Dua Lipa played two nights at Paris La Defense Arena on the Radical Optimism Tour. I went to the second night, which is often the better show because the nerves are gone and the artist knows what the Paris crowd responds to.
The queue outside the arena before the show was one of the more impressive sights I have seen at a concert in Paris. Fans dressed in lace, sequins, and white roses, coordinated around the album aesthetic in ways that clearly took planning. Several people I spoke to had traveled from other European countries. Some had waited outside since the morning to secure close positions.
Alysia Rose opened the show and held the room effectively for a support slot. Then someone distributed pink stickers that turned our phone flashlights pink for the Love Again section, which is a very specific detail but one that tells you something about how deliberately Dua Lipa’s team thinks about collective experience at their shows.
When she appeared, the production made clear immediately why this tour had received the reviews it had. The choreography was precise and demanding, performed at a sustained level over a two-hour set. The stage design used the full height of the arena in ways that arena shows rarely achieve.
The moment that will stay with me is her speaking French to thank the Paris crowd. Imperfect French, clearly rehearsed, and delivered with the self-awareness of someone who knows they are doing something slightly vulnerable in front of 20,000 people. The crowd responded as though she had done something extraordinary, which perhaps she had.
I gave the show 8 out of 10. For a pop concert at this scale and at this budget, this is genuinely excellent. The production quality, the choreography, and the crowd energy combined into one of the better shows I have attended at La Defense Arena.
