Lizzo sees threatening signs in Napa before BottleRock set
Lizzo refused to let the bigots win during her headlining performance on Saturday night at BottleRock Napa Valley.
The first Black woman to headline BottleRock, Lizzo described an unsettling scene as she approached the festival.
“I saw signs talking about how they want to cancel people like me. Silence people like me. Choke people like me. And they right across the street,” said Lizzo in a song break during her rendition of “Special.”
“So we’re going to sing this one more time so they can hear it, because maybe they haven’t heard it in a long time,” said Lizzo in reference to her lyric, “In case nobody told you today, you're special.“
Lizzo did not say what signs she was mentioning specifically but a Napa Valley Register article from 2021 describes controversy around signs reading “CHOKE THE WOKE” and “AMERICA LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT” posted near the Napa Valley Expo.
The show featured a number of other political moments, including closing her song, “Everybody’s Gay” with a shout of “Drag is not a crime!”
The call earned loud cheers as, even in Northern California, drag organizations have come under intense duress.
Miikka Skaffari/FilmMagic
Despite the threats, Lizzo still seemed like she was having fun onstage. As she’s proven in previous Bay Area performances, Lizzo could have been a flute-playing standup comic in a different life. From dramatically halting her show to hide from a bee onstage, to lovingly referring to her backup band as the “Lizbians,” the Emmy-winner had the crowd giggling throughout the night.
Miikka Skaffari/FilmMagic
And it’s hard not to crack a smile at lines like, “When it’s bad bitch o’clock, it’s also consequently thick thirty.”
Along with her many hits including “Truth Hurts,” “Good As Hell” and “About Damn Time,” Lizzo also covered “Do Wop (That Thing)” by Lauryn Hill and “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan (which was also covered by Whitney Houston).
If the bigots truly want to cancel Lizzo, they’re going to have a hell of a time doing it. Even on a day that featured other stars like Keanu Reeves, Duran Duran, Carly Rae Jepsen and Leon Bridges, Lizzo’s set was the most crowded performance by far.
Source: SFGATE
