âI’ve kept thinking about this moment â what Iâd think when I stood on this stage and saw all these people,â Dua Lipa says during her Pyramid Stage headline slot, explaining that sheâs been manifesting this moment since childhood. âIâve wished for it. Iâve dreamt of it. Iâve worked so hard for it⊠and it feels good!â
From the get-go, it becomes obvious that the 28-year-old isnât exaggerating when she explains what this set means for her. In the brief moments where she breaks away from a wall of back-to-back hits, she looks at the audience in disbelief and compares the performance to her early gigs where she played to a crowd of 10. âLittle me would just be beside herself right now,” she says.
For the most part, thatâs where the sentiments come to an end, as the rest of the night (June 27) becomes an immersive visual spectacle: packed to the brim with perfectly choreographed routines and impossibly-fast outfit changes. Starting the set, she walks out to a clip of Peter Fonda from the 1966 film The Wild Angels, expressing how heâs looking for ‘a good time’, before she breaks into recent single âTraining Seasonâ.
The atmosphere created just moments into the set is undoubtedly one of Lipaâs biggest strengths, with the feel-good energy becoming the core of this career-defining moment. The crowd passionately sing back each word while pink flares colour the sky.

That said, itâs a high that is hard to maintain, and some moments seem to fall flat as the set progresses. âThese Wallsâ and âHappy For Youâ for instance â both taken from her latest album â seem to pull away from the initial euphoria. The strict dedication to the choreography, at times, severs the hopes of any spontaneity that would take the set to new territory.
Above all else, the set goes to prove the dedication to deliver a technically flawless performance. But that isnât to say that Lipa isnât on the cusp of pushing into new horizons, as the latter half sees her deviate away â albeit briefly â from the refined, meticulous approach, and introduce a messier nod to the â90s club scene.
Leading up to ‘Hallucinate’, a stark shift in production takes over the stage as Lipa transforms the Pyramid Stage into a nightclub, and drops a house-inspired snippet of Barbie hit ‘Dance The Night’ as signs reading ‘Lose Your Mind’ flash on the screens around her. A surprise appearance from Tame Impalaâs Kevin Parker also comes as a welcome change, and ensures the set doesn’t become a perfect replica of her recent European headline shows.
âI donât want this moment to pass me by,â she says, looking out in awe at the mass of people in front of her, âIâm not gonna get bored of thisâ. The feeling is mutual, too, as the night not only becomes a glittering celebration of pop in its highest form but also serves as a reminder that even the most outlandish aspirations can become a reality.

Dua Lipa played:Â
âTraining Seasonâ
âOne Kissâ
âIllusionâ
âBreak My Heartâ
âLevitatingâ
âThese Wallsâ
âBe The Oneâ
âLove Againâ
âThe Less I Know The Betterâ (ft. Tame Impala)
âFalling Foreverâ
âLove Againâ
âPretty Pleaseâ
âHallucinateâ
âNew Rulesâ
âElectricityâ
âCold Heartâ
âHappy For Youâ
âPhysicalâ
âDonât Start Nowâ
âHoudiniâ
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