Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas Credit: Grayson Keglovic

Millennial Disney-kid nostalgia was at an all-time high last night when Demi Lovato opened her “It’s Not That Deep Tour” at Orlando’s Kia Center.

The show, which became the tour’s opener after Lovato canceled some earlier dates, featured several moments that shocked the audience. There were Disney co-star reunions, performances of unreleased music and a reminder that Lovato is no longer the person she used to be … whether that be the wide-eyed Disney child actor or the young-adult star whose personal struggles were held under an internet microscope. 

Performing a mix of throwback and more recent songs, this setlist was underscored visually when Lovato rolled a metal clothing rack of her old costumes on stage.

This clothing rack held a numbered wardrobe that represented albums from the pop star’s discography. Lovato had an audience member pull a number from a bag that would “randomly” indicate which era she would draw from. The number 1 was pulled, which meant Lovato would perform a song from her first era: Camp Rock. And if it was, indeed, a random draw, what happened next was anything but random.

Halfway through a performance of “This Is Me” from the first Camp Rock movie, Lovato ushered fans’ gazes to the garage door to the left of the stage. The door opened to reveal Camp Rock’s main man, Joe Jonas. As the two finished the the song, we wondered if Jonas’ microphone was turned on. It was, but the audience was so loud you wouldn’t know. Jonas accompanied Lovato for one more song, “On the Line,” one she hadn’t performed since 2008.

As if the night couldn’t get any more Disney-fied, word quickly spread that Selena Gomez was in the building. Tucked away in the front of premium Loge Seating, Gomez shared the concert via her Instagram stories. Gomez’s social media praise of Lovato was a reminder of the pair’s early friendship and just how much has changed since their days toiling for the Mouse.

Lovato’s current rebrand is one that feels familiar and reminiscent of summer’s past. Of course, performance elements like indoor sunglasses, on-stage camera work and strobe lights have been around for decades, but Lovato’s tour atmosphere felt somewhat familiar (cough Charli XCX cough). We couldn’t help but wonder if there was any inspiration taken from the British singer-songwriter’s record-breaking year. Is Lovato in search of her own brat summer? She’s already “cool for the summer,” after all.

No matter the era or the image rebrand, Lovato stayed true to her undeniably powerhouse vocals. She even performed an unreleased song called “Low Rise Jeans” in between belting out ballads and singles.

Former Dream Academy contestant-turned-solo artist Adéla is the supporting act for Lovato’s 18-date tour, and we’re calling it now: Adéla is a hidden gem well on her way to stardom. Adéla, formally known as Adéla Jergová, gushed over the fact that this Orlando show was her first-ever arena performance. Seizing this moment, Adéla took her first arena gig as an opportunity to share upcoming single “KBG.”

While Lovato is the true star of the “It’s Not That Deep Tour,” we have to praise the dance performances from both Lovato and Adéla’s backup dancers. There were moments from both artists’ performances where the extra dancers absolutely stole the show. No mean feat.

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