Review and Photos by Camille Germain
The fourth show from the end of the tour and Betty Who showed up to Seattle full energy and ready to dance. It would have been hard to believe this was one of her last shows on her BIG! Tour by the amount of energy she had. She made Showbox SoDo packed to the back of the room on a Tuesday night, a large party full of people feeling nothing but love.
Starting the night off with a stellar performance by Shea Couleé established the mood for the rest of the night. The internationally-renowned drag superstar, musician, actor, and model strutted their way along that stage with two backup dancers and power. For 35 minutes, a magenta-attired Couleé delivered original music without missing a beat. They started their set off with a sensational “NEW PHONE WHO DIS?” from their latest album, 8 and gave the same energy with every song after.
The audience lit up the second Shea Couleé hit the stage. Beyond an unquestionable connection with the audience and perfectly synced choreography, Couleé was magic. They got the audience revved up and set the tone for the entire night. I could not think of a better opening act for Betty Who’s BIG! Tour.
Betty Who is a force. She brought energy and love that was never ending throughout the entire night, even before she appeared. The anticipation vibrated in the crowd as the time grew close to Who’s set, wild cheering filled the room as they waited. When 9:15 hit, the stage lit up with changing images of Who in the backdrop until everything went black and she came out and stood in the middle-back of the stage with sunglasses and a bright red suit. Looking around and holding her confident stance, the music began and the performance took over.
The set started off with a few energetic songs off her latest release BIG! Until the lights dimmed and one of her backup dancers removed her suit jacket. She then sat at a keyboard and played the album’s title track, “BIG”. Afterwards, she continued with the upbeat dancing, but later switched from her red suit into a black one with a vest top and then into a black dance one piece and fishnet leotard.
Throughout the performance she was paired with two male backup dancers who were also wearing bright suits to match hers. The three performed endlessly with beautiful choreography that was both emotive and sexually suggestive. Betty Who is fun and not afraid to be goofy. What I found to be the best part of this show was her ability to be multi-faceted. She expressed truth and the human capability to contain many emotions and stories. Her smile alone was truly contagious, igniting the entire room with happiness.
The production was well thought out with a simple three-panel video screen set with changing images and videos that did not take away from the exciting choreography, bright energy, and colors of Betty Who and her dancers. Matching in bright energy were her fans, who were dressed in sequins throughout the venue. They knew every word she sang, and danced along the entire show.
Betty Who’s concert was one of the best I’ve been to and I highly recommend the experience! Her show brings empowerment, self-acceptance, togetherness, and love. From her meet and greet to the wave goodbye, love was ever-present.
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