“We made history tonight!” Lizzo told her audience after playing a flute once owned by James Madison.
Lizzo played a piece of history Tuesday night during her Washington, D.C. concert as the “About Damn Time” singer hit all the right notes when she performed on stage with a priceless 200-year-old crystal flute.
Lizzo was the first and only person to ever use the crystal flute in over 200 years, which once belonged to American President James Madison, the nation’s fourth commander-in-chief.
Before hitting the high notes, she gave her audience a bit of a history lesson, which harkens back to the War of 1812 when first lady Dolly Madison had to flee the White House after the British set fire to it.
"There was a fire when he was away the only two things that were saved was a portrait of George Washington and this crystal flute sitting right here,” Lizzo told the crowd.
The “Truth Hurts” singer also admitted she was nervous before playing it, telling the audience, "it's crystal. it's like playing out of a wine glass.”
After playing the instrument, Lizzo then joked, saying, "I just twerked and played James Madison’s flute!”
“We made history tonight!” she added.
After two centuries, how did the flute come to be so perfectly preserved? The flute is stored in a temperature-controlled vault at the Library Of Congress, which invited Lizzo to visit two days before her concert in the city.
The vault contains 1,700 flutes with historical significance and the “Rumors” singer was allowed to play whichever one she wanted when she was in town this week. She tried a few of them, including a wooden flute, but ultimately chose to play the national treasure.
Following her visit, the Library of Congress tweeted a whole thread about the flute on Twitter with more images of Lizzo's visit.
