We are firmly in the era of strong women dominating pop as female alpha Dua Lipa further proved on Friday night in Dublin.
Almost a year to the day since Taylor Swift brought her juggernaut billion-dollar Eras Tour to Ireland, Lipa brought her own flavour of girl pop back to the same venue, with breakout artist Alessi Rose and Disney Channel star-turned-singer Dove Cameron warming up the crowd before the main event began at 8.40pm.
The latest stop on the Radical Optimism tour, and her last European date, saw the English and Albanian singer thrill a predominantly young audience, belting out hit after hit to devoted fans.
Filling the stands and standing together were groups of girlfriends, mothers and daughters, sisters and sisterhoods — with a few sprinkling of boys and men throughout too for good measure.
The streets around the Aviva felt like a homecoming, a continuation of last year’s epic experience of girlhood on the same weekend for gig-goers. Pubs overflowed with pals toasting their drinks, friends shared takeaways pizzas, and sequins sparkled in the sun as fans found their way to their seats.
If you think you don’t know a Dua Lipa song, you’re wrong. Opening with , upping the ante with and , and bring it back to the movie with before wrapping up on , the global superstar’s catalogue of hits is as impressive as her showmanship.
She arrived through a mist of smoke wearing a sparkly bodysuit with matching heeled boots and threw herself into each piece of slick choreography, never missing a beat.
“This is unreal. Dublin, you ready to go to the moon?” she asked to deafening cheers. She posed for selfies with fans at the barricade, asking their names, celebrating birthdays, and sharing hugs.
One tearful fan told her he saw her Future Nostalgia tour in Dublin and it inspired him to become a dancer.
The usual setlist features a surprise song section.
Traditionally Lipa uses this slot to pay tribute to each city she plays in ( by — and with — Charli XCX was her nod to London, for example, while fans in Liverpool enjoyed covers of by The Beatles and by The Zutons).
The question on everybody’s lips en route to the show was all about this section, if there would be a surprise guest, and who it could be.
Having brought Charli XCX and Jamiroquai out on stage for her Wembley gigs, rumours were swirling ahead of her Dublin appearance. Dermot Kennedy? Niall Horan? Jedward?
As it happened, it was better than we expected.
She performed a tribute to iconic Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor, who she described as an Irish legend.
A touching rendition of the late star’s anthem was a poignant moment in the night as torchlights illuminated the night, a perfect touch for her Dublin date.
“Every night on this tour I sing a different song by a local artist,” she told the crowd.
And sing they did, in memory of a local legend lost too soon.
• Lana Del Ray plays the Aviva Stadium on Monday night, continuing a trend of strong female headliners that other venues could learn from. Pop is popping off and we want more opportunities to dance the night away.
