‘We arrived at 5pm thinking we would easily get the barrier, but we rounded the corner from O’Connell street and there was already a line down the street” exclaimed one excited fan in my ear as we waited for Jojo to make her entrance in The Academy on Monday September 29th. This Academy show marked Siwa’s second ever stop in Ireland, having previously brought her debut tour ‘Dreams’ to Dublin’s 3Arena in 2019.
Unusually, there was no support act scheduled for this performance, so what was already a quite early show, was made even more so. Unlike most shows I attend where the headliner goes on at about nine o’clock, this show was tailored towards the younger demographic and was scheduled to end at about half-nine; frankly a dream-scenario for a morning person. Speaking of age demographics, I wasn’t sure heading into this gig what to expect. I was a teenager through the ‘Jojo bow’ era, so had expected the audience to be dominated by kids with the majority of the older demographic made up of parents chaperoning their enthusiastic progeny. Entering the venue, I was met with a sea of sparkles, side pony-tails and face-painted fans of varying ages. Some I learned had followed Siwa since they themselves were children, some were recent fans garnered from her appearance in the Big Brother House earlier this year, while others were indeed chaperones, many of whom were just chuffed to be out on a school night enjoying some form of entertainment. Among the bows, the sparkles and a girl dressed in a highly distinguishable bedazzled hi-vis, was a scattering of fans adorned in tour t-shirts and hoodies purchased on the night from the merch stand, which had obviously been a popular stop on the night. The place was a hive of excitement which continued to build as the stage time crept closer. Once the clocks struck a quarter past seven the pink-hue lights dropped and an excited wave of giggles and cheers erupted from around me. One group to my left, attempted to start a ‘Jojo-Siwa’ chant, which in this case was unsuccessful but gave a good indicator of the energy that was to come from this audience.
As the opening bars of Siwa’s latest track ‘Infinity Heart’ echoed throughout the venue, her dancers took their positions onstage. The decibel level spiked as Jojo made her entrance, adorned in a beautiful sequined jacket and her trademark wide grin. Long departed was the sparkly tween with her hair styled into the signature side-pony and her famous bow. This was a different Jojo Siwa. This was the mature polished performer Jojo Siwa who exuded such confidence and star-power from her first entrance one fact was solidified in my mind; we were in for one heck of a night.
Aside from the enviable wardrobe stylings I knew she would deliver on the night, I hadn’t prepared myself for the breadth of talent Siwa could pack into a single performance. Tightly choreographed dances, a highly energetic set and a whole song where Siwa acted as the drummer followed. I had not known Siwa as a musician so this came as a surprise but I couldn’t help but feel impressed. The show went from strength to strength, with each song building off the momentum of its predecessor. Siwa moved effortlessly across the stage, in a way that just demanded your attention. The slick choreography and catchy melodies garnered the kind of energy in the room that had even the most reluctant parental chaperones shimmying along.
At one point, Jojo was filling an interlude between songs chatting with the audience and attempted to locate her youngest fan in attendance, who was revealed to be only five years of age, which garnered a sweet reaction from both the patrons and Jojo alike.
Before the show begun, a group of die-hard Jojo fans, had drawn my attention to a friend of theirs positioned across the room draped in an Irish flag with Siwa’s face designed in the centre. Much fuss was made by neighbouring fans of this specially designed prop, with many taking their own photos with it. The striking design also quickly garnered the attention of Siwa, who promptly requested the flag be passed to her onstage. This made my favourite moment of the night, the sight of Jojo Siwa proudly holding the nations flag on what was only her second time performing in Ireland was pretty cool to witness. Short of the regularly scheduled rendition of ‘Ole, Ole, Ole” we subject travelling artists to when they make our cities a stop on their tour, this was as Irish as you could get and made for a ‘picture perfect moment’ to sum up the wholesome energy of the night’s proceedings.
If I were to sum up this experience I would say, the ‘Infinity Heart’ tour was surprising in all the best ways. Siwa’s genuine joy to be onstage was clear from the outset and she delivered a show that had you leaving the venue full of life and energy, a difficult task to achieve on a Monday night. Overall what you can expect from this tour is energetic choreography, a catchy setlist and a talented performer at the helm who is only stepping into the peak of her powers, I could not find a fault in this show at all.
Jojo Siwa photos:
Photos & Words – Lisa Hamilton @lisahamiltonphotography