Lighting up Aviva Studios in Manchester last weekend, the American superstar Kesha Rose Sebert passed along her continuous affirmation and gratitude to the thousands attending her performance, marking a celebration of liberation as fans shared in her renewed artistic freedom after her protracted lawsuit with Łukasz “Dr Luke” Gottwald that began in 2014.
Before making her grand entrance onto the stage, the talented singer captivates her adoring fans by vocalising impeccably a snippet from one of her unreleased songs, The Chant.
“Everything I am is everything there is
And everything that ever was.
I am everything, and everything I hate
Is everything I ever loved.“ — Ke$ha
For six seconds, mystery enfolds the concert hall of Aviva Studios as the venue plunges into full darkness and phone cameras rise in awe-striking anticipation. Easing from blackness into full light, a moment later the deep Eastern European drone of the gaida reverberates through the hall, joined by low chant-like vocals reminiscent of the opening sound of the cult classic Xena: Warrior Princess theme.
In cadence with the melodic flow of the uncanny sound, the lower end of the main stage is illuminated with purple and yellow colours, soon overtaken by a tint of blue.
Through the fog of smoke, the initial burst of the layered beat erupts across the stage for the first few minutes as Kesha emerges from a pyramid-like structure, holding the head of her timeworn self.
In the background, a moon-like apparition shimmers across the faces of the crowd before morphing into a Saturn-like planet whose rings shatter erratically to form a layered encirclement.
With a sunburst halo crown inspired by Byzantine depictions of divine radiance, the introductions follow.
“Manchester! Are you ready to blow up tonight?” the artist challenged the crowd, speaking from a state of renewed existence. A smile then appeared on the countenance of the multi-platinum prodigy as admiration hollered.
Without further delay, the twelve-time platinum single Tik Tok hit the speakers.
Despite the scandalous nine years after the lawsuit had finally been settled between the colleagues in 2023, for the flower child and pop diva Kesha, promoting her own record label Kesha Records has become priority number one. And while most signed music artists are bound by what to say and how to behave on stage, Ke$ha’s independence delivers one clear message to the music industry: ONLY LOVE CAN SAVE US NOW.
Shielding herself from any form of criticism and rumours from non-believers, her hands are clasped in prayer for all. A song later they glide gracefully, as if extending her gratitude for the loyalty and eternal appreciation of her work. She conjoins emotional fragility with her dancers in a shoulder-to-shoulder hold, suggesting that unity is the only option to withstand the calamities the world brings upon all of us, and that being the Crazy Kids could be our only option, at least for now. With the shoulder ride and the vigorous rotating circle of dancers, C’MON evolves into an anthem that honours friendships and encourages confidence of the endearing kind.
Biblical in its opening, falling from grace all the way down to hell symbolises the sacrificial journey found in many religious texts, yet the show’s scenography seeks to expose the perilous nature of making all the wrong choices.
Vulgarity erupts on the stage, and by a fortunate stroke of serendipity, the show features timeless songs from the previous era, records that delivered Kesha her global recognition.
Avidly playing her guitar to the song Blow, the vocalist makes a flawless knee slide, flaunting her propensity for the life of a rockstar. Proving to the world that she looks impeccable in almost anything, her point is amplified in Sleazy, where her deliberate and intimate gestures do the talking. As much as the Cannibal performance may terrify some onlookers with its use of a knife prop to launch savage blade flips at her dancers, blending Boycrazy into the glowing crimson lightstage sweetened the shock.
Distinctly, a black latex bodysuit with a knife in hand seems to put forward the idea of a murderous post‑mortem tribute to all the negativity the singer experienced at the time of these records’ inception. The full story will remain history, and perhaps it is better this way, considering the elated mood of the artist throughout the show. Attention: Joyride is about to start.
“I am my own sugar daddy. I am my own best friend. I am like the fucking best. Maybe I am the one I’ve been looking for?” — Ke$ha
Still fresh in their debut glow, Attention and Joyride remain joyously hot and keep fans engaged. With the former thriving as a nightclub banger, the sound of the accordion in Joyride becomes a dissent from a stifling reality, bringing to the table exactly what the audience is looking for: goofiness, gratification, and frantic behaviour.
To keep the entertainment going, sensual gestures and occasional direct gazes toward the crowd are the bespoke and flirtatious renditions that will make anyone fall in love. Exhilaration overtook Kesha, and the fortunate few managed to catch a towel and an orange guitar pick during brief moments of interlude from her.
Noticeably at the show, dancing has become a form of expressive art that does not have a timestamp. A metaphorically solid counterargument to the deprecating looks you might receive at a nightclub — should you go there in your late thirties to celebrate an all-time favourite artist — is narrated through the eclectic motions of the diverse choreographed ensemble of men and women in their early twenties to early forties. It turns out twerking belongs to the majority and not only to the hypersexualised genre of hip-hop. Whoever decided adults should not Joyride clearly subscribes to the life of beige bougie routine.
Those seeking nostalgia flock to stadiums. For others, the closure with big names is applied without zone segmentation. At Aviva Studios that day, the crowd was united by music, yet at the same time anyone trying to approach the stage was met with the kind of glare usually reserved for queue cutters. Thankfully, the crowd kept things peaceful, with no fights or police involvement. However, one member of the audience did faint during the song Praying.
The lead performer put her show on pause to rescue the collapsed young woman from being stamped on by the crowd. As the security personnel began to subdue the situation, the singer dropped to her knees, her eyes wide open, shielding her sight from the limelight to see how the incident unfolded. As the guards carried the suffering person toward the stage with her hands resting over their shoulders, they were offered a black‑tinted flip‑straw water bottle from the singer to give to the collapsed young woman.
A touching speech on safety and mutual care marked the show’s return, leaving some audience members moved by the grace of the lead performer, with a few even shedding a tear or two.
“This life is f*cking crazy and we need each other. And we need to love each other. I love you and I feel the love from you and I feel so grateful.” — Ke$ha
Starstruck is one way of describing The Tits Out Tour. By the time you get back home or to your hotel, you will find yourself calling out for an encore. Insatiable is a modest word for the fair and reasonable turmoil you may be swept into as the show reaches its final minutes. Engaged from the very start, spectators are bound to relive flashbacks of Kesha’s powerful vocals that will echo for weeks, if not years. They are just that unique and propulsive. The rhythmic ensemble of the set list brings together the quintessential requirement any music performance must meet to become an exemplary one: an electrified reverie that sends the crowd home on a euphoric high, pleading for more.
Kesha’s commitment to excellence is addictive, and she unquestionably knows how to reclaim her crown. In channelling her alter ego, she forges a change that music labels deem commercially unsuccessful. That is the independence to make one’s own choice. The crowd’s voice and turnout are stronger than business motives, and Kesha Records is unapologetic about that. We Are Who We Are, right?
Upcoming UK performances:
• Thursday, 19 March — Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
• Friday, 3 July — Roundhay Festival, Leeds
• Sunday, 5 July — Dreamland Festival, Margate
• Friday, 10 July — BST Hyde Park 2026, London
SET LIST:
1. TiK ToK
2. Only Love Can Save Us Now
3. Warrior
4. Crazy Kids / C’Mon
5. Blow
6. Sleazy / BOY CRAZY.
7. Cannibal / Backstabber / DELUSIONAL.
8. Take It Off
9. ATTENTION! / JOYRIDE.
10. YIPPEE-KI-YAY. / Timber
11. RED FLAG. / Whip It / Dinosaur
12. THE ONE.
13. Die Young
14. CATHEDRAL
15. Praying
16. Your Love Is My Drug
17. We R Who We R
