JESS BECK | Go Venue Magazine
This show will, for me, mark a few firsts.
For starters, this was easily the best dressed (and least dressed) show I’ve had up here so far.
I FINALLY got to shoot in a venue that looked like the club setting from a rave scene in an early 2000s cheesy action flick starring Vin Diesel.
You know, the ones with the huge rave where the creepy bad guy sits in the back surrounded by models and the world’s most expensive and worst security guards possible? Yep. That’s exactly what the Palace Theatre is like. The authentic decay really makes an incredible experience that I haven’t had in quite a while, and the fact that everyone was basically dressed for a rave was just fucking incredible.
But on to the show! Rescheduled from earlier in the year, Tuesday, September 5th 2023, Tove Lo made us all feel like “Cool Girls” that night.
Kicking off the show was an act called Upsahl, a singer/songwriter from Phoenix, AZ. The lighting was, as it often is for direct support players, incredibly dim, but from a spectator standpoint one could argue that it helped to set the tone for the night. Her music is a blend of electric dance infused with sad pop. She’s like if Billie Eilish and Miley Cyrus had a music baby.
It’s weird.
But this was exactly the show to embrace a little weirdness. Upsahl won over the audience with songs such as “People I Don’t Like,” and “Drugs.” Her lyrics, coupled with her choice of sweatsuit and lighting, all enhanced the IDGAF atmosphere that the crowd came to celebrate.
Tove Lo came out tits blazing, adorned like a Valkyrie soaring amidst the clouds.
Oh, right…and her bodysuit had a pair of BOBS on ’em if you catch my drift.
*wink wink*
Anyway, I have to admit before we go further that I’ve been a fan of Tove Lo since her first album “Queen of the Clouds” came our way in 2014. One thing I absolutely love about her is that she is unapologetic about who she is, where she’s been, or how she feels about any of it.
She certainly doesn’t give a fuck about what YOU think about it.
Opening with “Pineapple Slice” she quickly worked her way through several hits, including “Cool Girl,” “Talking Body,” eventually getting to “Habits (Stay High)” which has only been played over 760 million times on Spotify.
Tove Lo created an environment that allowed her fans to fully embrace their individuality. Whether it was through her powerful vocals or her twerking for the hell of it, Tove Lo made everyone feel like they were part of a community where self-expression was encouraged and celebrated. Her music resonates with those of us who have felt the pressure to conform to societal norms and provides them with an anthem to embrace their uniqueness. A sense of pride if you will.
As always, a HUGE thank you to the Palace Theatre staff. What a smoothly run crew – and I don’t say that lightly. Everything was top notch, everyone was on point, and they all worked together to make sure everyone was having a great time. This is probably one of the most organized teams I’ve had the pleasure to encounter (shout out to the new homie Zach!)
(Maybe it’s Zac?)
(No one knows)
Anyway, please keep wearing deodorant to shows, keep tipping your bartenders, and keep being excellent to one another.
We’ll catch you at the next one!
Tove Lo
Upsahl
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