Lizzo is currently near the end of her “Special” tour in support of her latest album of the same name that kicked off at the beginning of October. The 3x GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter/rapper has accumulated a discography that has shifted the sound and spirit of popular music, which was reflected in her setlist during a sold-out show at Chase Center in San Francisco, CA this past Saturday night. The audience diverse, ranging from families to people of all ages, as both young and old dressed for the occasion in flamboyant colorful outfits. Before the music started, a video played of Lizzo speaking on a theme that would be reiterated throughout the show that promoted self-love, saying “I love you. You’re beautiful. You can do anything.” The set would kick off with the first song on her new album, “The Sign”, as Lizzo emerged from below the stage joining her backup dancers aka the Big Grrrls and her band The Lizzbians. Following up with “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)”, Lizzo was on point with her vocals while dancing and twerking with her dancers. Noting that she was at the end of her tour (with two dates in Los Angeles next weekend), Lizzo made it a point that she was going to go all out for the show and expected the audience to do the same. She would proceed to dance and sing for the first part of the set that was heavy with the new material like “Boys” and “Tempo”. After a quick costume change, Lizzo made her way down the catwalk performing “Naked”. Afterwards, she took to a sofa that was at the end of the catwalk and referred to the next portion of the show as therapy speaking about self-love and went into “Jerome” as cell-phone lights illuminated Chase Center.
The fans were right there with her singing along with “Break Up Twice” and would get boisterous as her backup singers broke into “Doo Wop (That Thing)”, a cover of the Lauryn Hill song, while Lizzo would change into a sparkling bodysuit backstage. She acknowledged being in San Francisco numerous times throughout the night and at one point noted that she just got a platinum flute and asked the crowd what she should name it, to which someone yelled local NBA star Steph Curry that elicited cheers and laughter. After “Truth Hurts”, Lizzo took a moment to acknowledge each section of the audience, addressing certain fans and commenting on their outfits, signs they were holding up and their reactions. It was a touching moment that showed that a superstar of her caliber had that much appreciation for her audience to look directly into a fan’s eye to speak with them, and the reaction from the fans she spoke with spoke volumes for their affection for her. Ending the set with her biggest songs to date, “Good as Hell”, “Juice” and “About Damn Time”, Lizzo delivered an entertaining show that many a fan will remember and cherish for quite some time.
Opening for Lizzo was Latto, who was a exciting to watch as she performed songs like “777” and “Big Energy”. Accompanied by a group of dancers herself, Latto was confident and commanded the audience who was dancing and singing along. Before “Pussy,” Latto expressed her position on abortion rights, vehemently protesting any man to police her body. She performed center-stage while her dancers strutted around the stage with signs stating “Protect Women’s Rights” and “My Body, My Choice”.
