Review: Dua Lipa Turns ACL Into a Dance Party
It was a night of radical optimism as Dua Lipa brought full-on club vibes headlining Saturday at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Accompanied by an ensemble of dancers and an exceptional band, Lipa danced her way through an epic 90-minute set that easily stands amongst one of the best headlining performances the fest has ever seen. (Yes, even the Reddit bros on the ACL subreddit are praising it despite being a "pop" singer.)
She kicked things off into high gear with "Training Season," and didn't look back as she delivered hit-after-hit. Her Calvin Harris collab "One Kiss" further turned Zilker Park into a dance party. One of the highlights of the night came soon after as she belted "Illusion" from her latest album.
Dua Lipa last performed in Austin in 2016 at South By Southwest, which she mentioned last night. She talked about how it was like then going to different bars as an up-and-coming singer to now headlining both weekends of the biggest music festival in Texas.
"Sometimes I forget to just be in the moment and really enjoy every single second and right now I really want to do that with you guys because this feels really special, it feels like a real full-circle moment," she told the thousands in attendance. "So thank you for being here, thank you for your love, thank you for your support. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do what I love every single day."
She proceeded to perform her debut single "Be The One" - "a song I will probably perform for the rest of my life" - this time in front of a massive crowd and not a few hundred at a bar in downtown ATX. What a moment.
Earlier this year, the 29 year-old pop star released her album Radical Optimism. However, last night, her setlist focused more on the hits like "Levitating," "New Rules," and "Cold Heart." The only exceptions were "Happy For You" and the brilliant, yet melancholic "These Walls." While fans didn't get more of a deep dive into her latest release, they can expect more when she tours the new album next year.
Fans braved the hot Texas sun and camped out near the American Express stage since gates opened - some waiting for over eight hours. Security guards passed around free water and splashed festival-goers with misters; some people did not make it as about 10 were taken out from behind the barricades due to heat exhaustion. A group near the front of the stage even traveled from countries like Mexico and Brazil just to see their fave up close. It was all worth it in the end.
"Physical," arguably her best song, kicked off a lively three-song encore, followed by the smash hit "Don’t Start Now" and the groovy "Houdini." The only critique here would be switching the placement of the last two as the former feels more like a concert closer. Just saying. Regardless, ACL gave Dua an incredible ovation as fireworks lit up the sky to wrap up one of the most entertaining shows in the festival's history.
Dua Lipa returns for another headlining set next Saturday on weekend two of the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Set List
Training Season
One Kiss
Illlusion
Break My Heart
Levitating
These Walls
Be The One
Love Again
Pretty Please
Hallucinate
New Rules
Electricity
Cold Heart
Happy For You
Physical
Don't Start Now
Houdini