# The Neon Lights Tour

The Neon Lights Tour was the third headlining concert tour by American singer Demi Lovato, in support of her fourth studio album, Demi (2013). The first leg of tour began in North America on February 9, 2014, at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia and ended on March 30, 2014, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The tour's second leg took place in both South America and Mexico. It started on April 22, 2014, at the Citibank Hall in São Paulo, Brazil and ended on May 17, 2014, at Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico.

## Background and development

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". 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. 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. 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.
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.'"

## Promotion

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 Jonas and Lovato went on to describe the "re-imagining" of Lovato's older songs, saying she went online to see what her fans wanted to hear, and what Lovato had played on her last two tours. Jonas commented that "a lot of these songs aren't even the original arrangements. They've been completely re-imagined." Lovato 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."

## Concert synopsis

The concert began with the black curtain opening and 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 Lovato in a desert. "Really Don't Care" begins with Lovato 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 her clad in armor being shown. Before this song Lovato 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 Lovato 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. Lovato 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" with the curtain closing ending the concert. 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.

## Critical reception

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." 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." 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." 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." Kayla Ziadie of Sun-Sentinel also gave a positive review, feeling the show "truly began" with Lovato's performance of "Heart Attack". 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."

## Set list

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.
* "Heart Attack"
* "Remember December"
* "Fire Starter"
* "The Middle"
* "Really Don't Care"
* "Stop the World"
* "Catch Me"
* "Here We Go Again"
* "Made in the USA"
* "Nightingale"
* "Two Pieces"
* "Warrior"
* "Let It Go"
* "Don't Forget"
* "Get Back"/"This Is Me"/"La La Land"/"Here We Go Again"
* "Got Dynamite"
* "Unbroken"
* "Neon Lights"

### Encore

* "Skyscraper"
* "Give Your Heart a Break"

## Tour dates

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, opening act, tickets sold, number of available tickets and amount of gross revenue :
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Opening act | Attendance | Revenue |
| Leg 1 – North America |||||||
| February 9, 2014 | Vancouver | Canada | Rogers Arena | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| February 11, 2014 | San Jose | United States | SAP Center | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| February 13, 2014 | Anaheim | United States | Honda Center | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| February 15, 2014 | Glendale | United States | Jobing.com Arena | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| February 17, 2014 | Grand Prairie | United States | Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| February 19, 2014 | Houston | United States | Toyota Center | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| February 21, 2014 | Atlanta | United States | Philips Arena | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | 8,813 / 8,813 | $400,275 |
| February 23, 2014 | Charlotte | United States | Time Warner Cable Arena | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| February 25, 2014 | Sunrise | United States | BB&T Center | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| February 26, 2014 | Tampa | United States | Tampa Bay Times Forum | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| March 1, 2014 | Camden | United States | Susquehanna Bank Center | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| March 2, 2014 | Fairfax | United States | Patriot Center | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | 7,123 / 8,525 | $357,973 |
| March 4, 2014 | Bethlehem | United States | Sands Bethlehem Event Center | Little Mix Daniella Mason Collins Key | — | — |
| March 5, 2014 | Worcester | United States | DCU Center | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | 9,037 / 10,676 | $421,463 |
| March 7, 2014 | East Rutherford | United States | Izod Center | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| March 8, 2014 | Wallingford | United States | Oakdale Theater | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| March 9, 2014 | Wallingford | United States | Oakdale Theater | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| March 11, 2014 | Uniondale | United States | Nassau Coliseum | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | 11,272 / 11,272 | $537,637 |
| March 13, 2014 | Auburn Hills | United States | The Palace of Auburn Hills | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | 8,189 / 13,193 | $326,596 |
| March 14, 2014 | Rosemont | United States | Allstate Arena | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| March 16, 2014 | Omaha | United States | CenturyLink Center Omaha | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| March 18, 2014 | Saint Paul | United States | Xcel Energy Center | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | — | — |
| March 20, 2014 | St. Louis | United States | Chaifetz Arena | Fifth Harmony Cher Lloyd Collins Key | — | — |
| March 22, 2014 | Columbus | United States | Nationwide Arena | Fifth Harmony Cher Lloyd Collins Key | — | — |
| March 23, 2014 | Grand Rapids | United States | Van Andel Arena | Fifth Harmony Cher Lloyd Collins Key | 5,072 / 5,342 | $264,360 |
| March 26, 2014 | Toronto | Canada | Air Canada Centre | Fifth Harmony Cher Lloyd Collins Key | 11,085 / 11,085 | $575,655 |
| March 27, 2014 | Cleveland | United States | Quicken Loans Arena | Fifth Harmony Cher Lloyd Collins Key | — | — |
| March 29, 2014 | Nashville | United States | Bridgestone Arena | Fifth Harmony Cher Lloyd Collins Key | 7,256 / 7,256 | $352,432 |
| March 30, 2014 | Indianapolis | United States | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | Fifth Harmony Cher Lloyd Collins Key | — | — |
| Leg 2 – Latin America |||||||
| April 22, 2014 | São Paulo | Brazil | Citibank Hall | The Rosso Sisters | 20,125 / 20,125 | $1,472,530 |
| April 24, 2014 | São Paulo | Brazil | Citibank Hall | The Rosso Sisters | 20,125 / 20,125 | $1,472,530 |
| April 25, 2014 | São Paulo | Brazil | Citibank Hall | The Rosso Sisters | 20,125 / 20,125 | $1,472,530 |
| April 27, 2014 | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | Citibank Hall | The Rosso Sisters | 15,911 / 16,382 | $1,104,220 |
| April 28, 2014 | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | Citibank Hall | The Rosso Sisters | 15,911 / 16,382 | $1,104,220 |
| April 30, 2014 | Brasília | Brazil | NET Live Brasilia | The Rosso Sisters | 5,733 / 5,733 | $456,132 |
| May 1, 2014 | Belo Horizonte | Brazil | Chevrolet Hall | The Rosso Sisters | 4,693 / 4,905 | $348,350 |
| May 3, 2014 | Porto Alegre | Brazil | Pepsi on Stage | The Rosso Sisters | 5,231 / 5,231 | $401,067 |
| May 6, 2014 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Luna Park | The Rosso Sisters | 6,758 / 6,758 | $536,690 |
| May 8, 2014 | Santiago | Chile | Movistar Arena | The Rosso Sisters | — | — |
| May 10, 2014 | Guayaquil | Ecuador | Explanada del Palacio de Cristal | The Rosso Sisters | — | — |
| May 16, 2014 | Mexico City | Mexico | Mexico City Arena | The Rosso Sisters | — | — |
| May 17, 2014 | Monterrey | Mexico | Arena Monterrey | The Rosso Sisters | — | — |
| Leg 3 – Europe & North America |||||||
| June 1, 2014 | London | England | KOKO | — | — | — |
| June 16, 2014 | Los Angeles | United States | Hollywood Bowl | — | — | — |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 129,898 / 135,296 (96%) | $17,655,380 |

## Cancelled shows

List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, and reason for cancellation :
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Reason |
| May 12, 2014 | Panama City | Panama | Figali Convention Center | Unexpected production conflicts. |
| May 14, 2014 | Guatemala City | Guatemala | Domo Polideportivo | Unexpected production conflicts. |

## Grossing

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