Review: Zara Larsson brings endless summer energy to Chicago on Midnight Sun Tour
Y2k called and it wants nothing back from Zara Larsson. The queen of 2000s and 2010s core brought her Midnight Sun Tour to Riviera Sunday night, and as expected it was a midriff-bearing, pastel-drowning, glitter-bombing affair that proved time travel is possible with enough determination and cosplay.
For years, the Swedish pop star has been criticized for rehashing been there, done that tropes. As in, do we need another Britney Spears or can we just wait for the (hopeful) comeback? (Adding Spears’ “Gimme More” to her set list doesn’t help matters.) This was the overall feeling after seeing Larsson open for Tate McRae at the United Center last August. But it might’ve been a rush to judgment.
Given a larger stage and a full 90 minutes to fully display her powerhouse vocals and dance moves, Larsson proved she’s a strong contender in the current pop milieu that has largely been thriving off sequels, throwbacks and reinventions — all of which encompasses Larsson’s own story.
First discovered as a 10-year-old child after she won the 2008 edition of Swedish talent show “Talang,” Larsson was quickly signed to a record deal and released a series of albums that imbued the spirit of her predecessors Robyn and Ace of Base, but largely only moved the needle in Europe. In 2026, something finally clicked.
Thanks to the TikTok algorithm bait and the explosion of a Lisa Frank dolphin meme that paired the upbeat track “Symphony” with the ‘90s designer’s colorful imagery, people are finally discovering Larsson's talent that has been lurking in the shadows all this time. Many have been clamoring to her 2025 Grammy-nominated album “Midnight Sun” (recently rereleased in a special edition designed by Lisa Frank herself) and the “Stateside” collab track with PinkPantheress, which recently got a bump after Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu skated to the remix during an exhibition performance; it gave Larsson her first No. 1 position on the Spotify chart. But fans are also boosting songs Larsson wrote more than a decade ago — like the earworm 2015 club hit “Lush Life” — affording her the first Billboard hits of her career. The industry magazine has taken notice, too; in April, Billboard will recognize Larsson the Breakthrough Award at the annual Women in Music summit.
“I’ve been wanting to do this my whole life,” Larsson passionately shared to introduce her apropos song “Saturn’s Return” that featured some of her strongest vocals, edging in on Mariah Carey range. “You try to plan things or plan when it’s going to happen, and all you can do is follow along and try to be present and vulnerable,” she added. “I’m so happy to be here in this moment.”
The feeling was mutual with her fans, especially one named Austin who was plucked from the crowd to dance with Larsson on “Lush Life” in a part of the set that has now gone viral; after nailing the moves, he received some of the biggest cheers of the night. Hundreds of other Gen Z’ers, kids and their parents flocked to the all-ages event in a bright display of rainbow sherbet ensembles and carrying inflatable sea creatures that have become the unofficial mascot of the tour. In February, just weeks before the headlining performances kicked off, the entire trek completely sold out, and the demand felt palpable Sunday night. The show was massively packed with fans singing along to nearly every song and vying for front-row access; many were growingly frustrated that they were being denied entry into the first tier of the GA floor nearest the stage due to what security was calling “capacity” limits. In a better scenario, the show should’ve been upgraded to a larger room like the Aragon across the street.
But it was hard to stay mad too long with her sunshine-and-rainbows presence on stage. Larsson lives and breathes good vibes, an ethos she refers to as an “endless summer,” that comes across in visuals and in sound. As she whipped through club hits like “Midnight Sun” and the island pop track “Crush,” accompanied by her “Girl’s Girl” crew of women musicians, many in the crowd ditched the parkas they wore to get to Uptown. An ensemble of five fly girl dancers added to the vacation feel, showing off incredible synchronized choreography while wearing bikini tops, jean shorts and pool towels draped over their shoulders. It’ll be a good look a few months from now if the rumors are true that Larsson is playing Lollapalooza (we’ll find out Tuesday with the lineup drop). Whether she does or not, it will be a very #ZaraSummer with all eyes on the newest pop princess in town.
Zara Larsson Set List for March 15, 2026 show at Riviera Theatre
Midnight Sun
Blue Moon
Can’t Tame Her
I Would Like / Sundown
Love Me Land
All the Time
Pretty Ugly
Ain't My Fault
Hot & Sexy
Ammunition
Gimme More (Britney Spears cover)
Girl’s Girl
Wow
Ruin My Life
Saturn’s Return
The Ambition
Stateside (PinkPantheress collab)
Eurosummer
Crush
Lush Life
Never Forget You
Puss Puss
Midnight Sun
Symphony (Clean Bandit cover)