Dua Lipa Brings a Fresh Twist on ‘Radical Optimism,’ Along With Elton John and an Orchestra, to London’s Royal Albert Hall: Concert Review

variety.com:

Mark Sutherland As Dua Lipa stood onstage at London’s 150-year-old Royal Albert Hall, she contemplated some of the illustrious names to tread these hallowed boards before her. “There have been so many notable figures on this stage, like Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Einstein,” she said, tongue firmly in cheek. “I’m 99% sure that they didn’t have their dancers with them either…” This was not really a backing dancers kind of evening, at least at first.

Instead, Lipa promised a concert “unlike any other we’ve ever done” to fit the prestigious surroundings. And this special show certainly presented the perfect opportunity for Lipa to display her own brand of Churchillian defiance.

Her hotly anticipated latest album, “Radical Optimism,” was rather lukewarmly received upon arrival, especially compared with the rapturous response to 2020’s “Future Nostalgia.” And with a world tour themed around the new album stretching all the way towards the end of next year, industry rumors suggest that top collaborators are being brought in to add some extra magic to a deluxe edition.

However, on the live front, things could hardly be going better. Lipa has two sold-out shows lined up at London’s cavernous Wembley Stadium next summer, stepping up decisively from the “Future Nostalgia” era’s arena shows, while this show at the comparatively intimate 5,500-capacity Royal Albert Hall featured an orchestra and a surprise appearance from Elton John.