On a drizzly evening in Oakland, California, hundreds of glittery humans flooded into the historic Fox Theater. The concertgoers were all at the venue for one reason: Kesha. Kesha Rose Sebert, known mononymously as Kesha, and formerly as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter who rose to fame when “TiK ToK,” a song from her 2010 studio debut album Animal, made it to the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2009. Fans that spanned generations, from children who were born after Kesha’s early 2000s hits to older adults, all excitedly waited at the venue to experience one of their favorite artists live for the first time since the pandemic.
Kesha, who is known to defy societal norms and wear outrageous outfits, did not disappoint as she emerged on a raised platform stage in an all-black ensemble consisting of a flat cap with a long tail, bold square shades, a fluffy poncho-like jacket, and tall patent leather heeled boots. The first song she sang was “Only Love Can Save Us Now” from her 2023 album, Gag Order. She then brought out two dancers on stage who accompanied her in a clock-like dance while she performed a fan favorite, “TiK ToK.” The crowd screamed along to every lyric of this song, along with “Cannibal,” also from her debut album Animal. When Kesha performed “Raising Hell,” she appeared in a sexy nun outfit, which included a lace-up bare-back bodysuit and the same patent boots (outfitted with a nun headpiece, of course).
During Kesha’s performance of “Take It Off,” fans threw clothing items onto the stage, and Kesha danced around with them. After singing the slower and more emotional track, “Fine Line,” she picked up a pair of panties from the stage and threw them off to her mother on the side stage, laughing while explaining to the audience that her mother now has them. While chatting with the crowd, Kesha asked audience members to vote for a song of choice, which ended up being “Rainbow,” the title track of her album, Rainbow. She then gave everyone a treat: a second song of choice, “Happy,” which technically tied with “Rainbow” during the voting process. During this time, Kesha also pulled out a folding fan that was given to her by a fan at a different show, that spells out the word “cunt” in bold capital letters.
After a short interlude, Kesha sang four back-to-back bangers: “Timber,” “Your Love Is My Drug,” “Die Young,” and “Blow.” During “Your Love Is My Drug,” Kesha challenged the crowd to cheer as loud as possible. After these high-energy hits, the “Only Love Reprise” track played before Kesha re-emerged onto the stage and ended her set with “Praying” and “We R Who We R.” During the last song, Kesha encouraged fans to embrace their identity and individuality while her dancers, wearing rainbow fringe on their arms, ran around waving pride flags as the stage lights painted a rainbow design all over the stage.
This show was definitely one for the books! Learn more about Kesha’s tour and upcoming shows here.
Set List
Only Love Can Save Us Now
TiK ToK
Cannibal
Backstabber
Raising Hell
Take It Off
Good Old Days (Macklemore Song)
Eat the Acid
Fine Line (acoustic)
Rainbow
Happy
Hate Me Harder
Ram Dass Interlude
Timber (Pitbull Song)
Your Love is My Drug
Die Young
Blow
Only Love Reprise
Encore
Praying
We R Who We R
