Demi Lovato Leans Into a Glossy New Pop Era at United Center, With Love Songs, Nostalgia and Powerhouse Vocals
CHICAGO, IL — Demi Lovato turned United Center into a shiny, kiss-off-to-the-past pop party Friday, using her “It’s Not That Deep” tour stop to spotlight a lighter, more romantic chapter. The show centered on material from her new album, much of it fueled by her relationship with husband Jordan Lutes, and the crowd answered with loud sing-alongs and plenty of phone lights.
The 100-minute set mixed sultry dance numbers, club-ready new songs and a few well-placed throwbacks, giving fans a show that felt both current and familiar. Even when the production leaned on simple stage tricks, Lovato’s voice kept the focus where it belonged.
A set built around romance, dance beats and a fresh image
Lovato opened with the electro-pop sequence of “Fast,” “Kiss” and “Frequency,” signaling that this era is less about brooding confession and more about confidence and momentum. Later songs such as “Low Rise Jeans” and “Joshua Tree” kept the mood glossy and suggestive, with choreography and styling aimed squarely at a grown-up pop audience.
There was no live band on this tour, and some of the visuals, including catwalk struts and a stripper-chair bit, felt familiar rather than groundbreaking. Still, the album’s flirtatious energy made the night feel like a deliberate reset for an artist who has long been associated with reinvention.
Nostalgia came through, but it was mostly in service of the present
Lovato nodded to her Disney past without fully returning to it. A surprise-song segment let one fan choose a song from an earlier era, and the winner was “Get Back,” Lovato’s first single from 2008. She also teased the idea of performing a “Camp Rock” number, which drew a strong reaction from the largely millennial crowd.
That backward glance fit a larger pattern in the set, which also included crowd favorites like “Heart Attack,” “Confident” and “Give Your Heart a Break.” Lovato has recently reconnected with old pop-era touchstones, but the Chicago show made clear she is not trying to live there again.
Her voice and her recovery story still carry the most weight
If the staging occasionally felt borrowed, Lovato’s vocals did not. She delivered the night’s biggest emotional punch on songs like “Stone Cold,” where her range and control stood out, and on the encore “Sorry To Myself,” a self-love anthem that landed as a hard-won victory lap.
Fans stayed with her through the full ride, reacting warmly to the biggest choruses and the slower, more vulnerable moments. After years of addiction, mental health struggles and public reinvention, Lovato’s current phase feels like one built less on proving something and more on enjoying the moment.
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