LAUV’S THE ALL 4 NOTHING TOUR 2022
Review written by Mia Loto
It was September 12, 2022, on a Monday evening at the Arizona Financial Theatre when Lauv performed his “Lauv: All 4 Nothing Tour with Special Guests Haley Kiyoko and Payday.” The venue being in downtown Phoenix had ample side street parking and garage parking for the night. (Even with petitioners asking for signatures before the event started.)
The ample parking may be due to the concert being on a Monday, but many of his fans still came to watch. I even overheard the people nearby stating how excited they were to be here from California–a potential five to seven hour drive–to see one of their favorite artists! The bag policy was heavily implemented making a lot of fans rent out lockers outside of the venue and the ample security check-ins made the lines to enter the building non-existent. When heading towards the auditorium, it didn’t seem like all the food vendors knew exactly how to help figure out where people could go to get to their seats, but the signs were visible and with enough patience and curiosity, anyone could figure out where theirseats were. There was typically one security guard/ticket helper near the entrances of the door.
Once I went through the doors, I was able to find my seat easily. The women’s restroom was
clean, the food lines were short in between performances and the merchandise line was well
organized.
Five minutes before the opener PayDay starts their performance, I see the excitement of fans
rallying into the auditorium. Groups of all ages and dynamics watch and listen as PayDay
engages with the crowd. Although they’re alone on stage, PayDay performs with energy and
enthusiasm accompanied by pre-recorded music. I was disheartened to hear the songs
overpowered PayDay’s voice, but surprised to hear them rap as it was my first time hearing her
music. She stated it was her first indoor concert for the tour which was probably for the best as it
was about 98°F outside that night. I really enjoyed their new song: “White Mercedes” as it was
definitely a banger that got the crowd feeling a type of way. At the end of PayDay’s
performance, someone in the crowd yelled “Do you like dolphins?” and made dolphin noises.
The whole crowd laughed which felt like a great way to end her performance. I think PayDay did
a great job filling the space of the auditorium all by themselves.
A few minutes of pop music and r&b played as they changed the stage for Haley Kiyoko’s
performance. There were signs of her head and her girlfriend in the audience as she sang. I felt
that the first song did not do her voice justice as the live percussionist was not properly leveled to
her voice and in fact overpowered it. Her second song, “sugar at the bottom” was amazing. The
light show really helped set the mood for each song going from a trance-like environment to a
more innocent sort of feel. The drum and guitar features she had were amazing. I even loved the
“sensual/sexy” dance she did for everyone. She made it apparent to her fans that she is lesbian
in the middle of her show and at the end waved a pride flag for all the gays in the middle of her
last song. Her speech on being happy and celebrating yourself felt genuine and lovely.
Now the main event: Lauv, had a more technical set that needed to be built. The stage that lit up
was shaped like a photographer’s backdrop. For his intro song, he did the typical “sad boy hour”poses as the fans cheered and screamed for him. As he sang “Paris in the Rain” electronic
raindrops were falling down until he sang “Chasing Fire” which was definitely a crowd favorite
as everyone sang the chorus jumping up and down with the artist. His fourth song: “Stanger” had
a euphoric and hazy feel to it with drums that went crazy on the beat. Hearing him hit all the
high notes on each individual song was amazing and I can understand the love the crowd was
giving him. Although Hayley Kiyoko had taken a selfie for someone in the audience, Lauv took
a “BeReal” which, having used the application myself, does take a minute to take a photo
from both the front and back camera to post on the “BeReal” social media app. “Molly in
Mexico” was getting sweaty, so when he took his shirt off, he switched to a smiley face shirt
someone in the crowd threw at him that he thought was “dope.” During his 12th song, it seemed
that the crowd was yelling at him about an audience member getting dehydrated. He apologized
and respected his fans for helping him stay on top of it. He reset the song and the crowd carried
on listening to his singing. As he finished, he told the fans of him fighting his inner demons
and letting everyone know that he’s creating a meditating vlog for anyone who wants to listen
and needs a sort of therapy for better wellness.
Overall, it was a great show. The sounds from the speakers could have been adjusted better and
sometimes the lights would blind me from my seats, but everyone around truly enjoyed the
the experience they had there.
LAUV
HAILEY KIYOKO
PAYDAY
