Tove Lo Sang With Charli XCX And Danced With A Broken Foot At Her L.A. Show

For the final U.S. Show of her Sunshine Kitty tour, Tove Lo welcomed a number of special visitors to the stage, most of whom were awesome and one of which was not. That'd be the knee-high boot encasing the Swedish pop star's right leg: her constant companion ever since an injury while in a show in February.


"My foot is damaged, however my spirit isn't Tove proclaimed by way of introduction at L.A.'S The Palladium on Friday night (February 28). The sold-out crowd — which included Billie Eilish and Finneas watching from the balcony, and throngs of glittered-out fans resembling Euphoria extras — cheered in response and obliged the unsaid yet understood agreement that if Tove can't dance her ass off onstage, they're going to have to work added hard for her.


Unsurprisingly, that's exactly what they did, thanks to a setlist that practically transformed the theater into a Eurodance club. The hour-plus set kicked off with "Glad He's Gone" before beginning act Alma joined Tove for "Bad because the Gentlemen The already-toasty building simmered as Tove slinked along to "Cool Girl" and "Talking Body," and she managed to twerk throughout "Are U Gonna Tell Her," damaged foot be damned. She even reminded us that she was ahead of pop's recent disco renaissance — bolstered by the likes of Dua Lipa and Doja Cat — whenever she broke into the chilly throb of 2017's "Disco Tits."


Sunshine Kitty — Tove's fourth album, released last year — marked her clubbiest record to date, although also showcased her most weak writing. To that end, one of the most transcendent moments of the show came once Tove's musical group retreated backstage, leaving the pop star standing solo in back of a keyboard. The stage lights went dark and she humbly discussed to the crowd about confidence, self-doubt, and her journey as an artist thus far.


"You begin writing songs in your bedroom and then you sell out the Palladium!" She marveled, before (misguidedly) admitting that she's "not very good" at the keyboard. Cellphone lights illuminated the venue as she broke into a solo acoustic version of her 2015 single "Moments," a song about embracing your flaws and eccentricities. "I love freaks, I don't care if you are a wild one," she sang with the same conviction she did five years prior, however surrounded by more freaks and wild ones than she probably could've fathomed back then. Identically affecting was the harsh post-party comedown of "Hey You Got Narcotics and the romantic rawness of "Come Undone," which she really interested in her boyfriend.


The energy cranked back up once Alma returned to the stage alongside pop hero Charli XCX, who stomped around in studded platform boots while joining the females for a pair of throwback faves: the 2017 posse cuts "Bitches" and "Out of My Head." Their electric triple-threat efficiency was a jolting surprise that ended with a giggly sort hug and elicited the largest screams of the night.


But Tove still had some bangers up her fishnets — she ended the show with an one-two-three punch of Sunshine Kitty's "Sweettalk My Heart," her 2014 breakout hit "Habits (Stay High)," and the recently released "Bikini Porn," the ideal "Song of Summer 2020" contender released in January. And so concluded a refreshingly rare sort of pop show: one that's not rehearsed down to the sequin, alternatively reveling in the muddiness of damaged bones, sweaty bodies, and unhinged dancing. On the Sunshine Kitty bop identically Lost," Tove sang, "I visualize you looking, so I turn my charm on, hoping I look awesome." We looked, she turned it on, and, yeah, she was awesome.