Last time Kesha played Milwaukee, a little over a year ago, her happy ending hadn’t been written yet. She’d been locked in a highly publicized battle to free herself from her contract with Sony Records, after alleging years of emotional and sexual abuse from her longtime producer Dr. Luke, and it remained unclear when, or even if, she’d get the chance to release the new material she said she was forbidden from performing. So instead she played seething, goth-rockabilly-punk versions of her old songs, mostly as an outlet for her anger.
For her return to the Rave last night, Kesha finally got a chance to play those new songs. She may not have been able to free herself from her contract, but with the court of public opinion firmly in her favor and her abuser now exiled from not only the label but the entire music industry, Kesha was able to release the record she’d been working on for years, Rainbow. It’s far and away one of the most personable, best-rounded pop albums of 2017, a showcase not only for Kesha's taste in rock, soul and country music, but for the brassy voice her dancier early records never gave her much of a chance to flaunt.
Performing for an adoring, sold-out crowd that displayed their fandom with glitter, glow sticks, and at least one unicorn costume, Kesha played the hard-partying hits she built her brand around, but most of the set was dedicated to her new material, which the crowd responded to as rapturously as the old radio staples. It was a party, mostly. Backed by a band including a pair of lanky, tuxedoed backup dancers and a couple of guitarists she pit against each other in a guitar battle, the singer treated glitter and confetti the way GWAR treats fake blood, showering the crowd with it.
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But a heaviness hung over the celebration. Kesha addressed the crowd frequently, preaching inclusion and sharing earnest, unscripted reflections on the struggle she’d overcome, at one point tearing up.Her whole set built to the main event: a performance of “Praying,” the power-ballad single that confronts her former abuser head on. Even without the studio version’s showstopper note, it was about as raw and powerful as anything you’ll ever see on a major pop tour, and coming after a week where hundreds of thousands of woman opened up about their own histories, it carried that much more weight. Kesha’s acutely aware that her story symbolizes something far greater than herself, and she wears that responsibility solemnly.
“It’s my life’s mission to spread as much love, equality, glitter and rock ’n’ roll as I can,” she declared during one of her raw-nerved sermons. Nobody could have left the concert questioning her commitment.
