REVIEW: If you were lucky enough to be at Spark Arena on Wednesday night, you know exactly what I mean when I say: DUA. LIPA. DID. THAT.
I was fortunate enough to attend the first of two shows in New Zealand for Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism tour, which is the Grammy winning UK pop-star’s third studio album.
From the second the lights went down and the first beats hit, the entire arena turned into a giant dance party. And let’s be real, Dua could’ve just stood there looking effortlessly cool, and we still would’ve lost our minds. But no, she gave us a show.
This wasn’t just some standard pop concert.
You could tell a ridiculous amount of effort went into making every moment feel massive. The production? Insane. The graphics, the backup dancers, the wild transitions during her intermissions, everything was designed to keep the energy soaring.
The show was broken up into a few different sets with the dancers or band keeping the vibes going between each ( very speedy ) change.
The transition into Physical? It was like a full-on interactive aerobics game, making audience members dance along to a routine.
It was quite cool seeing how diverse the crowd was for this show and how they really showed up for it. From kids, to dads to the classic millennial crowd and girls in their 20s there was such a mix - but everyone was just as engaged. Mostly everyone was dressed up in some kind of Dua-Lipa-themed outfit, with sequins, sparkles, facepaint, red, pink, black - you name it.
Often, for a show like this, with a big pop star who has quite a few large hits, their other tunes don’t get as much love at the concert, but I was happily surprised. Not once did I see the crowd look unexcited, and everyone was constantly singing along, whether they were sitting or standing. And even if they weren’t singing along there wasn’t much chatter, just people watching in awe, taking it all in.
I dont blame them. Her setlist was absolute perfection. She hit us with all the classics like New Rules, Levitating, Don’t Start Now and Be The One but also made sure we got a taste of her new album, which, hot take, might just be her best yet. My personal favourite, which will be on repeat, was Falling Forever.
What set this concert apart was Dua herself. Big pop stars don’t always take the time to connect with the crowd, but she was out here chatting, asking audience members' names, making us feel like we were just hanging out with her.
And then, in a moment that sent the entire arena into meltdown mode, she covered Royals by Lorde. That’s right. Dua Lipa. Singing Royals. In Auckland. The screams were deafening.
For each show in her tour she has been covering a local song, so we were blessed with the Kiwi Queen herself, Lorde.
Oh, and let’s talk about the flames. During Love Again, she was literally above the stage, with fire blazing around her like some kind of pop goddess.
We had costume changes. We had choreo for days, and by the time the final confetti dropped, we were exhausted, exhilarated, and already wishing we could do it all over again, even after a lengthy encore that included a snippet of Dance The Night from the Barbie movie.
If you missed it… Well, I hate to say it, but you may have missed one of the best pop shows Spark Arena has seen in a long time…at least, I think. Thankfully, she is back for another Auckland show on Friday, April 4.
Dua Lipa, Aotearoa loves you. Come back soon, yeah?
