At the very opening of the St. Louis stop of her Special tour, pop star Lizzo made it clear that she is using her platform to promote self-love, positivity and inclusivity.
“You have a safe space here,” Lizzo said. “I want to protect you.”
“These are songs about love, whether it’s self-love, love for your family, love for your friends, love for your significant other,” she said – with a whispered voice – in the hushed darkness of Enterprise Center on April 25. As she spoke, flashes of light illuminated the band on the stage through billows of smoke.
From the jump, Lizzo gave props to the members of the band, background singers, dancers, the “big girls” and the “lesbians in the pit.” She amplified the team that is a part of her onstage ecosystem. You heard her voice first before a large crescent shaped screen emerged. She sashayed on stage and began the show with “The Sign.” “I keep on writing these songs, ‘cause he keeps on doing me wrong,” Lizzo sang. “My girls keep singing along. I guess that I’m not alone…”
Her girls were all of us in the crowd that night, women young and old, some adoring men, and a huge LGBTQ+ presence. The show was a much-needed celebration of inclusivity. The vibe was a lovefest between Lizzo and her fans. The continuous call and response have been a constant element of her shows since before the Grammy winner exploded onto the mainstream music scene in 2019, thanks to a series of phenomenal awards show live performances.
The stages have grown enormously in scale, but the fans’ connection with the lyrics of her epic, soulful raps, pop-infused melodies, and grooves tinged with the blues provided an element of intimacy.
At the end of her mantra about love, a big screen projection of Lizzo, her alter ego emerged from the stage and began to narrate the show. “Did you miss me?” the playful ego asked.
The audience began singing with her in unison until basically the end of the act when Lizzo exits the stage and her big screen alter-ego reappears and lets the audience know, “It’s time to go home [b-word expletive]!” Lizzo took us on a journey of self-reflection and the vicissitudes of love, always encouraging us to keep our heads high, despite the rejection one might face from people who don’t value you as a person, a woman, a Black woman, a big woman, or as LGBTQIA. Her set also included the let’s get pumped jam “Where My Girls At” and the delightfully defiant, “All The Rumors Are True” – which included a big video screen guest appearance by Cardi-B. Lizzo faded a bit into the background and let Cardi-B have the light during this cameo.
While fans enjoyed seeing a pop-up video of Cardi-B, they were clearly all about Lizzo that night and the adoration and applause grew as Lizzo voice cascaded and gained power as she brought the hit over the finishing line. Near the end of the show, she performed her breakthrough hit “Truth Hurts.”
Her voice might have been drowned out at some point by the audience rapping along with this anthem, but she held up the mic and let them do some of the work. She wrapped things up with “About Damn Time.”
Her high-concept show with layered, kaleidoscopic live-action footage of her alter ego speaking directly to the audience was a fun well-orchestrated motif. The format helped with transitions and gave Lizzo time for several costume changes. Even more fluid perhaps was her banter with the crowd – which flowed easily and spontaneously.
Music enthusiasts of all genres look forward to her playing the flute, and she did not disappoint. Her show included a couple of flute solos – even twerking in her sparkling gold bodysuit, while holding some of those fluttering long high notes.
Lizzo is not simply a great entertainer, who just happens to be a “Big girl,” she’s loud and proud about being a big girl – and is unequivocally blessed with star presence.
In a moment of transparency, Lizzo admitted she is not inoculated from pain and distress – despite the adulation that comes with superstardom. “Not everyone can handle all of this,” she quietly confessed to the diverse crowd while she gestured to her body from top to bottom with perfectly manicured hands. These words didn’t sound rhetorical. It was an admission that not everybody is going to accept her – even as a superstar – but this reality won’t deter her from being herself fully and enjoying who she is on the inside and out.
Opening act Latto also underscored a theme of self-empowerment. Signs that read, “My body,” my choice” flashed during the climax of her set – which closed with her hit “Big Energy.”
Lizzo also made it poignantly clear that she is unapologetically aligned with the LBGTQ+ community. “Gender affirming care is lifesaving,” Lizzo said with authority and a sense of urgency.
She also made a point to acknowledge the deadly violence and heightened vitriol against the LGTQ+ community, drag queens and trans folk in particular.
“You have a safe space here,” Lizzo said. “I want to protect you.”
Her opening whispered lines and their meaning continued to resonate and be reciprocated -even for Lizzo herself. She was genuinely and visibly overwhelmed by how enthusiastically the St. Louis audience received the Special tour.
“It’s been a while since I’ve gotten this much love,” Lizzo said.