Swedish artist Tove Lo performed at The Wiltern on March 2 and 3 for her final nights of the North America leg of her Dirt Femme Tour. She announced three rules to follow during her show “Dance with me, cry with me, and you do need to feel sexy for at least half the show.” The sold-out show was packed with fans who were ready to hear the range of the discography she had prepared for the night.
Pop singer Slayyyter opened the show with a burst of energy, immediately setting the tone for the rest of the night with her high-energy pop. As she strut across the stage, her energy and vocals grabbed everyone’s attention. She performed a range of music singing “Cowboy” and “Trouble in Paradise.” She ended her set with her hit song “Mine” which had everyone dancing then transitioned to “Daddy as Fuck” which had everyone jumping and screaming.
After a short break the lights dimmed, fog began to come out from the stage as pink lasers signaled the start of the night. A bright Tove Lo emerged from a set up of clouds in a metallic one-piece, thigh highs and a long braid. The stage was filled with clouds and Tove Lo’s band members Johan Salomonsson, drummer Hovis, and pianist Jonatan Larson were dressed in white to match.
Tove Lo was dancing hypnotically in the middle of clouds with a spotlight constantly on her. The stage set-up with the clouds was a beautiful homage to her 2014 debut studio album Queen of the Clouds. Her set began with her song “Pineapple Slice” followed up by her song “Attention Whore” and then transition to “Cool Girl” one of her hits from 2016. It was an unexpected welcome to one of her popular songs from previous years and let the audience know there was more in store.
Throughout the night Tove Lo kept the audience entranced. She had a couple of costume changes mid-way through the show but the fun never truly stopped. She interacted with her audience and called out to some wishing them a happy birthday. Fans were also welcomed to be a part of her Kiss Book; she is making a kissing book with photographer Kenny Laubbacher who was on the floor and near the merch taking photos of people kissing.
Tove Lo performed “Grapefruit”, a song about body positivity and the struggles with body image. She cried and stated, “Today is an emotional day.” She announced her parents were present in the audience and the evening became more intimate as she recounted how she disliked her body as a teen. She said, “It feels good now to have hated my body as a teen and then sing “Grapefruit” in front of all of you guys half naked.” The crowd cheered to which she responded “A lot of therapy I recommend.’’
The night continued with more of Tove Lo’s techno-pop songs from her most recent album Dirt Femme including “Suburbia” and “Borderline” which she recently performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. She also performed some ballads including “Don’t Say Goodbye” which was a beautiful balance to the night and highlighted her vocals.
The night ended with the well-known chart-topping song “Stay High” a song that she says is “The song that changed my life.” There was truly something for every fan last night from her new album to some of her classic songs. Tove Lo had a successful end to her North American leg of the Dirt Femme tour.
Photo Credit: Jenna Houchin