Storm Clouds part for Kesha in Pennsylvania

by Dave Parsons

The western Pennsylvania skies on July 24, 2025, were ominous-looking while the sold-out crowd was waiting to get in the gates of The Pavilion at Star Lake.  The crowd was decked out in neon to match the occasion of the Burgettstown, PA, stop of the Tits Out Tour.  The packed lineup headlined by Kesha!, Sister Scissors, and Rose Gray sold out as soon as it was announced, and now it was just a case of seeing if Mother Nature had other ideas.

British singer-songwriter Rose Gray opened the evening with a nine-song set that established the night’s theme of self-expression. From the moment she launched into ATTENTION!,Gray demonstrated she was her own force to be reckoned with and not just an opening act.

Building her set around songs like Just Two, Wet & Wild, and a striking cover of Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), she outplayed any expectations from the audience, especially for having no gimmicks. She just released her debut album in January 2025 and built her name on singles and heartfelt dance songs.  Fans knew little more than her singles on the internet, but now know who she is.

Gray closed with Party People, which served as both a celebration and a call to action for the audience to embrace the experience ahead. Her 30-minute set was just long enough to establish her identity and leave the audience wanting more.

As the sky grew dark for the second time, just as dusk settled in, the flamboyant energy of Scissor Sisters took the stage.  After a decade-plus break from major touring, Scissor Sisters’ return to the stage at 7:45 felt nothing short of a victory. Complete with all the band’s glam‑rock vibe and positive spirits they are known to bring, the set list shifted from nostalgic hits to theatrical fare. Laura opened the set, and She’s My Man followed, and the crowd showed their recognition of the material.

The real surprise came with Tits on the Radio, a fan favorite that they rarely did on tour in the past. The song’s celebration of body positivity was perfect with the tour’s themes, and they delivered it with the kind of conviction that made Scissor Sisters such a popular live act. They brought a faux‑funeral during Comfortably Numb, and confetti guns during Let’s Have a Kiki.  They even had a drum solo amid Filthy/Gorgeous. Their hour flew by in a comforting blast of glitter, and revisited emotions for long-lost favorites. 

Just as Kesha’s set was ready to begin, the sky opened up, and The Pavilion at Star Lake was partially evacuated. The rain poured for about 45 minutes, and a lot of folks were still making their way back into the pavilion and now muddy lawn when Kesha finally took the stage at 10:00 PM.  She made her entrance with authority and purpose as her theatrics signaled she was now in control of her narrative.

Kesha’s career, including her legal battle to regain independence, departure from her old label, and the release of her independent album, made her a bigger hero and icon than she was before. Now, under her own imprint of Kesha Records, she tells her story with power and intention.

The early portion of her 25-song set at Star Lake balanced familiar hits with material from her latest album.  She broke the show into a five-act production, complete with wardrobe changes, though some of the transitions dragged a little.  It could have been the weather delay, and juggling some of the set on the fly, as she left a few songs out that were usually in this tour’s setlist.

She began with Tik Tok, the anthem of youth, before calmly anchoring the evening in Only Love Can Save Us Now, a new track of healing.  She did the early‑career hits, while the stage visuals changed, with lasers, fog, and psychedelic lighting underscoring songs.  The screens behind her showed clips of childhood videos, early awards, and backstage moments, allowing the audience a glimpse of her world and bringing everyone along for the ride.

The run of songs, including FREEDOM, ATTENTION!, JOYRIDE, and YIPPEE-KI-YAY created the evening’s most sustained dance party, turning the hillside into a giant slip and slide, to be enjoyed in leopard-print and neon attire.  The weather delay actually added to a mythic quality and made this a unique stop on the tour. By the time Kesha launched into We R Who We R, with the clock headed for midnight, the storm clouds had literally and figuratively passed. This was pop music being fun and enjoyed in any way you saw fit. 

As audiences filtered out of The Pavilion at Star Lake, many lingered in the parking lots, reluctant to let the evening end. That reluctance to return to ordinary life is the mark of truly great live music. It was like the audience got to relive its youth one more time, Scissor Sisters revived their heritage with joy and glitter, and Kesha displayed that she has finally found redemption and liberation across decades of her music. Somehow, that part of the past was now settled and doing well, and all was better in the world.

Rose Gray Setlist July 26, 2025

1. ATTENTION!
2. Just Two
3. Wet & Wild
4. Free
5. Tectonic
6. Everything Changes (But I Won’t)
7. Angel of Satisfaction
8. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (Eurythmics cover)
9. Party People

Sister Scissors Setlist July 26, 2025

1. Laura
2. She’s My Man
3. Tits on the Radio
4. Take Your Mama / Freedom 90
5. Running Out
6. Any Which Way
7. Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd cover)
8. Let’s Have a Kiki
9. I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’
10. Filthy/Gorgeous

Kesha Setlist July 26, 2025

1. TiK ToK
2. Only Love Can Save Us Now
3. Warrior
4. Crazy Kids
5. C’Mon
6. Thinking of You
7. Out Alive
8. Sleazy
9. BOY CRAZY.
10. Cannibal
11. DELUSIONAL.
12. Take It Off
13. Blow
14. The Drama
15. Fine Line
16. Ram Dass Interlude
17. Happy
18. Eat the Acid
19. FREEDOM.
20. ATTENTION!
21. JOYRIDE.
22. YIPPEE-KI-YAY.
23. Timber (Pitbull cover)
24. RED FLAG.
25. Dinosaur
26. THE ONE.
27. Die Young
28. CATHEDRAL
29. Praying
30. Your Love Is My Drug
31. We R Who We R

Rose Gray Photos

Scissor Sisters Photo Album

Kesha Photo Album