Red-hot superstar Lizzo feels the love in San Francisco
Popular singer/rapper plays for adoring crowd at Bill Graham Civic
Lizzo posed an interesting question at the Bill Graham Civic
Auditorium on Sunday night.
“San Fran,” the R&B/hip-hop star called out to the adoring crowd before her. “Should I run for president?”
Well, why not? Stranger things have happened. She’s got a strong platform, preaching self love, body positivity and acceptance, as well as charisma and charm to spare.
Plus, her popularity is at an alltime high right now.
I mean, who, in 2019, doesn’t like Lizzo? OK, so there are those two brothers who claim that Lizzo owes them songwriting credit for the hit “Truth Hurts.” They probably aren’t too fond of her. But two nays won’t hurt much at the polls.
So, print up the bumper stickers — “Lizzo 2020” — and let’s get this campaign rolling.
She could certainly count on getting the vote from the fans who turned out Sunday for the first of two sold-out shows at the 8,500-capacity Bill Graham Civic.
Lizzo, who was also scheduled to perform at the venue Monday, was greeted with a thunderous welcome from the crowd as she took the stage around 9:45 p.m. and opened the show with a strong take on the gospel music-flavored “Heaven Help Me” from the blockbuster major-label debut “Cuz I Love You” (2019).
She stayed the course as she went to church on “Worship,” from the 2016 EP “Coconut Oil,” before powering through an uplifting version of the tour’s namesake, “Cuz I Love You.”
Lizzo sounded great on the microphone, rapping and singing with confidence and conviction, despite battling a cold.
Apparently nothing beats the sniffles quite like playing music.
“Every time I walk onstage I’m healed,” she said. “You guys have healed me.”
Lizzo’s vocals absolutely soared, melding hip-hop, funk, pop and R&B, as she ran through favorites such as “Soulmate” and “Exactly How I Feel.”
The evening was equal parts live music concert and counseling appointment, as the 31-year-old star spent much of her time between songs giving motivational/inspirational talks to the crowd.
“You can do anything,” she said. “If I can do it, you can do it.
“Be that superstar you want to be.”
It was a pretty bare bones production, not relying on fancy props, special effects or flashy production values to make its point. It was just Lizzo and longtime DJ Sophia Eris mixing and matching beats and rhymes, occasionally accompanied by four backup dancers.
And that was more than often to keep the crowd’s attention as the set list unfolded, revealing most every track from “Cuz I Love You” plus a few cuts from other sources.
Lizzo also touched on the breakthrough year she’s having in 2019, during which she notched two big hits (“Truth Hurts” and “Juice”) and a gold-certified album (“Cuz I Love You”) on her way to becoming a household name.
In particular, she brought up a story about when someone asked her what resolutions she was making last New Year’s Eve.
“I said, ‘All my dreams have come true. I don’t want anything,’” she recalled. “That was in December (expletive)!
“I never could have imagined the 2019 I’m having.”
“I said, ‘All my dreams have come true. I don’t want anything.’ That was in December (expletive)! I never could have imagined the 2019 I’m having.” — Lizzo