Lizzo shows why she's a must-see act during Memphis concert

It might have been a Monday in Memphis but Lizzo had FedExForum celebrating like it was a Saturday night, as the pop star made her Mid-South arena debut with a rapturously received performance.

The show, which originally had been scheduled for April 26, was moved up to accommodate the Grizzlies/Lakers NBA playoff series. But the day or date mattered little, as Lizzo’s infectious songs and empowering message delighted an adoring, near-capacity crowd at the Downtown venue.

Over the last five years, the 34-year-old Lizzo, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, has become one of music’s brightest stars. A native of Detroit — who also spent time in Houston and Minneapolis — Lizzo broke through with her 2019 album, “Cuz I Love You.” Its success would propel her to eight Grammy nominations and three wins. Her 2022 follow-up LP, “Special,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in the U.S. and landed in the top 10 in a dozen other countries.

Lizzo, who kicked off her 2023 U.S. tour last week in Knoxville, was supported by Atlanta rapper Latto, whose engaging, upbeat opening turn set up the headliner’s grand arrival. Lizzo’s appearance was preceded by a selection of songs over the house PA — The Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing,” The Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” ABBA’s “Dancing Queen — that had the audience in full party mode before she even hit the stage.

The fans who gathered at FedExForum were a dazzlingly diverse bunch — many dressed in glittering finery and all ready to sing along to Lizzo’s uplifting anthems.

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From her opening number “The Sign” to a rousing finale of “About Damn Time,” her 25-song set — divided into four “acts,” each preceded by a themed video message — was both energetically impressive and perfectly paced, as she charmed the audience in between colorful costume changes and sharply choreographed dance routines.

Backed by a five-piece all-female band, three vocalists and a nine-member dance troupe, Lizzo started the show by playing to the Memphis crowd and acknowledging the concert’s date change due to FedExForum’s full-time residents.

“Go Grizzlies!” said Lizzo to loud cheers. “They need their arena to do what they need to m********* do!”

Much of the show's emphasis was on love — namely self-love. Body positivity was a big theme as well, as Lizzo acknowledged her plus-sized dancers, The Big Grrrls. “And Memphis, when I say big girls I’m not just talking about the ones on stage,” she said. “Where my big girls at?” As the crowd roared, Lizzo quipped, “It’s that goddamn barbecue, b****, that’s what it is.”

Amid the banter, the show also featured a number of clever set pieces. Midway through the concert, Lizzo slowed things down with a selection of relationship songs she referred to as “therapy.” Moving to a catwalk in the middle of the arena and draping herself over a psychiatrist’s couch, she warbled her way through “Jerome” and “Break Up Twice,” showing off her gifts as an R&B vocalist.

In between her originals, she served up crowd-pleasing covers of Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing),” Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman,” and even Coldplay’s “Yellow.” The classically trained Lizzo then broke out her flute and played an extended solo on her own “Truth Hurts” — a moment greeted by the loudest ovation a flautist has surely ever heard at FedExForum.

Just as she did during her tour opener last week, Lizzo acknowledged Tennessee’s drag community during a rendition of “Everybody’s Gay.”

At the Thompson-Boling arena in Knoxville on Friday, Lizzo brought a number of drag performers on stage as a way to protest legislation signed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in March banning “adult cabaret” artists from performing in public and/or in the presence of children. The bill is specifically aimed at “male or female impersonators.”

The law has yet to go into effect, however, as earlier this month a federal judge temporarily blocked the ban, siding with the Memphis-based LGBTQ+ theater company Friends of George’s, which filed a lawsuit claiming the statute violates the First Amendment.

At FedExForum, Lizzo draped herself in an LBGTQ+ flag and ended the song by shouting, “Drag is not a crime!” (or so it sounded, as she was mostly drowned out by a roaring crowd).

As she concluded her performance with several of her biggest hits — including a roof-raising rendition of “Good As Hell,” ahead of a well-earned encore — Lizzo clearly cemented her reputation among Memphis audiences as a must-see live act.

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Lizzo concert review: Memphis show cements star as must-see live act