Demi Lovato - First Niagara Center 2016

Demi Lovato brought the Future Now: The Tour to Buffalo's First Niagara Center on July 17, 2016, sharing the bill with Nick Jonas and Mike Posner. The stop came just one day after the tour played Hershey and was part of the summer run that paired Lovato and Jonas for a massive arena tour.

Lovato was touring behind her 2015 album Confident, an era that found her firmly established as one of pop's biggest young stars. The Buffalo crowd got a performance built around her powerful voice, polished production, and a mix of newer material and songs from earlier in her career.

The Future Now concept worked particularly well because Lovato and Jonas were both given substantial portions of the show rather than simply treating one artist as a traditional opener. Buffalo fans got the chance to see two major pop performers in the same arena on the same night, with Mike Posner adding another recognizable name to the lineup.

Lovato's set drew from across her catalog, including songs from Confident, Demi, Unbroken, and her earlier releases. Her biggest moments naturally came from songs such as “Confident,” “Cool for the Summer,” “Heart Attack,” “Skyscraper,” and “Give Your Heart a Break,” material that showcased both her pop instincts and her ability to deliver a huge vocal performance.

The Buffalo appearance also has a little historical significance because First Niagara Center was only known by that name through September 18, 2016. The building subsequently became KeyBank Center, making the show part of the final stretch of the First Niagara era.

For fans who were there, the July 17 show was a snapshot of Demi Lovato at an important point in her career: young enough to still have her Disney-era history close behind her, but already an established arena performer with a growing catalog of major pop hits. With Nick Jonas and Mike Posner completing the bill, it was a thoroughly 2016 pop concert—and a memorable night at the old First Niagara Center.