Review: Lizzo at RAC Arena

Lizzo at RAC Arena
w/ Tkay Maidza
Friday, July 14, 2023

Do you like your Mozart served with a side of twerk? How about a full blown combination of the two: yep, an outrageous, twerking flute solo?

“Welcome to night one of the Australian Special tour,” our host announced three songs in. “We gonna have a good ass time tonight!” Perth hasn’t seen anything like Lizzo before.

What a feel-good powerhouse of positive energy and hilarity all rolled into one Lizzo-shaped ball of inspiration! It was impossible not to have a smile on your face, a tear in your eye and a pep in your step all at once, on her first-ever Perth performance. It’s about damn time.

Starting with a bang, she immediately launched into a three-pronged attack with Cuz I Love You, Juice and the excellent Am I Ready (To Be Loved) forming the opening trifecta. Set on a spectacularly lit stage to match, it was an intro to be reckoned with.

From the Auslan interpreters dancing their way through the set, to the minorities that felt heard during I'm Every Woman (dedicated to trans women) and Everybody's Gay (complete with spectacular rainbow visuals), this was a night about inclusivity and making every single person feel “Special.”

Indeed, the song the Special tour is named for formed the emotional core of the evening. Arriving at the halfway point, it was preceded by soul power ballad Jerome in one of the night's few quieter moments, and the space that provided allowed Lizzo's voice to shine as she segued into Special itself. Let's be clear: she's a rapper par excellence, but when Lizzo lets rip on those big, soulful notes, you realise you're in the presence of one of the best voices on the planet. What a weapon! It's like it's designed to gut-punch you in the feels.

A perfectly measured 90 minutes, she packed in an incredible amount. The hits, from Boys to Tempo (for the “big girls and the big boys”) to Like a Girl, seemed never ending for an artist who's really only had two popular records.

Making time for some heartfelt crowd interactions, they ranged from reading out signs in the audience, Springsteen-style; to signing artworks; to giving one girl, Lozza (“sounds like Lizzo with an Australian accent!” quipped our host) the opportunity of a lifetime to perform a flute solo: even classically trained flautist Lizzo was impressed by Lozza's talent.

These moments were a chance to witness the human behind the music, as we got to know a charismatic, naturally funny lady with an absolute heart of gold, who genuinely cares about her fans.

Even support act Tkay Maidza was a feel good hit. The Zimbabwe-born rapper, who grew up in Perth and Kalgoorlie, never stopped grinning even when she was singing self-proclaimed “really mean songs about boys” like So Cold. She got phone torches glowed up for a cover of Pixies' Where is My Mind? and shared two new songs from her upcoming new album due this year, including a catchy number called Ringaling. Silent Assassin? Smiling assassin, more like.

She wasn't the only “special guest,” with Missy Elliot dialling in for Tempo, and Cardi B going one better and joining us on the big screen for the hilarious Rumors (ok they were probably pre-recorded but still a lot of fun).

If Special was the emotional core, the all in celebration was saved for the end. Truth Hurts was a monster highlight towards set's end featuring the aforementioned twerking flute solo that had to be seen to be believed; Good as Hell the feel-good, hands-in-the-air peak of the set; and About Damn Time the eventual full stop in the encore, celebrating not just Lizzo but also her band of exclusively amazing women, from soloing guitarists to shredding keytarists.

There may have been “Bad Bitch Meditations,” mindful breathing and positive affirmations, but they never once came off cheesy. Lizzo proved herself the real deal on Friday, with the songs and feel-good funnies to match. A complete performance.

HARVEY RAE

Photos by Linda Dunjey