More about: Dua Lipa

All of the 20,000 people gathered at Manchester’s AO Arena this evening had their lockdowns soundtracked by the album Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa. Such a sweeping statement feels safe to make, for the LP is now platinum in the UK, USA, Canada, Spain…and everybody here is on their feet to sing each and every word across 90 minutes of blinding staging.

Two years on from the release of the record we called “a dizzying rush of contemporary tinged disco, frothing over with established and potential hits” and Future Nostalgia feels like it is finally reaching its fullest potential: with a no-expense-spared arena tour cognizant of pop’s golden era.

Several artists—Self Esteem and Rina Sawayama among them—have shown us the reawakening of the fully-choreographed pop concert, and tonight, the genre achieves its ultimate form.

Everything about the Future Nostalgia tour is magnificently engorged, from the floating platform that Dua takes to for the performance of (what else?) single ‘Levitating’ to the inflatable lobster that makes an appearance during ‘We’re Good’.

There are four acts and an encore, catsuits designed by Balenciaga and Mugler, a skirt set by Dior, two roller skating cocktail waiters and a dizzying network of moving parts and hydraulics. 

The music itself, we’re happy to report, receives the same care as Dua’s many exquisite outfit changes. A punishing feature-length performance doesn’t stop Dua from singing live, and sounding great while doing so. There’s even a live band, consisting of drummer, guitarist, bassist and keyboardist—all contributors who receive a named thank you from Dua at the close of the show. Four backing vocalists also get a shout out for their seamless performances. It’s a nice touch to connect with the many other people on the stage tonight: the show opens with a video roll call of Dua’s dancers and the popstar never uses “I” or “me”, only “we”.

Clearly, the Future Nostalgia show is a huge undertaking; even considering the cost of transporting that giant lobster from city to city boggles the mind. A no-skips pop record of this scale and finesse, Future Nostalgia deserves it. With its world tour, one of the greatest pop albums in recent memory finally reaches its full glittering, eye-popping potential.

Dua Lipa played:

Physical
New Rules
Love Again
Cool
Pretty Please
Break My Heart
Be The One
We’re Good
Good In Bed
Fever
Boys Will Be Boys
Club Future Nostalgia
One Kiss
Electricity
Hallucinate
Cold Heart
Levitating
Future Nostalgia
Don’t Start Now

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More about: Dua Lipa