Demi Lovato takes world tour to Yum! Center

Demi Lovato, a 22-year-old Disney star turned pop sensation, has done it again. Shortly after finishing up the Neon Lights Tour, Lovato announced that she was going back on the road with the Demi World Tour, which stopped on October 15 in Louisville, KY at the KFC Yum! Center. Unlike most high profile concerts, the show started at exactly 7pm, opening with the group, MKTO, who played a few of their well-known hits. Next on stage was Bea Miller, a teenager who was first noticed on The X Factor, of which Lovato was a judge. Wrapping up the musical openers was Christina Perri, who delivered raw vocals and quite frankly was emanating happiness. Finally, before Lovato took the stage, Spencer West came out to give a motivational speech to the crowd. He preached the power of becoming a “Warrior,” quoting Lovato’s song by the same title and of believing in one’s self.

After an inspirational introduction that quoted greats such as Muhammad Ali, Lovato rose from under the stage and broke out into a medley of her biggest pop songs, including “Really Don’t Care” and “The Middle.” She then transitioned into her ballads, even adding, “My Love is Like a Star” back into her set list at the insistence of her fans. In between songs, sitting at the piano, she took a few minutes to talk to the audience.

Though she is well known for being vocal about her struggles and journey to recovery after her time in rehab a couple of years ago, Lovato said that she didn’t want this tour to be about her story. She wanted it to be about the other parts of herself that make up who she is, such as her love for Halloween, playing the piano, her mild obsession with Kevin Bacon from the hit TV show, The Following, and of course, her music.

Lovato surprised fans midway through the show by covering “Thriller” as a tribute to her love of Halloween, which featured a dance break that could make anyone smile. Despite telling the crowd that when she got up this morning all she wanted to do was “put on sweatpants, watch The Notebook, and eat a lot of chocolate,” shepoured her heart into her performance.

There was nothing lackluster about her intense vocals and high energy. While she has never been one to have a huge stage production with high flying acrobats and a stage that is constantly changing, it isn’t because she isn’t capable of pulling it off. It’s because she doesn’t need the theatrics. Her stage presence, vocal range, intimacy with the audience, and songs that show off her skills playing piano, guitar, and drums, are more than enough to prove that she is a force to be reckoned with.