Originally scheduled to perform at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, the show almost immediately switched to a larger venue as Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” soared up the charts, resonating with all types of fans across the country. Thomas Iacobucci | The Crow’s Nest
By Thomas Iacobucci
It turns out Lizzo is “100% that bitch.”
But we already knew that.
The 31-year-old Detroit native who came up through the Houston rap scene — and later relocated to Minneapolis — is no stranger to the big stage, dazzling spectators on Sept. 10 at the Yuengling Center in Tampa.
With the No. 1 song in the country, Lizzo, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, preached her doctrine of self-love and femininity to her first ever sold-out crowd on the second leg of her “Cuz I Love You” tour.
Originally scheduled to perform at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, the show almost immediately switched to a larger venue as Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” soared up the charts, resonating with all types of fans across the country.
“I told myself that I would soak this all up,” Lizzo said to the packed arena at one point in the show.
Holding true to her word, Lizzo conducted the crowd as a veteran performer, impressing her message of positivity throughout each and every one of her songs.
Donning a gold leotard and shrouded by a gold robe, Lizzo emerged, backed by her longtime collaborator and friend, Sophia Eris, to a stage that resembled a platform on which a church choir would stand.
As Lizzo wiggled and slid across the stage during her opening set, Eris commanded the sounds from behind her dais, keeping alive the theme of delivering a sermon.
As the show continued, anywhere from four to five backup dancers would appear from behind the curtain to complement Lizzo’s signature style.
Twerking and synchronized dance moves were in abundance, though Lizzo commanded the spotlight even without having to move.
In an age of pop music and rap, it’s rare that we get to see the amalgamation of these two topped with a deep root of soul.
This was most evident when she belted the opening lyrics from “Cuz I Love You.”
The first five seconds of the title track on her first LP, aptly named “Cuz I Love You,” features Lizzo relying on her vocals, carrying out the opening sequence with a slight vibrato that eventually repeats itself later in the song.
This is a true testament to her singing chops, and she performed her live rendition with as much gusto as the recorded one.
Continuing to perform songs off her latest album, such as “Heaven Help Me,” “Water Me” and “Juice,” Lizzo delivered each with a renewed energy that pulsated through every person in attendance.
Words of affirmation were a common theme of the night, as Lizzo continued to spread her homily.
“There is strength in vulnerability,” she recited to a crowd that clung to every one of her lyrics and words.
Lizzo did not shy away from a chance for a call and response from the crowd. As though she was leading her own personal choir, Lizzo asked thousands of people in attendance to give their best “ya ya yee” before breaking out into her hit single, “Juice.”
A classically trained flutist, Lizzo brought out her instrument for her set’s finale, soloing with the woodwind during “Truth Hurts” and again during her inevitable encore of the call and response, “Juice.”
With “Truth Hurts” skyrocketing to the No. 1 song in the country and her album peaking at No. 4 on the Billboards 200, Lizzo is experiencing a truth that is far from anything but hurtful.
In a sea of recycled pop, it’s a breath of fresh air to see an artist straying from the norm. Lizzo has accomplished that, and all it took was being her true, unabashed self.
