Viva La Lisa! 5 Best Moments From LISA’s Opening Night in Las Vegas

For the opening sequence, the pop culture icon was lifted from the stage in an aerial hoop in an explosion of crimson feathers and cascading tulle, framed by an enormous golden lotus that appeared to blossom around her. 

During “Tarantino,” the opening track from Press Play, the stage became a showgirl’s dressing room, complete with clothing racks, mirrors and sparkling costumes. Dancers attended to Lisa as she shed her feathered entrance piece and slipped into a red coat. The audience was invited behind the curtain, where the business of becoming a showgirl was every bit as theatrical as the performance itself.

Then came “FXCK UP THE WORLD,” and the fantasy took a sharp turn toward The Matrix. Green digital graphics illuminated an industrial maze of platforms and scaffolding as Lisa continued shedding layers, revealing a red-lace bodysuit and thigh-high black boots.

For the live debut of “V12,” she pulled on an oversized burgundy fur-style coat and strutted through a metropolitan streetscape as flames rose behind her. By “Rockstar,” the chapter’s closing number, she commanded an elevated platform as dancers moved around and beneath her. Three songs made their live debuts in the opening chapter: “Tarantino,” “V12” and “BADGRRRL.”

After the opening chapter’s succession of dramatic costume reveals, Lisa turned up the temperature with “Sweat,” another live debut from Press Play, nailing a sultry dance sequence with her male troupe.

The mood became more playful for “Elastigirl,” whose intro incorporated elements of Britney Spears’ “Gimme More.” Lisa took command of an elevated platform in towering black boots, with strips of gray fabric swinging from her hips that emphasized her incredible moves.

The chapter also featured “Goals,” her collaboration with Anitta and Rema, and “Rapunzel,” which gave Lisa a welcome opportunity to address the audience directly. Moving to the front of the stage, she crouched down to get closer to fans and shared that it was one of her “favorite songs.”

The chapter closed with “Money,” her breakout solo hit from 2021, followed by an extended dance-break remix incorporating Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money” and BLACKPINK’s “JUMP.” A lucky few in the pit were able to collect some of the “Lisa bucks” as she made it rain with her own currency.

For all the pyrotechnics, aerial action and monumental production, some of the evening’s most memorable moments came when Lisa brought the performance down to a more personal level.

In the third chapter, she became the good angel and shifted the mood with “Moonlit Floor,” followed by “Dream,” performed on a hydraulic B-stage in the audience that rises to the balconies of The Colosseum. During “When I’m With You,” she ventured into the crowd to greet fans. The chapter concluded with “Born Again,” her collaboration with Doja Cat and RAYE.

“Cut U Off” and “Cobra,” both from press play, made their live debuts in the fourth chapter, bringing the number of songs performed from the new EP to six. Released just three weeks ago, the project provides the musical framework for much of “Viva La Lisa.”

“New Woman,” her collaboration with Rosalía, came before Lisa introduced “Leave With Me,” an unreleased track.  At Las Vegas residencies, audiences often expect the greatest hits, but the amount of new material departed from the traditional formula. Lisa used the stage to reveal another side of her sound.

Lisa saved some of her most dramatic transformations for the final chapter, beginning with “Thunder” as storm clouds rolled across the towering video screens. For “Bad Angel,” her collaboration with electronic music producer Anyma, she emerged in a black costume with sculptural, winglike shoulders and thigh-high boots, looking every bit the fallen angel. The ominous imagery and dark theatricality gave the production a decidedly different atmosphere from the bright red costumes and playful choreography of the earlier chapters.

The mood shifted again for “SaWaDiKa,” the finale from Press Play, which brought Lisa’s Thai heritage to the forefront. The title is a stylized version of sawasdee kha, the traditional Thai greeting used to say hello or goodbye. Its Bangkok-filmed music video incorporates Muay Thai boxing, tuk-tuks and other references to Thai culture, presenting the sights and sounds of her homeland.

Lisa opened with “Tarantino” and finished with “SaWaDiKa,” bookending the five-chapter production with songs from Press Play. For an artist who has increasingly incorporated her Thai roots into her solo music, ending her first Las Vegas residency performance with a nod to where she came from felt particularly fitting.

And for Las Vegas, which has welcomed generations of pop royalty to its stages, the arrival of its first K-pop residency headliner marked the beginning of a fresh chapter.