I would bet that it’s safe to call both Demi Lovato and DJ Khaled household names at this point in their careers. So, when they announced a world tour that was actually coming through the Twin Cities, tweens, teens, and adults alike all rejoiced. The night of the show, everyone broke out their most fashionable outfits and splurged on some expensive drinks at the Target Center to loosed them up for a good time.
First up was Kehlani, girl group pop star turned R&B powerhouse. I had seen Kehlani open for some other big name artists in the past, so I was wise enough to arrive early and catch her whole set. It was short and sweet, but career encompassing. She didn’t chat much with the crowd, but most definitely woo’d everyone around with her impressive vocals and hard hitting lyrics. Honestly, Kehlani’s performance was amazing enough that if the show ended right then, I wouldn’t have been too mad.
Next up was producer and social media influencer extraordinaire- DJ Khaled. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I realized that I would be seeing DJ Khaled live. Yes, I had heard dozens of songs that he had a part in creating on the radio in the past, but what exactly would he do? I was expecting a DJ set, but that’s not quite what I got. There was someone else at the DJ booth, and Khaled commanded the stage and sang some parts of many major hits.
He did a great job at hyping the crowd up, and nearly everyone was singing and jumping along just seconds into his set. At one point, he himself headed over to the DJ booth and impressed the crowd with some live spinning/scratching. I always knew DJ Khaled was talented, but seeing him do the whole “DJ” thing live cemented that for me. A few inspirational quotes were recited, lots of hands were waved in the air, and finally- it was time for Demi.
Unlike my questioning what DJ Khaled’s set would be like, I was pretty sure I knew what to expect when Demi Lovato hit the stage. I had seen clips on social media and had heard her music on the radio before- how different could it be? She started with “You Don’t Do it For Me Anymore” and moved right into “Daddy Issues.”
After a few more songs, I realized that I was not only super impressed with her stage show (duh,) but I was also surprised at how well she was interacting with the crowd. Yes, she is a super famous pop star that performs for thousands of people each night. But, she was shockingly personable and attentive to her fans. She switched to another stage to play “Concrete,” “Crybaby,” and “Lonely,” and then paused long enough for a few elusive fan selfies before moving back to Stage A.
She slowed it down after that and even played a few cover songs. The theme of her set seemed to be knowing who you are and owning it, with a dash of girl power for good measure. All of which I can totally get behind. Demi left the stage with a bang and walked off with a casual “Thank you!” …but everyone knew she would be back for an encore. “Everyone” was proven to be correct when she took the stage one more time to finish the show. She played “Sorry Not Sorry” and “Tell Me You Love Me,” arguably her two biggest songs at the moment, and then left the stage for good.
As the house lights came on, I looked around me and was pleasantly surprised at the diversity of the crowd. There were kids with parents, young adult couples, and big groups of girlfriends. I may have gone into the Target Center on Saturday night expecting one thing or another, but I left full of pride that there are so many strong, cool, and confident ladies in the Twin Cities.
