“I’ve kept thinking about this moment – what I’d think when I stood on this stage and saw all these people,” Dua Lipa says during her Pyramid Stage headline slot, explaining that she’s been manifesting this moment since childhood. “I’ve wished for it. I’ve dreamt of it. I’ve worked so hard for it… and it feels good!”
From the get-go, it becomes obvious that the 28-year-old isn’t exaggerating when she explains what this set means for her. In the brief moments where she breaks away from a wall of back-to-back hits, she looks at the audience in disbelief and compares the performance to her early gigs where she played to a crowd of 10. “Little me would just be beside herself right now,” she says.
For the most part, that’s where the sentiments come to an end, as the rest of the night (June 28) becomes an immersive visual spectacle: packed to the brim with perfectly choreographed routines and impossibly-fast outfit changes. Starting the set, she walks out to a clip of Peter Fonda from the 1966 film The Wild Angels, expressing how he’s looking for ‘a good time’, before she breaks into recent single ‘Training Season’.
The atmosphere created just moments into the set is undoubtedly one of Lipa’s biggest strengths, with the feel-good energy becoming the core of this career-defining moment. The crowd passionately sing back each word while pink flares colour the sky.
That said, it’s a high that is hard to maintain, and some moments seem to fall flat as the set progresses. ‘These Walls’ and ‘Happy For You’ for instance – both taken from her latest album – seem to pull away from the initial euphoria. The strict dedication to the choreography, at times, severs the hopes of any spontaneity that would take the set to new territory.
Above all else, the set goes to prove the dedication to deliver a technically flawless performance. But that isn’t to say that Lipa isn’t on the cusp of pushing into new horizons, as the latter half sees her deviate away – albeit briefly – from the refined, meticulous approach, and introduce a messier nod to the ‘90s club scene.
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Leading up to ‘Hallucinate’, a stark shift in production takes over the stage as Lipa transforms the Pyramid Stage into a nightclub, and drops a house-inspired snippet of Barbie hit ‘Dance The Night’ as signs reading ‘Lose Your Mind’ flash on the screens around her. A surprise appearance from Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker also comes as a welcome change, and ensures the set doesn’t become a perfect replica of her recent European headline shows.
“I don’t want this moment to pass me by,” she says, looking out in awe at the mass of people in front of her, “I’m not gonna get bored of this”. The feeling is mutual, too, as the night not only becomes a glittering celebration of pop in its highest form but also serves as a reminder that even the most outlandish aspirations can become a reality.
Dua Lipa played:
‘Training Season’
‘One Kiss’
‘Illusion’
‘Break My Heart’
‘Levitating’
‘These Walls’
‘Be The One’
‘Love Again’
‘The Less I Know The Better’ (ft. Tame Impala)
‘Falling Forever’
‘Love Again’
‘Pretty Please’
‘Hallucinate’
‘New Rules’
‘Electricity’
‘Cold Heart’
‘Happy For You’
‘Physical’
‘Don’t Start Now’
‘Houdini’
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