The 5 Best Moments From Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism Tour

Dua Lipa’s fans might joke that she’s always on vacation, but her Radical Optimism Tour proves that the time off serves her well. On Sept. 20, the singer took over the Big Apple as part of a four-night stand at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden, delivering a two-hour spectacle that elevated Lipa to pop icon status.

Lipa’s setlist not only included nearly every song on 2024’s Radical Optimism, but it also served as a reminder of the huge repertoire she’s built with just three albums under her belt. Every hit she played felt like a celebration of her career, from the timeless disco energy of “Don’t Start Now” to her 2017 debut single “Be the One,” where Lipa got misty-eyed and made her way deep into the crowd.

However, some of the show’s biggest moments were deep cuts from Radical Optimism and 2020’s Future Nostalgia, from the nightclub pulsations of “Hallucinate” to her show-stopping renditions of “Falling Forever” and “Happy For You,” which allowed Lipa to truly let loose and show off her range, both vocally and physically.

Below, relive the best moments from Lipa’s extravagant, dance-filled Radical Optimism Tour.

Viva La Dua!

Lipa’s growth from singer-songwriter to full-blown performer has been a joy to witness for the past five years, and nowhere is this more present than on the Radical Optimism Tour. Not only does she sing her heart out and dance like a showgirl, she looks like one too, bringing out Vegas feathers for “End of an Era” and pulling off a cabaret-style number with “Whatcha Doing.” Taylor Swift isn’t the only showgirl in town.

Dua’s Fan Encounters

Aside from her showmanship, she gets more up close and personal than ever before. As the band set up the intimate catwalk set, she chatted with many fans in the front row, including one British native who adorably asked Lipa to tell her New Jersey girlfriend that she’s the “love of her life.” She also reconnected with one of her good pals: the Duolingo owl.

Surprise Guests

Every night, Lipa sings a different cover of a song by an artist native to the city she’s performing in. For her first two nights at MSG, she treated fans to renditions of Alicia Keys’ “No One” and Blondie’s “One Way or Another.” But on Sept. 20, she upped the ante by bringing out the legendary Nile Rodgers to perform Chic’s 1978 disco anthem “Le Freak,” creating a dance party for the ages. The next night, Lenny Kravitz came out to sing “It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over,” proving Lipa’s breadth of music history.

Let’s Get Physical

While Lipa’s show is equal parts theatrical extravaganza and sweaty dance party, she took the sweat part quite literally. Before playing “Physical,” Lipa’s voice rang through the speakers, commanding us to “shake those hips” and “swing around” like a proper workout instructor. Instead of filming an '80s-style instruction video for the screens, she filmed the crowd to make sure we were actually listening. And compared to her intense choreography for “Physical,” that was just a warm-up.

The Ring of Fire

The singer’s triumphant Future Nostalgia single “Love Again” gets the cinematic performance it deserves on the Radical Optimism Tour, with Lipa singing in an actual ring of fire. If that wasn’t dramatic enough, she then rose above the fire and effortlessly commanded the audience to clap and stop as she pleased, ending the song in a literal blaze of glory. Now that’s how a true showgirl does it.