There was no better way to start off fall than with Tove Lo’s Dirt Femme Tour. I had been patiently waiting for St. Paul’s turn to witness the greatness of the grunge-influenced popstar and as I arrived at Palace Theater on Tuesday night in St. Paul. It was clear i was not the only one excited for what was about to unfold.
As crowds packed into the theater, UPSAHL took the stage as the opening act for the evening and set the tone for the what was to come. Though this was the first stop on the tour for UPSAHL, it’s hard to imagine the night starting any other way. Her high-octane performance brought the energy up and put everyone in to a frenzy—an impressive feat any day of the week, but especially so on a Tuesday night.
With the energy high and the Palace Theater packed top to bottom, it was not long before Tove Lo took to the stage, opening the night off with her song “Pineapple Slice.” The crowd greeted her with deafening cheers as she matched every ounce of their energy with her commanding stage presence.
Another thing that I found amazing as the set went on is how the artist bounces between grunge and pristine pop sounds while moving from themes of joy to despair seamlessly. We heard a great mix of greatest hits and songs off the artist’s newest album, Dirt Femme. Throughout the night energy stayed high, everyone was dancing and singing along and you could tell Tove Lo felt the love with a massive smile on her face all night long.
If you know anything about Tove Lo, you know every performance is a mini fashion show and this show was no different. She started things out in a chest piece that was a cross between Wonder Woman armor and a sexy burlesque costume. She played four songs before switching it up into a silver dress that would have been the star at a modern day disco. She finished the night off in a kind of futuristic-looking mirrored armor, which was matched perfect by slowing things down musically with a piano vocal version of “Extra.”
From start to finish this show was everything. It was the kind of night where you leave the venue and call your best friend and just talk about everything you witnessed. Stellar vocals, high energy dancing, wonderful set design, and a message of self-love throughout the night. It really was the perfect way to end summer and kick off the last months of the year, and it was well worth the wait.
Tove Lo’s tour continues in New York this weekend and concludes with a set at Weekend 2 of Austin City Limits.
Words and photos by Drew Bouman for Staged Haze
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