Standing over him as she pretended not to notice, Dua Lipa watched a man in front of her doing push-ups, then gave a knowing grin and placed a foot on his back as he completed the exercises. An assertive flex of playfulness — and control. It was that kind of night for the singer-songwriter Friday at the first of a two-show stand at a packed United Center, where Lipa made a case for belonging among the ranks of pop’s elite performers.
From sharing a surprise duet with local legend Chaka Khan to flicking away exes like lint; from singing within a ring of fire to presiding over a nearly nonstop club atmosphere where dancing was an opportunity to forget reality, Lipa made everything look effortless. She even looked comfortable banging her head, heavy-metal style, her long black hair whipping forward and back, at the heady climax of “Be the One.”
Confident and consistent, Lipa put on a clinic on how to pace, style and carry a concert. She swiveled and swayed every part of her body without resorting to tawdriness or raunch. Though some have dinged her for withholding the vulnerability that many of her contemporaries divulge on their albums, she couldn’t have been more extroverted or personable on the stage.
Enthusiastic and gregarious, she climbed down to floor level at one point and interacted with fans. She asked questions, used phones to take photos and offered compliments, thanks and hugs. In the process, Lipa accidentally dropped someone’s device — no harm done — mugging for the camera. The gaffe, and her sincere reaction, underlined her efforts at accessibility and connectivity, characteristics frequently absent at big-name shows.
Just as important, she left no doubt about the source of the vocals. Lipa demonstrated an impressive range, disciplined command and smooth ability to transition from husky lows to a comforting falsetto. She also missed a couple of notes and delivered some lines with a throaty rawness. The imperfections and authenticity told everyone they were listening to a human, not a machine.
Her vocal prowess became more obvious when she held the microphone at chest level during a stripped-down “Anything for Love” and still projected the words with volume and transparency. Lipa managed the feat suspended high in the air and balanced on a small circular pedestal — her elevated position and domination over her surroundings reflecting the themes of empowerment and self-respect that recurred throughout the two-hour concert.
The 30-year-old British native chose wisely in matters that tend to trip up some of her peers. She bypassed piped-in backing tracks in favor of a lively support septet anchored by a tight rhythm section. Save for “Dance the Night,” she played full versions of every song, avoiding the slightness often associated with snippets and medleys. A 12-member coed dance squad contributed choreographic flair without distracting from the tracks or leaning on skits. Plus, Lipa tamed the the United Center’s stubborn acoustics. She and her band sounded clear and dynamic, welcome touches since many tunes benefitted from organic textures their studio counterparts lack.
A former model celebrated for her fashion sense, Lipa also provided visual pizzazz via designer dresses, strapless body suits, elbow-length gloves, thigh-high stockings and stilettos. A long black boa and fluffy faux fur coat? She pulled those off, too.
Her costumes and expressions were hard to miss. Behind a multi-level stage complete with stairs, a massive video screen depicted the action in high-resolution detail. A now-typical runway that led to a similarly standard B-stage allowed Lipa extra real estate.
Strategically placed banks of strobes and lasers ascended and descended from the ceiling, combining with a hovering LED-trimmed loop, dry-ice fog, spark showers and multiple confetti storms to convert the space into the environments Lipa desired. Early 21st century rave, ‘70s glam-rock party, ‘90s discotheque, ‘80s fitness center, cozy piano lounge — all fitting for her updates of throwback-minded Europop, house, R&B, power balladry, funk and psychedelia, all usually filtered through disco grooves and sent up with addictive choruses.
Born in London to Kosovan-Albanian parents and a citizen of three countries, Dua Lipa is part of the surge of female pop artists who continue to assume the roles that rock stars played for decades. After issuing a much-delayed debut in 2017 — the self-titled LP preceded by five singles — her slow-burn success ignited. She landed festival slots, the first of three “Saturday Night Live” appearances and spots in television ads.
The combination of the pandemic and the escapist feel of her sophomore “Future Nostalgia” album, released just as the world went into quarantine, turned her into a sensation. International acclaim, awards and mainstream appeal — in 2020, hers was the most-streamed record by a female singer on Spotify — followed. As did her first arena tour and a headlining date at Lollapalooza.
In contrast to some of her peers, Lipa takes her time between recording efforts. Part of that approach might owe to her other pursuits. Within the past three years, she launched an acting career, began a partnership with a luxury skincare brand and started a book club linked to her lifestyle-driven website, Service95. Perhaps heeding the business acumen of Taylor Swift, Dipa also acquired the publishing rights and masters to her music — including a special performance she recorded with an orchestra and choir for television last fall that received a second life as the “Dua Lipa Live from the Royal Albert Hall” album.
Though her band on Friday seldom hinted at such grandness, Lipa’s songs harbored a relaxed elegance and nimble flow.
Energy and momentum never ebbed. Yet Lipa operated with a composure that suggested a keen awareness of the relationship between tension, structure, location and hooks. Sleekness and polite sass won out. If her entourage was around, Lipa remained at the center, at times hoisted by her dancers like a queen. She kept songs on their proverbial rails, maintaining a focus that welcomed carefree fun and finger-wagging swagger.
In some regards, her techniques paralleled the loose threads of the show in which arcs tracing the youthful pleasures of unattachment (“Houdini”) and rollercoaster extremes of romantic infatuation (“Physical,” “Levitating”) gave way to maturer perspectives (“Maria,” “Happy for You”). It seemed no coincidence Lipa ended the spectacle in the same vein it began, by staking claim to her identity, strength and self-worth.
Though slightly obscured by her changes in pitch and phrasing to impart songs’ particular emotional needs, the surface-level depth of some narratives were reminders of her still-nascent career. The buttoned-up smoothness of the break-up lament “These Walls,” the feather-light airiness of an optimistic “End of an Era,” and the finger-snapping pulse of the casual “Whatcha Doing”: catchy, but relatively anonymous in that they could’ve been authored by any number of lesser singers.
Conquerable hurdles, particularly given Lipa’s voice and charisma. Whether she seeks deeper meanings with her brand of “future nostalgia” remains to be seen. Another thought Lipa should consider: Building on the black-tie soulfulness and sweeping scope of her orchestral excursion, and taking her disco-laced pop further abroad. After all, the world could use more excuses to dance right now.
Bob Gendron is a freelance critic.
Setlist from the United Center Sept. 5:
“Training Season”
“End of an Era”
“Break My Heart”
“One Kiss”
“Whatcha Doing”
“Levitating”
“These Walls”
“Ain’t Nobody” (Rufus and Chaka Khan cover)
“Maria”
“Physical”
“Electricity”
“Hallucinate”
“Illusion”
“Falling Forever”
“Happy for You”
“Love Again”
“Anything for Love”
“Be the One”
Encore
“New Rules”
“Dance the Night”
“Don’t Start Now”
“Houdini”
