- ‘Lovatics’ can’t get enough of Demi Lovato
- Demi Lovato World Tour in Edmonton
Saturday night’s Demi Lovato concert at Rexall Place in Edmonton didn’t hold a candle to the elaborate stage production of last month’s Katy Perry concert. But if their ear-piercing shrieks were any indication, the fans in attendance seemed perfectly satisfied by Lovato‘s more intimate affair.
On a simple stage, California pop hip hop duo MKTO opened with their 2012 hit Thank You and stoked the excitement with upbeat songs and an enthusiastic stage performance. They closed with their radio-friendly Classic, and the early arriving fans sang along with the chorus “Living in a world gone plastic, baby you’re so classic.”
Social activist and motivational Spencer West took the stage after MKTO with a humorous and engaging presentation about empowerment and being a warrior, a theme close to Lovato‘s heart. The pair worked together on a Me to We trip in Africa in 2013.
As the venue filled up, Christina Perri followed West, opening with her ballad Jar of Hearts, popularized by the television show So You Think You Can Dance.
Perri’s stripped down show connected with the predominately female teen audience. They happily crooned along with A Thousand Years, a song she wrote for the Twilight franchise.
French-Canadian pop-rock singer Andee and her guitarist appeared for a few songs, including a cover of Sam Smith’s Stay With Me.
Headliner Demi Lovato took to the stage shortly after 9:30pm and quickly proved she’s up to the challenge of a solo career, and her Camp Rock days are long behind her. Opening with ‘I Really Don’t Care’, Lovato let her powerful pipes carry the show. Her all-male backup dancers perfectly expressed the rough and rawness of Lovato‘s lyrics. It was hard to believe this polished, fearless female just turned 22 this summer.
With the exception of the slower, heartfelt ‘Warrior’ about her struggles with bullying, the show had the audience in the lower bowl on their feet. When Lovato performed her version of Frozen’s Let it Go the place exploded as the youngest members of the audience sang at the top of their lungs (and a few moms may have joined in).
We heard Lovato closed the show with ‘Neon Lights’, but by that time I had already hit the road with an overtired but very, very happy nine-year-old.
The Demi Lovato Concert was sponsored by Tampax.
Tickets to the show and meet & greet passes were provided.
Sarah began freelance writing for the Calgary Herald at the age of 15. Since then, she’s written hundreds of feature articles, book reviews and business, restaurant and individual profiles for magazines and newspapers across Canada. Sarah has three daughters who sometimes accompany her on her travels, and she blogs at Doing All The Things. You can read some of her other travel pieces at http://sarahdeveau.wordpress.com/.