LIVE REVIEW: DUA LIPA AT I-DAYS FESTIVAL, MILAN 07/06/25
Copyright: I-Days Milano (left)
Whoever you are, wherever you are, we urge you, if ever possible, to go see a Dua Lipa concert.
The English-Albanian superstar headlined a show for the I-Days Festival in Milan a couple of days ago, 7 June, to perform in front of over 73.000 people.
The atmosphere was already electric as young opener Alessi Rose showed off her electric pop tracks, with a voice and sound resembling a mix of fellow stars Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams. The audience was kept entertained and excited as ads for Dua Lipa’s Book Club, Service95, ran on the numerous screens whilst people eagerly awaited the start of the show.
But when Dua Lipa took the stage, something shifted. The popstar seemingly effortlessly captured the attention of every single person standing in front of her, as she opened with ‘Training Season’, a single from her latest album Radical Optimism.
We say seemingly, for Dua Lipa has had to work hard for the incredible stage presence she now possesses. Many might remember the infamous video of her dancing on YouTube, with the top comment “Go girl, give us nothing”, alluding to her lack of moves on stage, an apparently small feedback which the artist took to heart, leading her to become one of the best and most rightfully loved and praised music sensations of our generation.
With a full dance crew surrounding her, beautiful visuals framing her, multiple outfit changes, a velvety voice and an infectious smile, Dua Lipa may have had every single person watching falling in love with her throughout her two-hour set.
The setlist included singles past and new, as well as songs from her most recent album and her previous worldwide hit, Future Nostalgia, but from the energy on stage and from the crowd, every single song she performed seemed like a hit.
In between songs, Dua found the time to go meet her front row fans, snapping pics and accepting gifts, and she also stopped to thank everyone for coming, remembering her first show in Italy at the Tunnel Club, which only 50 people attended.
As is tradition in her concerts, she also stopped to cover a song from a local artist. We wish we had been more forward-looking but alas, we have no proof and you’ll have to take us on our word when we tell you we had guessed the song she picked - because it was an incredible pick: A Far L’Amore Comincia Tu, by Raffaella Carrà, an Italian classic tune from 1976. Hearing her talk and then sing in Italian had an unspeakable effect on dare we say most, if not all, attending.
The one slower moment is dedicated to the beautiful ‘Anything For Love’, for which Dua Lipa asks everyone to take out her light to enjoy the raw, acapella lyrics more fully. She follows with arguably her first true hit, ‘Be The One’, calling out the audience to sing with her before the obligatory fake exit.
She comes back to close off the show with four of her greatest hits - although again, aren’t they all? - ‘New Rules’ fades naturally into ‘Dance The Night’ from the Barbie soundtrack, followed by ‘Don’t Start Now’, which used to close off her shows in her last tour, but this time that honour falls to a more recent track, rightfully so: the artist gets to enjoy the last applause as we, just like the song says, watch her as she goes ‘Houdini’, disappearing from the screens first, and finally the stage.
Words: Bia Vismara
Full setlist below:
Training Season
End of an Era
Break My Heart
One Kiss
Whatcha Doing
Levitating
These Walls
A Far L’Amore Comincia Tu (Raffaella Carrà cover)
Maria
Physical
Electricity
Hallucinate
Illusion
Falling Forever
Happy For You
Love Again
Anything For Love
Be The One
New Rules
Dance The Night
Don’t Start Now
Houdini