Dua Lipa at the O2
(Picture: Samir Hussein)If ever an album screamed out to be experienced live, it’s Future Nostalgia. Released at the height of the first lockdown, Dua Lipa’s retro-leaning love letter to the dancefloor provided panicked pop fans everywhere with some much needed escapism, the set’s impact actually amplified by nightclubs being shut. But as much as we’ve all enjoyed shimmying around our kitchens to Don’t Start Now et al, at the first of her two O2 Arena shows Dua proved that nothing compares to hearing those songs in person, en masse.
Now 40 dates in, the Future Nostalgia Tour is an intimidatingly slick proposition. From the playlist of early 00s handbag house that preceded the show’s start, to the pin-sharp moves created by Superbowl halftime show choreographer Charm La’Donna, there was a sense that every single detail had been pored over to ensure maximum audience enjoyment.
Further developing the album’s retro-futuristic concept, it was a production liberally sprinkled with playfully kitsch touches, including a giant, inflatable lobster bobbing upstage during We’re Good, iridescent planets suspended from the ceiling during Levitating, roller-skating break dancers during Cool and an abundance of Vegas-style neon on the video screens throughout. Most spectacular was the pulsating, cube-shaped lighting rig suspended above Dua and her team of 10 dancers during a stunning rendition of early single Be The One.
But for all the dappled disco lights, glitter showers, confetti cannons and hot pink Balenciaga, the quality of the music remained the main attraction throughout. Backed by a four-piece band plus a quartet of backing singers, Dua moved from hit to hit with scarcely a pause, and even interpolated bursts of Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl and Justice’s D.A.N.C.E. into her arsenal of weapons-grade bangers.
It was the high energy cuts that truly brought the house down, including a deliciously 80s rendition of Physical complete with ballet barre choreo, and outings of Calvin Harris collaboration One Kiss and Silk City’s Electricity. Though well received, the show noticeably flagged during slower songs Boys Will Be Boys and Cold Heart, the latter featuring VT of Elton John.
For such a precision-tooled performance, it was interesting that the night’s most affecting moment came when Dua dared to deviate from the script. “I feel like my heart is in my throat,” she told the arena after Break My Heart, tears glistening in her eyes. “We’ve waited two whole years for this moment.”
As anyone who witnessed last night’s communal outpouring of joy will attest, it was an experience absolutely worth the wait.
