The Neon Lights Tour

On September 27, 2013, a video was published on Lovato's Facebook page with the words "Neon Lights" formed out of neon lights and at the end, it said: "Sunday 6PM EDT".[1][2] On the following Sunday, the Neon Lights Tour was announced along with the dates. The tour is named after the third single from the album Demi, "Neon Lights". Fifth Harmony, Little Mix, Cher Lloyd, and magician Collins Key were featured as opening acts. Tickets became available on October 5, 2013.[3] During the season finale of The X Factor 2013, Lovato announced her plans to leave the show, instead endeavoring to focus on music and touring for 2014. When asked about her plans for the tour, Lovato stated "You can expect a show that I've never put on before, I'm really excited. Other shows I've had have been all about the music, but this time I want it to be about girl empowerment, I want it to be a huge party that everyone has fun at and leaves with an incredible experience." In the same interview, she teased about a possible cover collaboration on the tour with the girls of Fifth Harmony.[4] Upon another interview Demi stated she had been working with longtime friend Nick Jonas on the show, stating "He's helping create the show for my tour next year, today we were talking about designs and music and how we can really make my show incredible and like nothing I've done.[5]

On February 4, 2014, it was announced that Nick Jonas would be working as the Musical and Creative Director for the tour. Jonas told Rolling Stone "I'm overseeing video content, wardrobe, lighting, and staging, and then I'm extending into the musical side of things, which includes creating the arrangements for the songs. I'm building what Demi wanted, which is a show without stops and starts. Demi and I have the same manager, so I was immediately excited when I was offered the position. The relationship that Demi and I had over eight years really gives me the insight into how to best communicate with her and her team."I've been in rehearsals with the band for the last two weeks. The biggest challenge has been just trying to rethink some of the music and see how we could complement it with lights and video. I sat down with the band and said to them, 'You need to step into this like it's a new gig. None of these arrangements are going to sound like the originals, so you need to have an open mind.'"[6]

Prior to beginning off the tour, Lovato released a teaser video on her YouTube channel displaying video content that would be used during the show. Nick Jonas told MTV News: "there's a lot of exclusive content for this tour. Demi came to the whole team just on the creative side — both video and music, and she said, 'I want to give fans something special for every bit of the show.'" Lovato went on to comment that one of her inspirations for the tour was Beyoncé, stating "I was also really inspired by Beyoncé, who had a music video for every single song on the album. Some of these I had music video ideas for a while and..... I'm excited for people to see it." In the same interview, both Nick and Demi went on to describe the 're-imagining' of Lovato's older songs, saying they went online to see what her fans wanted to hear, and what Demi had played on her last two tours. Nick commented that "a lot of these songs aren't even the original arrangements. They've been completely re-imagined." Demi also went on to say, "we've made them more current too, so we've transformed songs that went from being made a couple years ago to actually sounding like today's music."[7]

Demi Lovato during The Neon Lights Tour in Belo Horizonte

The concert began with an opening underwater video sequence of Lovato, shown on the stage screens, accompanied with a black stage. The film showed heart beats, suggesting the opening song of "Heart Attack". At the end of the underwater video, shots of the "Heart Attack" video begin to appear, Lovato singing the opening lines, before rising up out of the stage, surrounded by jets of steam, and going on to sing "Heart Attack". "Remember December" is performed with an accompanying music video showing Lovato surrounded by snow, in a winter environment. The song is based on a brand new arrangement, with white stage lighting and strobe effects. "Fire Starter" sees the stage lit up with fire effects, while "The Middle" begins with Lovato playing a set of drums, before kicking off into the also newly arranged song, an accompanying video showing Demi in a desert. "Really Don't Care" begins with Demi leaning up against the lead guitarist center stage. The stage is then lit up in bright pink and blue to match the song's 'girl power' vibe. The stage is bathed in blue lights while Lovato slows down with renditions of "Stop the World", "Catch Me", and "Here We Go Again". These see Lovato play the guitar, and at certain US concerts she is joined by Nick Jonas, who accompanies her with a duet.

"Here We Go Again" is the most significantly changed song, made into a slow, sultry rock song. Lovato goes on to play "Made in the USA", "Nightingale", and "Two Pieces." At the end of "Two Pieces" Lovato heads down into the crowd, where she performs among the audience. At this point there is a guitar solo. "Warrior" sees Lovato strip down, playing the piano, an accompanying music video of Demi clad in armor being shown. Before this song Demi gives a signature speech to each city, making it one of the most personal part of the concert. "Let It Go" is performed as a pop rock song, and at the end of "Don't Forget", a video montage is shown of Lovato's musical journey, displaying various music videos of her songs. She then breaks into "Got Dynamite" after saying "that was me throughout the years..... and then..... I grew up." "Unbroken" and "Neon Lights" are both the club style song of the tour, with Cole Plante joining as a guest DJ on the US shows. During "Neon Lights", fans are able to use their phones on the Demi Lovato Official App, where they light up in time with each other, the stage is lit with Neon Lights, with an accompanying video being shown. During the choruses, steam it blown at around the stage, and strobe lights are shone out. As the song closes Lovato is lowered back into the stage, confetti being blown around the arena.

The encore begins with video content showing the media response to Lovato being admitted to rehab in 2010. This is followed by highlights of her success since her recovery, and when the video concludes, Lovato enters the stage. This is the only outfit change of the show, with Demi wearing a long black dress to sing "Skyscraper". At the final chorus Lovato is lifted off the stage on a platform, a series of spotlights directed upon her. Demi closes the show by ripping her dress off to reveal the outfit that she wore for the rest of the show, and putting on a leather jacket to sing the final song, "Give Your Heart a Break". Overall the concert uses significant amounts of pyrotechnics, lighting, and video content; with little choreography allowing Demi to use the stage in her signature rock style.[8]

Lovato performing at Nationwide Arena on March 22

Jason Lipshutz from Billboard called the show "a highly enjoyable evening", and found the performance of "Neon Lights" to be the show's "most memorable moment". He also referred to the opening video for "Skyscraper" as being "A candid, surprisingly affecting montage."[9] Mary Diaz from 99.7 NOW praised the show as "MORE than worth the wait!", deeming it "jam packed with talent, beauty, amazing voices, beautiful stage sets, and magic."[10] Mike Wass from Idolator called the show "flashy yet strikingly intimate", stating "there was no choreography and only one costume change, but you don't need shiny distractions when you can belt out songs like Demi and connect with the crowd on such an emotional level. That's not to say that the production was boring. Far from it."[11] Maychelle Ornos from International Business Times called the tour "epic" and "something to look forward to because Demi has taken all the steps to please and wow her fans."[12] Kayla Ziadie of Sun-Sentinel also gave a positive review, feeling the show "truly began" with Lovato's performance of "Heart Attack".[13] Jim Harrington from San Jose Mercury News gave a negative review, criticizing Lovato's live vocals and calling the show "just barely interesting enough to keep one's attention."[14]

This set list is representative of the performance in East Rutherford on March 7, 2014. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.[15]

According to Pollstar, Demi Lovato's tour grossed $16.8 million in the first half of 2014 from 42 shows. [23]

• Official website