On Friday (17 April), Demi Lovato made her first Australian appearance at Brisbane’s Convention and Entertainment Centre.
Wowing crowds with an amazing range of vocal talent, crowd engagement and set design, Demi brought the house down for what I think was 2015’s first, memorable concert.
Click here for photos from the show.
The lights go down, the 'Lovatics' go wild for what's about to come; it's all too familiar. But then a large rectangular screen lights up, showing short and fast bursts of graphics, videos and pictures of Demi. This offered a more distinct experience to just your average concert. Already you could feel the intimacy of the venue; it all felt a bit smaller than usual, in the best way possible.
Image © Callum DorwardDemi herself was serving up intense ballad after intense ballad, until she got to ‘Heart Attack’. At this point I would not have been surprised if anyone in the audience had actually had a heart attack, as not only were her vocals extraordinary, but her dancing and sharp movements locked in perfect harmony with the beat and lighting. It was almost a spiritual experience.
After that, she cooled it off a bit and took a breather to talk to the crowd. It was great to have the crowd go silent and give her the time to speak about her excitement about Australia and how she had wanted to come ever since she found out she had fans ‘“down under”. Her dialogue seemed genuine and interesting, and served as the perfect cool down and lead in to her more calm, acoustic songs, such as a rare performance of ‘Get Back’. We were even treated to Demi’s rendition of ‘Let It Go’ from the Disney film ‘Frozen’.
Image © Callum DorwardOne particular theme for not only this concert, but Demi’s career is providing a platform for mental health issues, addressing them and encouraging awareness and support. She took time to speak about it before her song ‘Warrior’, which vocalises her own struggles with mental health issues and body image. It is so great to hear lyrics like: ‘Now I'm a warrior/ Now I've got thicker skin/ I’m a warrior/ I’m stronger than I've ever been” being sung to a large majority of teenage girls who really need to hear more positivity in today's media.
We were also given a glimpse at a documentary-style video of her trip to Africa, showing Demi and her friends building and contributing to a small village. It was nice to see the human aspect of Demi in this video, along with her crowd interaction, continuously pointing out fans and conversing with them, including catching a kiss I threw her way.
Image © Callum DorwardAll in all it was her vocal talent combined with her dancing that made it memorable. It was intense seeing such artistic flair from Demi on her first visit; all in all it was one of those concerts you remember for not being too flashy or trying to capture your attention with classy gimmicks, but for the way everything just came together and sounded exactly the way you hoped.
Click here for more photos from the show.
