An engaging concert experience from Dua Lipa serves as an hour and a half escape from lingering pandemic fatigue and everyday dullness. The performance blends subtle dance spaces, visual spectacle, hedonistic mood, humor, and lighthearted whimsy into a single, cohesive show. It opened with a buoyant disco pop hit and paid homage to the 1980s while nodding to a modern audience that ranges from seasoned fans to social media personalities. The Barcelona debut at Palau Sant Jordi on a Wednesday night drew a sold-out crowd and set the stage for a second show as part of Primavera Sound, with tickets already snapped up.
The artist built on the momentum of her second album Future Nostalgia, evidenced by the glossy energy of Physical and the memorable first Barcelona video shoot inside a Fira pavilion. The performance fused retro vibes with contemporary flair, pairing ten dancers with a sultry mezzo-soprano voice that marks a distinctive, stylish repertoire. The material sits comfortably beside works by icons such as Kylie Minogue or Sophie Ellis-Bextor, though Dua Lipa infuses it with a punch that remains firmly contemporary, even when contrasted with Latin influenced rhythms.
cat walks
On stage, the show was dominated by solo moments where the artist moved effortlessly across the space, sometimes gliding on roller skates or choreographing numbers involving bright umbrellas. The wardrobe included room-to-room shifts with sleek Balenciaga overalls that reflected the night’s mood. The performances on the catwalk numbers were bold and precise, and the crowd rose to a chant during the moment when the set unleashed a strong disco funk punch that connected deeply with the audience, almost overpowering the initial expectations for the sequence.
Humor and playful visuals kept pace with the music, including scenes that reference a locust swarm and the playful, pulp movie aesthetics that punctuated the mid-show moments. Tracks like Good in Bed and One Kiss shifted focus to an alternate ring of choreography, with a shared energy that nearly merged the dancers with the singer. A virtual duet with Elton John during Cold Heart underscored the show’s generous spirit, and the ascent to the climactic heights of Sant Jordi featured Levitating as a culminating highlight.
According to the performer, the aim is to produce timeless dance floor songs that resonate across generations, a challenging ambition in the hit-driven landscape. Yet Dua Lipa has already secured a place in the disco pop canon with Don’t Start Now, a track that captures the moment of vital change and closes the night with a confident invitation to look forward without dwelling on the past. The result is a vibrant, unpretentious celebration that feels both current and enduring, a vivid reminder of how pop can be both fun and emotionally pointed when delivered with a clear artistic voice. (Source: live review notes and artist’s public statements)