Freedom Looks Good on Her: Kesha Reclaims Her Songs at Tinley Park

By Christopher David

“I haven’t played a lot of these songs in thirteen years. Will you help me take my songs back tonight?” This request, made just a few songs into Kesha’s triumphant appearance this weekend in Chicago her wildly successful Freedom tour, was met with one of the loudest responses from a Tinley Park audience I’ve heard in thirty years of attending shows there. To say that the crowd had Kesha’s back after years of legal woes, professional roadblocks and personal abuse would have been an understatement, and seeing one of the best pop artists of the modern era finally free to do what she wants was inspirational, sexy, and fun as hell.

The night was all about transformation, and a video message to start the show indicated that the setlist would be a meta-narrative of sorts about Kesha’s journey from where she was to where she is—though conceptually, the message never felt heavy-handed. Taking the stage layered in feathers and standing at a pulpit to deliver “Tik Tok,” followed immediately by a sensually-charged performance of “Only Love Can Save Us Now,” the show struck a tight balance between emotional moments and wild, kinky shenanigans in Kesha’s signature tongue-in-cheek style. “Thinking of You” saw the jubilant singer escorted through the crowd, shaking hands, signing autographs and beaming with delight the whole time, while a costume change into leather and bondage gear for a sweaty string of tunes including “Boy Crazy,” “Sleazy,” and “Take It Off” saw a lot of grinding—but a lot of smiling. Her joy was palpable and infectious, and her troupe of dancers offered flawless visual accompaniment during new single “Origami,” a fun little romp about different—ahem—positions.

Following a breather for a couple of acoustic tunes, “Die Young” and set closer “We R Who We R” (featuring a video montage of Kesha’s career and live moments through the years) were perfect summations of the general urgency pop music usually focuses on as well as key elements of Kesha’s own musical personality, someone who has always celebrated diversity, sexual positivity, and individuality.

“We don’t stand for abuse in my house,” she noted at the outset of the show, raising middle fingers at the mention of P. Diddy in “Tik Tok,” and the crowd responded in kind. “Are you ready for freedom?” Who knows where Kesha is headed from this point forward, having established her own label in 2024 (Kesha Records) and now finally able to be a truly independent artist, but it will most assuredly be a fun ride. Judging from the sold-out crowd at Tinley, her fanbase is certainly a lock—and the quirky creativity of her live show and catalog set her apart from most other pop artists out there in the best possible way.

Opening sets from electro-duo Chromeo and DJ Pretty Mess (aka Erika Jane of Real Housewives fame) were a perfect fit, keeping the crowd hyped and the danceable tunes rolling from the very start. All in all, one of Tinley’s most exciting ‘you had to be there’ shows of the summer.

Photos by Joseph Ruffalo, Courtesy of LiveNation

Setlist:

Tik Tok

Only Love Can Save Us Now

Warrior

Crazy Kids

C’Mon

Thinking of You

Out Alive (tape)

Blow

Sleazy

Boy Crazy

Cannibal / Backstabber

Delusional

Take It Off

The Drama / Ram Dass Interlude (tape)


Attention!

Joyride

Origami

Yippee-Ki-Yay

Timber

Red Flag

Whip It / Dinosaur

C U Next Tuesday (acoustic)


Good Old Days (Macklemore, acoustic)

Die Young

Cathedral

Praying

Your Love is My Drug

We R Who We R