Tove Lo w/ Alma
Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
02.24.20
What’s something both the legendary Foo Fighters and Swedish synth-pop goddess Tove Lo have accomplished at their shows? They have both put on adrenaline-fueled concerts in a leg cast. Part way into her 2020 Sunshine Kitty tour, Tove Lo hurt her foot and was forced into a boot. But that did not stop her from performing the rest of her tour. She fought on and made sure that every show would have the same experience, including the Seattle stop at Showbox SoDo.
Tove Lo began the night with the first three tracks off her newest album, Sunshine Kitty. Opening act Alma came out on the second song “Bad as the Boys,” a song that she is featured on. The crowd got excited to see Alma again on stage as she and Tove Lo danced together.
“I knew I could count on you on a Monday night,” Tove Lo shouted to a sold-out crowd. “Broken foot don’t mean nothing. The show must go on,” she said, as she pointed out her bedazzled medical boot. It did not stop her from standing and shaking her hips and butt at the crowd all night, and you could see each beat move through her body. Every other song, she would sit on a beautiful pink chair in the middle of the stage. Tove Lo still danced in her chair, whipping her hair around.
Starting with the song “Influence,” Tove Lo proclaimed the next part of her set to be the dance portion as the Showbox SoDo turned into a micro Swedish dance club. She played through “Are U gonna tell her?,” “Jacques,” “Talking Body,” “Really Don’t Like U,” and “Disco Tits.” The whole room really came together to dance and move as one. “I can’t move that much, so I need you to move for me,” Tove Lo told the crowd and the crowd took over from there. A dancer joined Tove Lo on stage to be her interpretive dancer between songs where she would sit on her throne.
Even with a boot on her foot, she still made the atmosphere electric for her fans. If you were to just look at her fans you would have no clue she was preforming in a cast. The lighting on the whole stage was so saturated and full of life. The warm lighting and blowing of her hair made her look like a Greek God.
Towards the end of the night, she told the crowd she was gonna slow things down. “I’m gonna play another sad song ’cause tears are important. Cry at least once a day,” she said, before playing “Moments” on the keyboard solo, just like how she writes a lot of her music. The night ended on a high with an encore of “Habits (Stay on High)” and her first single of 2020, “Bikini Porn.”
The Swedish electro-pop genius showed why the Swedish are pop masterminds. Tove Lo’s sensual sound surged through the bodies of everyone watching in awe. Even with a broken foot it was a captivating show I want to watch again and again.
Opening the night was pop singer Alma from Finland. With a debut album on the way, she played a lot of new unreleased music. Alma’s bright yellow-dyed hair popped just as much as her music. She had the whole stage to herself, with just her DJ hiding in the back corner setting up all the lovely beats for each song. She only needed that and her powerful vocals to get the entire crowd singing her lyrics by the end. The same surging vocals that helped her finish fifth on the Finish TV show Idols. She might not have a full album out yet, but watch her explode when it comes out this year. Playing Seattle for the first time she could not help but say how she wanted to come back again. We can’t wait to have Alma back too.
Photos and review by Logan Westom
Tove Lo
Alma
