BY DAVID TAYLOR | Go Venue Magazine
CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska welcomed Lizzo on Friday, May 19. It was a night of inclusivity and being welcomed for your differences. That is what the power of music did to thousands of concert-goers. It was good vibes all around.
Opening up for Lizzo was an artist known only as Latto from Atlanta. She was definitely having a fun time and enjoying herself, supporting women’s rights and pro-choice, which I’m all for, while performing. I love when an artist has backup dancers; she was no exception. She was accompanied by her deejay, DJ Von, who spun some tunes prior to her arrival on the stage to warm up the audience. Von and Latto had a nice back-and-forth going, marking a strong deejay-artist relationship. She ended her set with her major hit, “Big Energy”, the remix version with Mariah Carey and DJ Khaled. Her latest full-length, which came out last year is titled, 777, but she has also put out a couple of singles this year, “Put It On Da Floor” and “Lottery”.
Finally, Houston’s own and 4x-Grammy winner Lizzo was ready to take over the arena. She had full control of that crowd the second she first appeared on stage. Lizzo, too, had backup dancers, named the Big Grrrls. They popped and locked all night, highlighting that you don’t need the perfect body to let loose because you already have one. I love how authentic Lizzo is as a performer. She just knows she is having a good time there on stage. She did take some time to voice her opinion on how poorly Nebraska lawmakers are handling the lack of healthcare recently for transgender youth, saying that she is “for people to have the right to healthcare, both reproductive and gender-affirming.” Lizzo comes across to me as a positive role model to young people, and you are seen when you come to a Lizzo concert and the audience stands with you. She even took 10-15 towards the end of the concert to interact with some fans, which was both hilarious and heartwarming. She ran through her catalog of hits in under two and a half hours, and her fans were having the time of their lives. And, yes, she did bring out her flute, Sasha Flute, with impressive musicianship coming from Lizzo. She even had a backing band called, The Lizzbians, which had some all-women, incredible performers. She ended the night with “About Damn Time”, the booty-shaking, disco-inspired anthem. Lizzo is one of the hardest-working solo musicians that has ever graced the stage, and you could tell that by how she runs her show. I am excited about what she does in the future, but right now, she is just crushing it at an all-time level. If you didn’t know, her latest album, Special, is out now.
