Aussie pop star Betty Who should be playing arenas in no time — which made it feel extra special to see her at The Wiltern on Saturday night in Los Angeles as part of the final leg of her Party In The Valley tour, celebrating her epic record from last year The Valley.
If you peeped the singer’s Instagram, you could see how ecstatic she was to be playing that big of a venue in Los Angeles, and that enthusiasm carried into her show tenfold. She arrived on stage in a white blazer and white skirt, soon revealing a glittery silver bikini underneath a few songs into the set.
Her two backup dancers were on point, and Betty Who moved nonstop along with them. I was out of breath just watching them run through their routine. Betty Who had the luxury of a backing vocal track whenever she needed to catch a breath, but a Britney Spears lipsync show this was NOT. She flexed her powerful vocals throughout the night.
One of the highlights of the show was the banger “Pretend You’re Missing Me” — which sounds like something Mariah Carey would have sang in the ’90s. The ’90s pop sound was apparent throughout the show, with a lot of the tunes also sounding like the kind of music Katy Perry should have been making instead of her recent work.
During “Heartbreak Dream”, she brought the two women musicians in her band from the back of the stage to the front to dance alongside her, both of which seemed to be having as much fun as the crowd.
Betty Who played her ballad “Wanna Be” with just an acoustic guitar, and when it came to the falsetto part of the chorus, you realized how Los Angeles of a crowd it was — as in, everyone was in key because half of them are probably singer-songwriters who hope to one day reach Betty Who heights.
For her encore, Betty Who gave her own spin on the Donna Lewis classic ’90s jam “I Love You Always Forever” and then her massive hit “Somebody Loves You”. For the latter, two girls were in the aisle to the right of me doing their own amazing choreography, holding out imaginary microphones to each other to sing into. It looked like the most fun anyone has ever had at a concert.
My photographer Stephanie texted me after the show how much fun she had dancing in a sea of really attractive gay men for the duration of the show after getting her (amazing, as you can see below) shots for the first three songs. If you’re looking for a carefree neverending dance party, catch Betty Who when she rolls through your town.
Photos by Stephanie Varela Rheingold
