Dua Lipa brings out Jamiroquai at emotional Wembley debut

Mark SavageMusic CorrespondentGetty ImagesDua Lipa and Jay Kay duetted on a shock model of Jamiroquai’s 1996 hit Digital InsanityDua Lipa handled followers to a shock look by Jamiroquai, as she performed her first ever present at Wembley Stadium. Bringing out the band’s frontman Jay Kay for a one-off efficiency of his 1996 hit Digital Madness, the star stated he was “an enormous trailblazer for British music”.Their efficiency got here half-way by a surprising two-hour present, that noticed Lipa tear by hits like Bodily, One Kiss, New Guidelines and Levitating. ”That is such an enormous, large milestone for me,” she advised her 70,000 followers. “I’ve had a lump in my throat from the second this present began.”Some devoted followers had camped out since Thursday to see the singer’s UK stadium debut, braving temperatures that exceeded 31C. “It means absolutely the world to me that you simply’re right here tonight,” she advised them in the course of the present. “It appears like I’ve waited my complete life for this second.”Getty ImagesThe Radical Optimism tour marks the primary time Dua Lipa has headlined stadium dates Reflecting on her ascent to the highest tier of pop music, the 29-year-old added: ”It has been 10 years since our first ever London present, which occurred to be about 350 folks, and I dreamt of an evening like this.““To be in entrance of 70,000 folks. I am so, so blown away.” She then launched one in every of her earliest singles, Hotter Than Hell, telling followers it was the observe that had earned her a recording contract. Since then, she has stockpiled an enviable collection of armour-played hits, most of which bought an airing on Friday night time. The present started with a new-agey wash of ocean sounds, that segued seamlessly into her 2024 single, Coaching Season. Lipa sang the primary verse slowly, over a sultry orchestral backing. However earlier than lengthy, the band kicked into gear, and the disco pulse barely let up for the following two hours. Getty ImagesThe star had a number of costume modifications all through the showIn many respects, the set performed like an prolonged remix of her triumphant Glastonbury efficiency final yr – filled with pin-sharp choreography and fiercely futuristic pop. Her voice stays a powerful level – resonant and versatile, with a touch of the rasp she inherited from her father, Albanian rock singer Dukajin Lipa. It was notably efficient on the cascading vocal runs of Falling Endlessly, and the Flamenco-flavoured Maria. Someway, Lipa managed to not lose her breath, regardless of demanding, body-rolling dance routines that solely sometimes recalled Jane Fonda’s Nineteen Eighties hold match movies. She leaned into the schtick with an interlude instructing her followers to “transfer these hips” over the intro to Bodily.Jay Kay arrived to a scream of recognition from older members of the viewers, suited up in a tasseled white cowboy jacket and pink denims. “What a privilege and an honour to be on stage with you,” stated the singer, earlier than launching into Digital Madness – a music that turned a success when Dua was only one yr previous.Between songs, the star hung out getting private with followers within the entrance row – borrowing their telephones to pose for selfies, signing data (facet word: who on earth brings a vinyl file to the entrance row of a stadium live performance?) and even appropriating one particular person’s scarf to intensify her personal stage outfit. It was a easy, however private, contact that helped for example why the star has develop into solely the second British lady after Adele to headline Wembley Stadium.Getty ImagesThe singer was flanked by 12 dancers all through the showWatched from the stands by her household, together with fiancé Callum Turner, she wrapped up the present with a flawless four-song encore that included a few of her greatest hits: New Guidelines, Do not Begin Now and Dance The Night time.Lipa completed with the psychedelic pop smash Houdini, ratcheting up the strain with a flurry of fireworks as she head-banged to a shredding guitar solo. Then the music all of a sudden stopped and he or she vanished in a cloud of smoke. A powerhouse efficiency from a star on the high of their recreation, it was proof that you do not want big mechanical props or leading edge video expertise to tug off a compelling stadium present. Typically, the fitting songs, the fitting choreography and a beneficiant serving to of feel-good power are sufficient. As an added bonus, that retains the tickets inexpensive: The costliest seats price £155, in comparison with some stadium exhibits this summer time, the place costs have topped £900. Lipa continues her Radical Optimism tour with a second night time at Wembley on Saturday, adopted by dates in Liverpool and London earlier than the North American leg kicks off in September.Dua Lipa’s Wembley stadium setlistGetty ImagesThe star’s staging was easier than some stadium exhibits, with out reducing corners on spectacleTraining SeasonEnd of an EraBreak My HeartOne KissWhatcha DoingLevitatingThese WallsHotter Than HellVirtual Madness (with Jamiroquai)MariaPhysicalElectricityHallucinateIllusionFalling ForeverHappy for YouLove AgainAnything For LoveBe the OneEncore:New RulesDance the NightDon’t Begin NowHoudini