Sometimes you just want a well-paced, hit-packed pop show — it’s really not that deep! At her sold-out Madison Square Garden show in New York City on Friday (April 24), Demi Lovato absolutely understood the assignment.
The Grammy-nominated pop sensation delivered a dance-pop spectacle built around her most recent album, last October’s It’s Not That Deep. A carefree, no-frills dance record — as its title suggests — Demi’s latest LP became her ninth to reach the top 10 of the Billboard 200 (No. 9), spawning the Hot Dance/Pop Songs top 15 hits “Fast” (No. 8) and “Here All Night” (No. 13). Executive produced by Zhone, It’s Not That Deep heralded yet another new chapter in Lovato’s career, yet last night still felt decidedly full-circle.
After breaking through with Disney Channel pop-rock anthems and becoming a top 40 mainstay with hits like “Heart Attack” and “Give Your Heart a Break,” Demi veered into soul-pop (2017’s Tell Me You Love Me) and rock (2022’s Holy Fvck), tying each era together with redemptive ballads and an endlessly resilient voice. Her musical evolution has always reflected the hills and valleys of her personal life, and her fans, particularly the OG early Gen Z Lovatics who grew up with her, have stuck beside her through it all. That context made Lovato’s Madison Square Garden stop a particularly triumphant show, but, perhaps more impressively, she didn’t coast on that nostalgia.
To be clear, this is truly the It’s Not That Deep Tour; the album’s songs make up the bulk of the setlist, with Demi fully committing to the post-Brat aesthetic in her industrial set design, flashy lights and use of behind-the-stage steadicam shots. Between sensual, club-evoking choreographer and rave-leaning mixes of the album cuts (and her previous dance bops), the It’s Not That Deep tour is two hours of standard pop fun. Of course, it’s not a Demi Lovato show without a few jaw-dropping vocal showcases, and she granted New York City just that with particularly impassioned renditions of beloved ballads like “Stone Cold” and “Skyscaper.”
Assisted by Adéla, as well as surprise appearances by husband Jutes and Jojo Levesque, Lovato made her Madison Square Garden headlining debut a night to remember.
Here are the five best moments from Demi Lovato’s It’s Not That Deep Tour stop in New York City.
