The eve of Pride Month saw Bebe Rexha’s return to the road as she kicked off the Best F’n Night of My Life Tour at The Van Buren. With it being her first headlining run in six years, Rexha pulled out all the stops for a shimmering evening of hits.
Queer icon Zolita opened the night in her own sparkling outfit and impressively tall boots for a set filled to the brim with empowerment. Her songs reflect themes of strong female voices, sexual liberation and unabashed fun with all of it, while also keeping true to her own queer experience. Zolita’s acoustic moment, “Ashley”, was dedicated to the singer’s partner and it was a sweet interlude between the harder hitting “Ruin My Life” and new single “Grave”.
She also flipped the script on a cover of Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”, changing the pronouns to reflect a female cheater before closing her well-received set with “Somebody I Fucked Once”.
When Bebe Rexha emerged from the shadows in her spangled pink coat and feathered hair, the gasp and screams from the crowd could undoubtedly be heard from the streets of Phoenix. She was head to toe hot pink perfection, ready for the live debut of tracks from her last album.
Even her two stunning dancers and live band couldn’t pull focus away from Rexha as the singer had every eye in the room on her. Fans knew the words to every song and it was clear they’d been waiting for their chance to scream “Miracle Man” and “Bad Bitch” live after so much time away.
For her part, Rexha looked exhilarated to be back onstage and made the fans part of the show- pulling one ecstatic attendee onstage to rap Nicki Minaj’s verse in “No Broken Hearts” and diligently stopping the set when a medical emergency occurred in the crowd. Rexha was rendered speechless after pulling two fans onstage- one of whom was volunteered by his wife and kids- for a legendary twerk battle to “Hey Mama”.
It wasn’t all about the party, however, and Rexha paused midway through the set to acknowledge her own mental health struggles and the pressures of the music industry. Everyone had a chance to sway and catch their breath through “Stars” and “Seasons” before the party ended on “In the Name of Love” and smash single “I’m Good (Blue)”.
Rexha’s absence from the touring circuit was acutely felt if the reaction from Arizona’s kickoff crowd was any barometer but the girls and the gays made sure to turn out in style to celebrate her incredible comeback. We’re counting the Best F’n Night of My Life Tour as the official commencement of hot girl summer- get in because it’s time to party!
Check out all the photos from the show!
Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
