I started listening to Lizzo in high school when YouTube suggested her song “Coconut Oil” to me, and I became an immediate fan. “Good as Hell” got me through my first breakup my senior year and, of course, “Truth Hurts” has empowered me through a bevy of boy problems in college. Whenever I turn on her music, I feel like I can take on anything. My roommate and I bought tickets to her show at the Fillmore in Denver at the beginning of the year, and since then she has blown up. “Truth Hurts” is one of the top songs in the country right now. Her concert in Denver sold out and they had to add another night which also sold out. It has been crazy watching her fanbase grow and seeing her finally get the recognition she deserves.
We got to the venue early and got great spots about 30 feet from the stage. We had plenty of time to people watch as the venue filled up, and it was a diverse crowd that I could tell was going to be fun. Her first opener was Sophia Eris who has been Lizzo’s DJ for 6 years. She did a great job getting the audience excited and dancing with her remixes of everything from “Formation” to “September.” She also has some songs of her own which show off her incredible rapping. I recommend checking out her song “Fanny Pack” and her feature on Lizzo’s song “Batches and Cookies.” Her next opener was Ari Lennox, who has a soulful R&B sound to her music. Her voice was smooth and hit high notes flawlessly. I recommend her song “Night Drive” to those who haven’t heard of her. She has an amazing female guitarist who I am determined to find the name of.
There was a long wait before Lizzo came on and the claustrophobia of the packed crowd and the hours of standing started to make me feel faint. I knew I was going to drop if we didn’t get out of the crowd, so unfortunately, we lost our stellar spots, but I was glad to be out of the suffocating crowd. Lizzo came out in a gold bodysuit with gold sparkly fringe. I was immediately starstruck by her as she shot into “Worship Me”. She had four backup dancers and her DJ, Sophia Eris, who added a lot to the show.
Lizzo’s albums don’t do her voice justice. I was blown away by the power in her voice, especially in “Cuz I Love You” and “Jerome.” She encouraged the audience to sing along and finish the lyrics on every song. The choreographed dancing was so fun. When she pulled her flute and and played an amazing solo while twerking, the crowd went wild. Watching her flute solos in person was one of the parts I was looking forward to the most and she did not disappoint. For “Lingerie” she came out in a gorgeous purple feather-trimmed robe, and for “Good as Hell” she wore gold sequined pants that said good as hell on them in black sequins. “Truth Hurts” was incredible as expected, but my favorite was the encore song, “Juice.” My friend and I were singing and dancing along the whole concert, having the time of our lives.
Her show felt like more than just a concert. It was a movement for self-love and positivity. She advocated being strong, independent, and loving yourself and your body at every chance throughout the show. She even gave advice on how to work toward self-love, admitting that it is a hard and vulnerable journey. She said “if you can love me, you can love yourself!” She made sure to be inclusive and show her love for the men and non-binary people in the audience, including them in all her statements. Most of all, she wanted the audience to know that she loves us all, and it felt heartfelt. It was just a love fest all around and I felt untouchable after the concert. I truly felt good as hell.
*All photos courtesy of author*