Pop icon Kesha had her fans Tik Tok-ing at her Live at the Marquee gig

Having grown up on the music of many pop icons, Kesha’s return to Live at the Marquee on Tuesday night, as an older member of Gen-Z, left me feeling filled with nostalgia for the late 2000s.

Kicking off her sold-out headline gig with her iconic song Tik Tok, the initial electronic roll of the backing track transported me from my 27-year-old body on the Centre Park Rd to my childhood bedroom.

Despite being 12-years-old at the time of its release, which was much too young to understand the concept of brushing my teeth with ‘a bottle of Jack’, the song certainly went triple platinum on my iPod in 2010.

Greatest hits

Kesha’s set, opened by English DJ Jax Jones, was filled with some of the now 39-year-old’s greatest hits, many of which have been remixed following a legal dispute with her former producer Dr Luke, which was settled out of court in June 2023.

Arriving on stage in a Victoria’s Secret runway-esque corset and wings, the American singer spoke to the crowd – comprising mostly young teenagers – saying that her intention for the performance was “freedom from my past”.

Her opening number was followed by some of her later music, including Only Love Can Save Us Now from her 2023 album Gag Order, before returning to her peak with Crazy Kids and Blow.

Singing along

The crowd drank up the Y2K atmosphere, singing along word-for-word to each number, creating a shared sense of nostalgia for the older concert goers.

Despite being a pop diva claimed by the latter half of Gen-Z, it was obvious to see that Kesha’s reach goes far beyond those born in the mid to late 90s.

Audience members donned their finest cheetah print shorts and glittery blue hair extensions, with many parents who lined the perimeter of the tent wearing feathered earrings and sequined T-shirts to really channel that 2000s look.

Other songs featured in the set came from two of the singers’ more favoured albums from the 2010s – Animal and Warrior – including Your Love is My Drug, Sleazy, Cannibal, Take it Off, and my personal favourite, Die Young.

Throughout the performance, the Los Angeles native was visibly warmed by the glowing reception given on Leeside, delivering a tent-rocking closer with We R Who We R – finishing off her Freedom Tour’s Cork performance with a true Kesha banger.