Lizzo stunned the audience with her beautiful vocals and heartfelt messages on her Chicago stop of “The Special 2our” at the United Center Wednesday night. 

The simple staging featured three screens and was effective in highlighting her clear and bright vocals. The four-time Grammy award winner projected her strong voice during her renditions of her songs “Scuse Me” and “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready).” 

Lizzo’s setlist featured hits from popular albums including “Special” and “Cuz I Love You,” and was both versatile and enjoyable. It was a perfect culmination of what fans think of when they hear ‘Lizzo’ –– and she performed every song I was expecting her to.

The 35-year-old singer and rapper started Wednesday’s concert with “The Sign,” a fitting opener considering its first line includes: “did you miss me.” She performed the song last fall during her tour in Chicago in the first leg of the tour. 

Some songs Lizzo performed, like “Grrrls” and “Rumors,” were fun and lighthearted. In “Grrrls,” for example, Lizzo pulled several smaller bags out of  a larger one, reminding the crowd  of a Russian nesting doll, as she sang “hold my bag b*tch.” 

Other pieces were more reflective. My favorite moment of the show was during “Cuz I Love You,” when Lizzo wrapped her arms around herself as if she was holding the cheers of the crowd. I felt as if the artist was connecting to the audience and myself on a deeper level.

The concert was engaged and exhilarated with Lizzo’s singing. But the artist didn’t stop there –– she shared important messages that added another level of meaning to the night. 

Lizzo is well known for her lyrics about body normativity and her celebration of  differences in physique. These themes were on full display at the concert, especially when Lizzo sang “Naked” while a light projected the words “FREE YOUR BODY” onto her  bodysuit.

The concert’s opener, Latto, set the tone for the night’s empowering performance after performing her song “P*SSY,” complete with props calling for women’s rights and chants of “my body, my choice.”

Lizzo also spoke out against  the criminalization of drag performances in some states during her song “Everybody’s Gay,” ending the song proclaiming “drag is not a crime.”

During the performance, Lizzo wasn’t just singing –– she was celebrating self-love and empowerment. 

The audience celebrated with her, as well. The crowd was electric throughout the entire show, holding signs, cheering and loudly singing alongside each and every song. 

Lizzo further energized the crowd during “Birthday Girl,” when she sang “Happy Birthday” to a fan in the audience who was shaking and crying by the end of the number.

An artist is successful when they’re able to connect with their fans, and Lizzo is clearly as much of a fan of the audience as they are of her. 

Lizzo’s 26-song setlist will carry her through 27 more shows in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. If you have the chance to see Lizzo before her tour concludes in late-July, I suggest going. The evocative storytelling in her setlist, complete with important messages of self-love, make it worth the ticket. 

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Twitter: @nicolejmarkus

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