Lizzo
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
In a sea of shaking sequins the Queen of self- love arrives. Dressed in a black and gold cat-suit Lizzo makes an entrance like no other. She’s full of coffee, full of energy and she informs us, full of gas.
Back in Australia for a run of side shows along with her headline performance at Splendour in the Grass, the last time Lizzo was on Australian shores was the eve of lockdown.
Covering ‘ Every Woman’ and dedicating it to her Trans & LBTQI fans, Lizzo appeals to every single person in the room, her energy contagious. Everybody’s Gay flashes rainbow lights onto the screen in a display of psychedelic love.
Her all female band The Lesbians Zuri on bass, Miche’lle on drums, Lynette and Jordan on guitar,
She commands the audience to close their eyes to do a ‘ Bad bitch meditation’ and take a deep breath & visualise our higher self while reminding everyone that you don’t need nobody else’s approval.
Bringing her unique blend of soulful high energy music to the stage, she has a presence that can only be described as a force of nature.
Covering Coldplay’s ‘ Yellow’ she adds her own flavour to the 90s iconic hit, confessing that Coldplay is her favourite band, before launching into a rendition of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
Right in the middle of her flute solo during Truth Hurts where she is affirming she is 100% that bitch the spot light fails and the audience are plunged into darkness. She queries if the lighting bill has been paid, but the lights are malfunctioning and the house lights struggle to go on. While the room is in darkness she stalls, her professionalism is nothing short of perfection. She keeps the crowd engaged with jokes, reading out signs and pointing out cute outfits until the technical glitch is fixed. She poses for selfies, mimics Australian accents and interacts with the audience.
Closing out the show with the viral hit About Damn Time, Lizzo has shown Melbourne the reason she reigns the charts and why she really is 100% that bitch.
Words by Amanda Lee Starkey
