Fox Theater (Oakland, CA)
02/27/23
Exactly three years after last performing in the bay area, Swedish alt-pop artist Tove Lo returned to bring the Dirt Femme Tour to a sold-out crowd at the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA. The tour, which already ran through Europe last year and was nearing the end of the North American leg, comes after releasing her fifth album, Dirt Femme, in October last year. The crowd was buzzing, highly anticipating Tove Lo to take the stage and kick off what would be a dance party for the next hour and a half. As the lights dimmed, the build up began and her band slowly took their spots onstage – the energy in the crowd surged. Decked out in a steel gray armor-like bodysuit and thigh-high boots, Tove Lo finally strutted onto the stage to open the show with “Pineapple Slice” from Dirt Femme.
The energy immediately exploded, as her fans came prepared for the party – decked out in fun colors, mesh, and sparkles – and freely danced and sang along to every word of every song. The production was nothing short of dreamy and fun, with a fog machine going, stunning lighting that matched the mood, and large cloud cutouts on stage as an ode to her 2014 debut album, Queen of the Clouds. Tove Lo’s presence on stage was uninhibited and gave a sense of freedom, moving effortlessly across the stage, rolling her hips and flipping her hair. This, combined with her own image and music, created a space for everyone to feel free – proven by the congregation of individuals of all ages, races, genders, and sexualities in the crowd. A quarter of the way through the set, the transition from “2 Die 4” to “Talking Body,” a massive hit from Queen of the Clouds, served as a short intermission for an outfit change. Coming back onstage barefoot and in a mesh green full-body suit, the set continued with a few more upbeat songs, including the dance track and fan favorite, “disco tits,” from her third album, BLUE LIPS.
The show was not without its intimate and vulnerable moments. Taking a pause to thank the crowd for “giving [her] all this energy” and being a beautiful crowd, she slowed the party momentum down for a few songs. First introducing her song, “Moments,” saying it made her “survive in the pop land” and that “it’s about not being perfect and our flaws is where it’s good,” she delivered beautiful and raw vocals to a swaying crowd lighting up the room with their phone flashlights. Upon finishing “Grapefruit,” a song about her struggles with an eating disorder in her teenage years, she reflected to the crowd, “I’ve hated my body so much for a large part of my life, and now I stand here half naked in front of you and I’m really loving it,” and received a cheer of support back. It was the first time she had released a song that touched on this topic, and it shed a new light on the comfort she has in her own body (re: her stage outfits and flashing the audience during her concerts). For her, it was hard-won. This honesty and vulnerability is what makes Tove Lo’s music and show such a safe space – her lyrics have always been uncensored and honest, bringing a realness and sometimes a darker edge even amongst the songs one would party to.
Returning to the upbeat songs, she closed her set with the dance energy that it started with, including performing her most recent single, “Borderline,” released only a couple weeks prior to the show. Of course, everyone already knew all the words. The encore saw Tove Lo return to the stage with another outfit change, this time to the iconic skin-toned and gold bodysuit, to end the night with three songs, beginning with a stripped back version of “stranger.” After the emotional start to the encore, the dance party resumed, as Tove Lo performed “Habits (Stay High),” her 2013 breakout hit, and finally “No One Dies From Love,” a song off of her newest album.
Dirt Femme is the first album Tove Lo has released independently under her own label, Pretty Swede Records. Already fearless in her approach to pop music but now with complete creative control and less pressure from a major record label, we can’t wait to hear where she takes her music next. In the meantime, Tove Lo will be taking her Dirt Femme Tour to Mexico and South America next, and then returning to multiple cities in North America and Europe later in May and June, including for a number of festivals. Her concert experience is fun and emotional all at the same time – a beautiful dance party that you simply wouldn’t want to miss.
