Mermaid Barbie sure likes to party.
Two years after Dua Lipa landed her blockbuster Hollywood cameo, and three years after her last proper tour, the dance pop star finally returned to Chicago, dancing the night away in a high-caliber production that often felt like stepping into a beachside Dreamhouse.
Continuing the aquatic themes of Lipa’s latest “Radical Optimism” album, the show came crashing in on a giant tidal wave. As the United Center went dark Friday night, giant video screens were overtaken by footage of towering ocean crests and the sound of rushing water while blue lights drowned the house. The effect was so engulfing, it felt like a show at the immersive Sphere in Las Vegas. Within minutes, Lipa’s sultry deep voice cut through it all like a siren as she emerged for “Training Season,” with the power of her feminine mystique continuing to captivate for the next two hours.
As this era’s music dynasty continues to be ruled by women, Lipa’s Radical Optimism Tour ensures her deserved place in the pop matriarchy — and the singer used every inch of the show to display her feminine clout. On “End of an Era,” shirtless male dancers carried a gold-corseted Lipa over their heads like a modern-day Cleopatra. On the cabaret charades of “Whatcha Doing,” a confident Lipa came across like a Roxie Hart-style vixen. Even the tour’s massive stage was designed with womanly curves: A pair of winding double loops and an arched cove beneath them resembled a 3D uterus.
There were motherly moments, too. After a cosmic version of “Levitating,” Lipa walked through the crowd on her way toward a smaller circle stage, using a format break that has become standard on stadium tours. Lipa paused to talk and take selfies with several fans, such as 8-year-old Phaedra from Wisconsin and Brady, Eddie and Sam, friends from Boston.
“Don’t scroll,” Eddie warned as Lipa took his phone to snap a pic. After accidentally dropping a phone that belonged to another fan named Melissa (Lipa’s one big mishap of the night) and saying hello to Ximena who had traveled all the way from Durango, Mexico, Lipa borrowed a long black feather boa from fan Julia for the next three numbers.
It was a fitting accessory for the drama that ensued. As Lipa and her seven-piece band huddled close around the small platform, they dove into a passionate delivery of the heartbreak song “These Walls” and the Spanish-style folk of “Maria” (a tribute to a lover’s ex), the latter accompanied by stunning interpretive dance against the video backdrop of a Sahara sunset. Lipa also unlocked a surprise: As she explained, “I sing a different song every night by a local artist.” (In the UK, for example, she brought out Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay for “Virtual Insanity” and Charli xcx for “360.”)
“Chicago has been a massive trailblazer for music around the world,” Lipa continued, “and I can’t believe I’m saying this but please welcome Chicago’s finest, the queen of funk, Chaka Khan!” The two songstresses barreled through Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody” with such fine-tuned harmony, we can only hope they decide to formally collaborate in the future.
Unlike other highly conceptual pop tours in recent years, the Radical Optimism Tour doesn’t have a strong storyline or thought-provoking narrative (surprising for such a well-read star who even touts her own book club). But what the show lacked in arc, it made up for in evocative visuals and pure fun. From firework flares to five confetti gun pops and a heavily populated dance crew, the Radical Optimism Tour carried the stature of a residency show in waiting.
The vibe was particularly effective on the chart-topping disco pop bangers off “Future Nostalgia,” such as “Physical,” “Hallucinate” and “Don’t Start Now.” Five years later, those songs still have the most energy and panache of her songbook and made “Radical Optimism” tracks like “Falling Forever” seem watered down.
A standout of the night was a bold offering of “Love Again” where — again at the small stage — Lipa was surrounded by a ring of fire, perhaps nodding to her YSL Libre campaign. Lipa’s high-fashion associations were a constant in the show — her five luxury-brand outfits, a heavy Chanel necklace and her catwalk strut were reminders of the many cultural worlds she has dominated in a relatively short time (the British-Albanian star just turned 30 in late August).
Yet it was when she dropped the façade on the set-ending “Be The One” that Lipa truly shined. As cell phone lights lit up the U.C., the star was overcome with emotion while launching into her very first hit, which turns 10 in October, sharing, “It’s moments like these that remind me why I love to do this.”
Dua Lipa returns to United Center Saturday, September 6.
DUA LIPA SET LIST
Training Season
End of an Era
Break My Heart
One Kiss (Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa song)
Whatcha Doing
Levitating
These Walls
Ain’t Nobody (Chaka Khan cover, with Chaka Khan)
Maria
Physical
Electricity (Silk City & Dua Lipa song)
Hallucinate
Illusion
Falling Forever
Happy for You
Love Again
Anything for Love
Be the One
Encore:
New Rules
Dance the Night
Don’t Start Now
Houdini
