Monday 25 April 2022

Dua Lipa at The Hydro

Way back in 2020, when the country was locked down, Dua Lipa released Future Nostalgia on 27th March. Around that time our eldest daughter Zoe discovered Tik Tok and on it she discovered the song Don't Start Now. Before long, we all knew it!

And before long we all fell in love with Future Nostalgia, an album that would go on to be one of my albums of the year. Rammed full of hits; catchy, clever and euphoric pop. We tuned into Dua's Studio 2054 online concert and longed for the day when she would visit Glasgow.

Last night she did!

Oh what a night!

Pure pop with a clubby edge at times. We had outfit changes, dancers, roller blading dancers, lights, balloons, confetti cannons, a levitating stage, a catwalk, a pop star on top of her game backed by an excellent band and with (even after only 2 albums) an incredible selection of pop songs.

The set was largely lifted from Future Nostalgia, a truly stunning pop album in its own right, but every song could (and many were) be a single. 

First, I must mention support act Griff who played a super 30-minute set and got the crowd singing along. Not only with her cover of Whitney Houston's classic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, but also with her own songs like One Night and Head On Fire. Tipped as one to watch at the 2021 Brits, I can only echo this and I'll be digging into her releases to date with as much eagerness as my kids. Only 21, Griff could explode over the next few years.

But last night was all about Dua Lipa. Her band, backing singers and dancers all took to the stage, introduced on the giant screens .... and then it was Dua in a pink PVC cat suit, strutting confidently on to the stage as her band jammed an extended intro to Physical.

And then things got physical! Dua and her dancers rarely stopped for the next 100-minutes. The crowd responded, cheering dance moves, breakdowns, singing choruses, singing full songs, waving mobiles, getting up on shoulders and generally going crazy. Many had been waiting almost 2-years for this performance. 

Cool is one of my favourite Dua songs, cause it is super cool, the synths are just sublime. Break My Heart is ridiculously catchy while being euphoric and clubby with it. Posing the brilliant question

Am I falling in love with the one that could break my heart?

Be The One was Dua Lipa's second single way back in 2015 and it was possibly my favourite song of the night. Dua and her band broke the song down and played off the room against each other to sing the chorus.

Boys Will Be Boys was euphoric, lifted in pace slightly from the album version? It certainly seemed that way. A clubby mix with the dancers going crazy on the catwalk stage while Dua changed outfits was really cool, a great show.

The big songs were really kicking in now. One Kiss was incredible, lifting everyone on to their feet (although many in the seats were up already), Hallucinate was pure pop perfection and even Cold Heart, Dua's duet with Elton John sounded euphoric in the way it was played. My kids love it, but I'm not a fan when it comes on the radio. I loved it last night!

Dua was simply sensational. Oozing confidence as she strutted, danced, hair flicked and sang, seemingly effortlessly. Her outfits were pure pop, catsuits, dresses, clubby outfits ... a pop superstar.

The dancers left the stage and Dua sang the euphoric Levitating from .... a levitating stage - of course! Theatrical and pure pop. Closing with a double punch encore of Future Nostalgia and Don't Start Now, confetti rained down on the crowd who were now deliriously giddy on a pure pop high.

Wow! Dua Lipa put on an incredible show. This was pop, theatre, a dance club, a disco, a dream and pure pop escapism. At only 26, Dua Lipa has the pop world at her feet. I can't wait to see and hear what she does next.

Setlist

1. Physical (extended)

2. New Rules (extended)

3. Love Again

4. Cool

5. Pretty Please

6. Break My Heart

7. Be The One

IDGAF

8. We're Good

9. Good In Bed

10. Fever

11. Boys Will Be Boys

Club Future Nostalgia Mix

12. One Kiss

13. Electricity

14. Hallucinate

15. Cold Heart

16. Levitating

17. Future Nostalgia

18. Don't Start Now


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