swathed in neon colours, sequins, feathers (including bright boas); some touted body-positive affirmations (myself included), others wore outfits with quotes like “100% That Bitch.” It was clear that everyone was channeling Lizzo in one way or another, and the energy in that space was contagious.
Beginning promptly at 9:15 p.m. as promised, Lizzo absolutely brought it. Before this concert, I had never seen her live, and it was clear from moment one that she was a performer through and through. Beyoncé would be proud. She began the concert solo on the stage, in a bright pink sequined bodysuit, and her hair down in big, beautiful waves, and she excitedly shouting the opening song from her newest album, “The Sign,” which was appropriate: “Hi, motherf*cker, did you miss me?” Is it possible to miss someone you never actually met? Because I think I did.
From the start of the show until the end, she was high energy, and she sang every song as if she was truly invested in them. She banged out the choreography perfectly, every time. She made full use of the stage, filling it with her backup dancers named “the Big Grrrls,” her band the “Lizzbians” (their lead guitarist was only nineteen!!! And she absolutely killed it!!!), and her DJ (the name of whom I woefully cannot remember). It was a two hour set, where Lizzo performed hits from almost all her albums: “Coconut Oil,” “Cuz I Love You,” and “Special.” While there was nothing from “Lizzobangers” (I suspect this is due to different tone in that album compared to her three more recent), she did excerpt parts of “Phone” (“Where the hell my phone?”) and “Fitness” in between set changes, accompanied by beautifully-filmed video footage of her and her dancers. With that being said, her production team deserves a standing ovation—they went all out. The concert really showcased all of Lizzo’s talents: her dancing, her singing (from softer tones to all-out belting), and her flute-playing. They made full use of the screens, using them creatively to tell different stories throughout the show:
Just as she began singing “Rumors,” the song she released earlier this year with Cardi B, she said “Am I turning thick girls into hoes or am I turning thick girls into Emmy winners?” which was met with exactly the cheering I’m sure she hoped for. In the lead up to the chorus, various comments people have made about her popped up sporadically, superimposed on top of the live footage of her and her dancers, until you could barely see them anymore, before she sang “Haters do what they do, all the rumours are true” and they all disappeared. There was a video cameo by Cardi B, who appeared to be at home while rapping her verse. During “Birthday Girl,” Lizzo brought someone on stage wearing a massive birthday sash and had her join in on the dancing and singing. The envy in the room was palpable, but everyone excitedly sang “Happy Birthday” to her during the bridge of the song.
When she sang “Naked,” she walked onto the stage alone, shrouded in a fluffy, transparent robe where she appeared to wear nothing underneath. She strode confidently up the stage, until she stood at the part surrounded by those in general admission, the lights low so that you could only clearly see her face, before she dropped the robe. She was wearing a nude-coloured bodysuit, but because of the strategic lighting, it looked as if she was totally naked. While she performed, images appeared on her body, and the song ended with a message decrying the recent horrendous US Supreme Court ruling: “My body, my choice.”
During the eponymously named “Special,” Lizzo could barely get a line out before she started to cry—and I’ll be honest, that started the waterworks for me, too. Anyone who’s heard the song will likely know why; she sings about the way in which people have spewed hate at her, before touchingly belting “I’m used to feeling alone / So, I thought that I’d let you know / In case nobody told you today, you’re special.” The chorus ends with “I’m so glad that you’re still with us / Broken, but damn, you’re still perfect.” This song really beautifully summarizes the whole tone of the concert; while it was with high-energy hits like “About Damn Time,” “Juice,” “Truth Hurts,” and “Good as Hell,” it also had loads of vulnerable moments, like in “Naked,” “2 Be Loved,” and “Special.” Most importantly, at various moments throughout the show, she steadfastly shared a message of self-acceptance, giving her fans permission to love themselves. She encouraged us all, at various moments, to repeat short affirmations, and shouted her uncompromising love and acceptance out in response to the love that was being poured out to her.
There were moments throughout the show, in between songs, amid the thunderous applause and ear-splitting screams of adoration, where Lizzo looked around the audience with nothing short of pure awe on her face. And it’s no wonder; this is her first tour with sold-out stadiums. It’s what made her vulnerability all the more touching. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone put their entire heart on the stage the way she did. At one point in the show, she spent a solid ten to fifteen minutes going around the stadium, making sure to get every part from general admission up into the balconies, where she declared “Ain’t no nosebleeds at a Lizzo concert!” and pointed out individual fans, describing them, voicing her love, and saying “I see you! I see all of you!”
I’ll leave you with this final message, earnestly spoken by the superstar herself at the end of the concert, as the stage swallowed her up: “Be kind to one another. And more importantly, be kind to yourself.”