Witnessing Demi Lovato return to her punk rock roots is an exhilarating treat. The 30-year-old musician stopped by the Youtube Theater in Inglewood, CA in support of her eighth studio album Holy Fvck on Sept. 28th. There was never a dull moment during her performance, she can go from summery pop to punk rock to soft ballads so effortlessly. She's a natural on stage, with a lot of charisma and impressive vocal range - perfect for belting during big emotional guitar riffs.
Backed by a four-piece band of female musicians, including Nita Strauss who was the former live guitarist for Alice Cooper, Lovato began her set with the title track from her latest album “HOLY FVCK.” The band did a good job at complimenting Lovato's raspy and powerful vocals. It also drives home the point that she's ready to shed her pop star image and go in a darker direction. Throughout the night Lovato would strap on her electric guitar and rock out along with them. She also took time to introduce each musician during her set stating, "I've always dreamt of having an all-girl band when I was younger and now I have it and it's so awesome because these musicians are so incredible."
I was pleasantly impressed by the selection of songs. She performed some older hits like "Don't Forget" and "Here We Go Again." -- which thrilled the fans who've been following since her Disney days. The entire theater also went wild with fan favorite performances of the heart-wrenching ballad "Skyscraper" and fiery "Sorry Not Sorry." As always, a few surprises were trickled into the show. Lovato invited tour openers Royal & the Serpent on stage for a fun performance of their collaboration "EAT ME." Then later in the evening as Lovato was performing "La La Land,” she welcomed Ashlee Simpson for a duet of her 2004 hit “La La.” Towards the end of the night, Lovato dedicated a mash-up performance of "4 EVER 4 ME" and "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls to her boyfriend musician Jordan Lutes. "These two songs are really meaningful to me. The first song I wrote about being in love and the second song is me and my boyfriend's song. This one goes to my baby" she said sweetly. Demi Lovato ended the night with a thrilling encore of "HAPPY ENDING" and "Cool For The Summer."
Lovato's Holy Fvck Tour runs through the beginning of November. For more info on dates visit, demilovato.com
Setlist:
HOLY FVCK
FREAK
SUBSTANCE
EAT ME (with Royal & the Serpent)
Confident
Here We Go Again
Remember December
La La Land / La La
Don’t Forget
4 EVER 4 ME
HELP ME
Sorry Not Sorry
CITY OF ANGELS
Skyscraper
29
Heart Attack
SKIN OF MY TEETH
Encore:
HAPPY ENDING
Cool For The Summer
“Courtesy of Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for DL.”
