There are not many musical acts for whom a 2,800-capacity gig can be billed as “intimate”, but Dua Lipa is one. In the four years since the English pop star last toured Australia, playing a handful of small headline gigs and supporting Bruno Mars, Lipa has become one of the most pervasive voices in pop: even if you don’t know any of her songs by name, you’ve likely heard her upbeat dancefloor anthems and cheeky songs about bad boyfriends countless times.
On Sunday night the 27-year-old performed a one-off show in St Kilda’s Palais Theatre put on by the Victorian government’s Always Live initiative, which has an excellent track record of luring local and international acts to perform in the aftermath of Covid lockdowns – most notably getting the likes of Foo Fighters and Nick Cave out of the capital and into the regions. More than 25,000 people registered for the ballot to get tickets for Lipa’s St Kilda show, which promised to be an opportunity for 2,800 fans to get “up close and personal” with the star before a run of stadium gigs around Australia. But what did that mean? Would the queen of flirty disco be breaking out a guitar?
But “intimate” in Lipa’s world just means the queue for the loos was a bit shorter; this scaled-back show was still a sugary pop extravaganza, complete with choreographed dance numbers, glittering disco balls and confetti cannons. Lipa is the rare pop star whose voice is all the more impressive when heard live. There was something reminiscent of Cher in her, dressed in a corset and throwing her hair around as she stalked the stage like a big cat, delivering her self-assured lyrics with a wink.
The show itself was seamless, Lipa drifting from upbeat hit into upbeat hit as a squad of 10 lithe dancers sashayed around the neon-lit stage. There were some small moments of silliness in all the sleekness, perhaps normally better disguised in the razzle-dazzle of a stadium show – some awkward choreography, including a moment where Lipa and her dancers did Ring Around the Rosie, and Elton John’s face suddenly appearing on the backdrop, looming on like Mufasa in the sky, to perform the chorus of their song Cold Heart.
While it was hugely enjoyable to be in the crowd, the show felt like a missed opportunity in some ways. For one, why wasn’t this gig placed out in the regions, where Always Live has such an excellent track record of getting international acts? Lipa is set to perform another two shows in Melbourne next week, this time at Rod Laver Arena – less than 10km up the road from the Palais.
And nothing was gained from putting a dancefloor act in a venue that everyone knows has no standing room for dancing. Palais staff are notoriously eagle-eyed about any dancing bleeding into the aisles, so anyone who was itching to move was restricted to bopping in front of their narrow seat, disobeying Lipa’s commands for everyone to jump in time. It made me long to see her somewhere else, in her element in a big stadium. But everyone was dancing in the Palais, regardless of space – and how could you not in the face of such an irresistible act?
Dua Lipa is touring Australia from 5-16 November
