I’m not a small girl. I have curves and an unquenchable hunger for Taco Bell and pizza. It’s hard to go to shows almost every night and see these perfect girls with their perfect bodies not only on stage, but also in the crowd. I get that image is everything in the entertainment world but why does that image have to be a stick thin, beautiful woman with big boobs and tiny legs? Oh wait, it doesn’t. Lizzo is one of the pioneers of the body-positive scene that my life has been missing for oh so long.
Lizzo is not a small girl. Her tagline is “Big GRRRL, Small World”. She has curves and isn’t afraid to show them off as she proved last night when she came out in a leotard type outfit with a jacket on top. She didn’t care that her legs would jiggle as she danced. She made fun of people staring at her butt multiple times. She was beautiful and she was doing it, jiggle and all. To see someone get on stage in front of a sold out First Avenue show (about 1,500 people) and flaunt what they have even though it’s not the standard, that’s beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
Lizzo’s music is just as, if not more, beautiful than she is. She can get down and dirty with the best rappers in the scene. She can spit words like fire when she needs to and you can still understand every single word. She can spout off these lines while completely commanding the crowd and moving all over the stage. Then there are times when Lizzo’s voice gets so soulful that you get those goosebumps creeping up your arms and down your neck. Regardless of what style Lizzo is singing, she does it flawlessly every time.
The night was full of surprises. Local legends Har Mar Superstar and Caroline Smith ended up joining Lizzo on stage towards the end of her set. It happened to be Har Mar’s birthday so, of course, we had to sing happy birthday to the legend. Caroline Smith did a great collaboration with Lizzo for the song Let Em Say and seeing them perform it live was a dream come true. In the middle of the set, an impromptu Grrrl Prty set took place. I have written about Grrl Prty before (see my post We Don’t Watch The Replay, We Play) and they always bring the house down. Okay, maybe these things weren’t too surprising, they were actually quite predictable because of who Lizzo is and the crowd she runs with but, it was still super exciting and fun.
The crowd was electric from the beginning of DJ Sophia Eris’ opening set (she is a member of Grrrl Prty and Lizzo’s DJ) to the very end of Lizzo’s set. Lizzo played her new album Big Grrrl Small World from front to back and ended with her hit song, and my favorite song of hers, Faded. It didn’t matter if it was a fast rap song that she was playing or if it was a soulful ballad. She had the crowd in the palm of her hand, right where they belonged.
The whole professionalism of the show was off the charts. I remember the first couple of times I saw Lizzo. It wasn’t bad, she was always great, but last night seemed completely different. It’s crazy to see an artist grow so much within such a short period of time. Her show was put together. Every movement has a purpose and every word, whether in a song or in between songs, was said (or sung) with conviction. Lizzo’s dancers never missed a step and she never missed a note.
Lizzo seemed truly humbled by the sold out crowd. She fought back tears of joy as she thanked the crowd from the bottom of her heart. Every word she said was just as genuine as every lyric she sang.
Last night was a great night to celebrate a truly amazing woman. Lizzo is a force to be reckoned with and stands for something that I can completely get behind.
I went to Taco Bell on my way home last night and didn’t even feel guilty. I have Lizzo and her body positive message to thank for that.
Line Up:
Lizzo ft. Grrrl Prty, Har Mar Superstar, Caroline Smith
Venue- First Avenue Mainroom
Sausage Fest Meter- 2 out of 10
Crowd Surfers- None
Broken Bones- None
Average Age of Crowd- 20 Somethings
Moshing Level- None
Percentage of the Crowd That Had No Dancing Skills But Still Had a Great Night- 60.3% (Myself included)
Percentage of the Crowd That Had Dancing Skills That Would Make You Jealous- 39.7%
Overall Score- 9 out of 10
Show on Deck- Godspeed You! Black Emperor at First Avenue
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