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MUSIC
Lizzo | The Special Tour ★★★★★
Rod Laver Arena, July 17
Lizzo’s show at the Forum back in January 2020 has become the stuff of legend. Already, she was one of the world’s greatest performers, and nobody could understand why she wasn’t playing stadiums.
Lizzo returns to Melbourne with the stadium show she should have had all along.Credit: Martin Philbey
Fast forward three very weird years, and Lizzo – the stage name of Melissa Viviane Jefferson – is playing Rod Laver Arena. In the interim, she’s grown in status from a cult performer to a very specific brand of global icon. A rapper/singer/classical flautist, she personifies body positivity, LGBTQI+ allyship, and radical self-love.
The show begins with an affirmation of sorts, with “THIS IS A SHOW ABOUT LOVE” displayed in giant neon lettering. Red lights flood the stage, and Lizzo’s voice fills the stadium with her opening number Cuz I Love You. In a black and gold catsuit, she’s flanked by powerful, agile dancers who bring a chaotic energy to a wildly wholesome show.
The crowd is full of young children, their parents, grandparents. Her music is designed for maximum appeal and there will be affirmations, even a guided meditation, but no bad vibes.
Lizzo’s musicianship draws on the best hip-hop, disco and dance since the ’70s and distils it into pure joy – which is only one part of the immaculate vibe team Lizzo served on the night.
LizzoCredit: Martin Philbey
Pure, wild, kinetic joy. She can up the energy in the room with just a wave of her arms and her, I quote, “Ass like a kangaroo, bitch”. I’ve rarely seen such an energetic, expressive performer. Or one so generous. Lizzo took the time to learn the correct local pronunciation, not only of Melbourne (with one and a half syllables) but “nah” (six syllables).
One set piece – where she moves from performing a piece from Mozart’s The Magic Flute into her own song Truth Hurts accompanied by an elaborate choreographed dance – was plunged into darkness when the stage lights malfunctioned. Without missing a beat, Lizzo kept the crowd entertained by chatting to them and pointing out cute outfits until the lights came back up so she could do the whole thing again and her audience could “get your videos”. It speaks to a level of superhuman professionalism from an entertainer.
It’s no small thing to make a crowd of thousands feel they are experiencing the most intimate of shows.
As she states outright at one point, if we didn’t go home feeling better than when we came in, then she wasn’t doing her job. She does her job well.
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