Watch Elton John join Dua Lipa on stage at special Royal Albert Hall orchestral show
Dua Lipa performed a special one-off gig at London’s Royal Albert Hall last night (Thursday October 17), where she was joined on stage by Sir Elton John for ‘Cold Heart’. Check out footage, photos and more below.
The show, featuring the 43-piece Heritage Orchestra along with a 14-strong choir and seven-piece band, saw Lipa perform in the round in the centre of the iconic venue for a show that was filmed to be televised at a later date.
Speaking to the crowd after giving ‘Radical Optimism‘ track ‘End Of An Era’ its live debut and giving ‘Houdini’ the James Bond theme treatment, the singer told the audience (who arrived with the memo of being “dressed to impress”) of how putting the performance together was “a dream”.
“I’ve been looking forward to this show for such a long time and it’s a show I’ve been looking forward to more than any other,” she said, noting how she “missed her dancers” but was honoured to share the stage with The Heritage Orchestra in a venue that had seen the likes of Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, and Albert Einstein – joking that none of that trio had performed with her dancers and that she was “almost as sure they didn’t have a dress as nice as this.
After giving some Flamenco energy to the live debut of ‘Maria’ and a spirited take on ‘French Exit’, Dua Lipa paid tribute to “fellow London girl” Cleo Soul with a cover of ‘Sunshine’ (a song that she said “just moves me” and that tonight was “fitting” to play it here tonight with such grandeur.
Ultimately, Lipa said that it was “so interesting going to the bare bones of the music” in reimagining her music with an orchestra and that it was the “organic sounds” of her recent album ‘Radical Optimism’ that bought us to this moment.
Returning for an encore, Dua Lipa bounded into ‘Cold Heart’ before revealing Elton John hidden behind a line of backing singers to join her on their huge hit collaboration – inviting rapturous applause from the audience in their finery.
The set ended with a run of hits ‘Be The One’, the live debut of ‘Dance The Night’ (her song from the Barbie soundtrack) and a huge finale of ‘Don’t Start Now’ – with Dua Lipa inviting her dancers back for a spectacular closing.
— Andrew Trendell (@AndrewTrendell) October 18, 2024
— Andrew Trendell (@AndrewTrendell) October 18, 2024
— Andrew Trendell (@AndrewTrendell) October 18, 2024
Dua Lipa’s Royal Albert Hall setlist was:
‘End of an Era’
‘Houdini’
‘Levitating’
‘Maria’
‘French Exit’
‘Sunshine’ (Cleo Sol cover)
‘Training Season’
‘These Walls’
‘Whatcha Doing’
‘Love Again’
‘Pretty Please’
‘Illusion’
‘Falling Forever’
‘Anything For Love’
‘Happy For You’
‘Cold Heart’ (with Elton John)
‘Be The One’
‘Dance The Night’
Sir Elton’s return to the stage after his retirement from touring – with the icon revealing that he still plans to “play the odd show“. His Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour began in 2018, took in a huge Glastonbury 2023 headline show, and finally wrapped in Stockholm in July last year – earning over $900million (£708million) in gross ticket sales. At the time of its conclusion, it was the highest grossing tour of all time, but has since been overtaken by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres Tour.
The icon recently spoke of how”there’s not much of me left” after missing organs due to surgery health issues as well discussed mortality ahead at the premiere of his upcoming career-spanning documentary Elton John: Never Too Late.
Meanwhile, John is not done releasing new music just yet. In May, his friend and co-writer Bernie Taupin revealed that John’s 32nd studio album is “all done and recorded”.
Last night marked Dua Lipa’s first UK gig since her acclaimed Glastonbury 2024 headline set back in June, and comes ahead of her huge UK and Ireland stadium shows set for next summer. Visit here for tickets and more information.
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Andrew Trendell
NME
