In The Loop Magazine Turning The Salt Shed Into Her Own Feral Playground, Tove Lo Get Loud, Lusty and Completely Unapologetic

Turning The Salt Shed Into Her Own Feral Playground, Tove Lo Get Loud, Lusty and Completely Unapologetic

Sep 17, 2026 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By James Currie

The rain may have came for Chicago all day but just didn’t have the nerve to show up for Tove Lo. By the time the Swedish pop star hit the stage at The Salt Shed last night, the skies had finally backed off, leaving Tove Lo and an absolutely packed crowd under a dry Chicago night.

It was only the second performance of her ESTRUS tour, but there was nothing tentative about it. This was Tove Lo at full strength unfiltered, sexually liberated, fiercely independent and completely in control. Her new album, “Estrus” comes out Friday September 18th through her independent record label, Pretty Swede Records.

Tove Lo brought the biggest, most elaborate production of her decade-long touring career with her. I’ve been following and covering her shows in that time and this ESTRUS show is less a concert than a four-part descent into Tove Lo’s world. Each section has its own mood, attitude and visual identity, moving from flirtation and frustration into sadness, sex, pure animal instinct and finally full-blown estrus.

The opening act was flirty, frustrated and knowingly provocative. Tove Lo kicked things off with “I’m the Cake,” wearing a sash that seemed to say exactly what she already knew: she was the centerpiece of the night. “Cool Girl” followed, and the crowd immediately showed why her fans have stayed with her for more than a decade. They weren’t just singing along they were throwing themselves into the songs with her. Then things got sad and sexy.

The second act slowed the pulse with “des fleurs” and “Grapefruit,” showing the other side of Tove Lo’s songwriting the vulnerability underneath all the attitude. She has always been willing to put the ugly, messy, uncomfortable parts of relationships into her music, and she doesn’t soften the edges for anybody. Then came the feral part.

“DNH” kicked open the door before “Talking Body” the song that put Tove Lo on the map sent the crowd into overdrive singing along to the chorus. “disco tits” kept the temperature climbing. By this point, the distinction between pop concert and full-on party had completely disappeared. Tove Lo wasn’t asking permission.

That has always been part of her appeal. In a pop world that can still demand women fit neatly into somebody else’s idea of sexy, successful or acceptable, Tove Lo has spent the last decade writing her own rules. She can be vulnerable without being fragile, sexual without apologizing for it, and powerful without needing anyone else’s approval. The fourth act pushed that attitude even further.

“F.A.M.T.” helped launch the final stretch before “Habits (Stay High)” turned the Salt Shed into one enormous singalong. At one point, Tove Lo grabbed a fan’s cellphone from the crowd and used it to film herself singing and dancing before casually returning it. It was one of those spontaneous moments that felt completely natural because the audience wasn’t watching some untouchable pop star from a distance they were participating in her world. And they clearly love being there.

The production matched the attitude. Lights, video, staging and lasers transformed the Salt Shed into something far larger than an outdoor Chicago concert. For an artist who has spent roughly a decade touring, ESTRUS feels like a victory lap without ever becoming nostalgic. Tove Lo isn’t looking backward. She’s building something bigger.

By the end, lasers ripped across the stage and out toward the Chicago skyline as Tove Lo brought the main set to a close. Then she came back for the encore. “HEAT” and “I’m Your Girlfriend Right?” sent the crowd home sweaty, smiling and probably a little deaf.

Tove Lo’s greatest strength has never been simply making catchy pop songs. It’s the freedom she gives herself and, in turn, gives her audience to be messy, horny, heartbroken, powerful, ridiculous and completely unapologetic. At The Salt Shed, she wasn’t trying to prove that she belonged in pop music. She looked like she owned it.