Lizzo has been in the game for nearly ten years, but it wasn’t until recently that the Houston native made a name for herself in mainstream media. The positivity she radiates bursts through the television when you watch her at award shows and her confidence is undoubtedly infectious.
But that feeling goes to a whole different level when you watch her sing, twerk, and play that flute right in front of you.
Lizzo performed her first-ever arena show at the Yuengling Center in Tampa on September 10, 2019, a date that Lizzo and all of us in the crowd will never forget. She told the sold-out crowd of 7,000 people,
“I worked so hard, and life goes by so quickly, I told myself tonight I would just soak this up because I will never, ever get this back. I will never get this feeling back. You really did that, girl!”
I had a seat in the nosebleeds but I was blessed enough to be in Lizzo’s presence. That’s all that mattered.
We were serenaded by up-and-coming soul singer Ari Lennox before Queen Lizzo burst on the stage in a shiny gold choir robe. She promised us “blood, sweat, and pussy juice” all over the stage and boy, did we get it.
From the minute that bass hit, the crowd went crazy. She belted “Heaven Help Me” and “Worship” as we all recited the lyrics without missing a beat.
The crowd was full of women of different shapes and sizes. You could sense that feeling of self-love and positive energy everywhere you walked. Energy that Lizzo wants to radiate to her fanbase — also known as Lizzbians — at all times.
“At the end of the day, I can look cute and I can sing and dance on stage all day, but if it’s not making a positive impact on the world, I don’t want it. I won’t do it.”
And what’s a Lizzo show without a little therapy session?
Though Lizzo was speaking to a screaming crowd, the sincerity in her words made it feel like she was talking to you personally. She told us to embrace everything that we are, even when it’s difficult at times. To find strength in our vulnerability. She let us know that we were incredible and above all else, we must always love ourselves first. We are our own soulmates, and that’s all that matters.
She saved her current number one hit “Truth Hurts” for the very end of the show. We sang every single word with Lizzo, so loud that we could barely hear her bomb flute solo.
For the encore, she hit us with her 80s inspired “Juice” and left us with some very important words to live by.
“I never thought I would be able to do this. So I want you to look at me, and I want you to see that in yourself. I want you to see somebody in yourself who can achieve the achievable, and dream up the impossible, and make the impossible possible. Be your own superstar in your story of self-love.”
No matter what burdens you carried with you earlier that day, you left feeling inspired and full of love.
