Story and photos by Jazmine Avila Contributor
Dua Lipa sold out the Hollywood Palladium on Feb. 8 and put on an incredible show.
The doors opened at 7 p.m. and it was an agonizing hour before her opening act went on. When the clock struck 8 p.m., Tommy Genesis came on with an interesting set. Her music was very eccentric, but in a good way. She reminded me a lot of Billie Eilish and K. Flay. Genesis worked the stage well and although her set was short, got the crowd pumped for Lipa.
Lipa’s set was hands down one of the best I’ve ever experienced. From the stage effects to her song choices, dance moves and interaction with the crowd, it was simply amazing.
The effects that Lipa used for her set really matched the mood for the songs. The most iconic visual effect was played right before “IDGAF.” The screen went black and then it read “Warning, you are about to experience some explicit behavior…” The rest of the statement was basically a f*** you to all the f***boys and the crowd was into it.
Lipa’s song choices were excellent, mostly coming from herher self-titled debut album, including everything from her first single “New Love” to her most popular song “New Rules.” She even performed her collaboration with Martin Garrix called “Scared to be Lonely.”
It’s the effort that she puts into her dancing that sets her apart from other performers.
She did a good job pacing the whole concert. She performed a couple of upbeat songs, then toned it down to perform mellow songs like “No Goodbyes.” No matter the tempo of the song, fast or slow, the crowd was always moving and enjoying themselves. The performance that stood out the most was “New Rules” because the whole crowd went wild. She also managed to get everyone to crouch and then start jumping when one of the last chorus’ hit.
Another thing that must be mentioned is Dua Lipa’s astounding vocals. Not once did I think that her studio version songs sounded better.
It’s the effort that she puts into her dancing that sets her apart from other performers. She gave the crowd high energy and enthusiasm which is rare for artists to give both.
Her dance moves and vocals were good, but it was her interaction with the crowd that made me love her more. She moved all across the stage and never made any side feel excluded from the Dua Lipa experience.
After her set ended, I quickly made my way to the exit. While everyone was exiting, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston started playing. Everyone began to sing along as they were walking toward the exit. That moment was so surreal because it felt like we were all a part of something bigger yet so singular.
Having seen Dua Lipa perform live confirmed that she is a true pop star – one that is going to sell out stadiums in a couple years’ time because she is the whole package. I only see Dua Lipa performing at bigger venues and I’m excited to see what her future albums and tours will bring.
