Dua Lipa has been a breakout artist for 2017, so when I heard she was playing at the Fillmore I really wanted to go. After calling my mom from school on the day of the show, she snagged some cheap tickets from Stubhub and we made the trek from DC to Silver Spring.

Although we got there at 8 p.m., the time the show was supposed to start, I was able to push my way through the crowd of drunken women to the barricade (the very far right side of the barricade, but close to the stage nonetheless). Soon, the opening act Marteen took the stage. At only 16, he had surprising stage presence for the few songs he played. He was a pretty good opening act, as they go.

At 9 p.m., it was time for Dua. The crowd went wild as she stepped out on stage to sing “Hotter than Hell.” Dua had a lot of stage presence and was super into the music, dancing in a wild way that only someone with her confidence could pull off. Her vocals were spotless, and her amazing voice had the chance to shine during “Thinking ‘Bout You” and “New Love.” I couldn’t really see the visuals because of where I was standing, but they looked pretty cool from what I could see.

Overall, Dua put on a pretty solid performance. My favorite moment was when she hopped down off the stage onto the barricade and sang “Be the One” while holding hands with the audience. However, every song kind of felt the same; there were slower ones and faster ones, but overall the show felt pretty static. Despite that, Dua is a great performer and I would love to see her again. When she finished the show with “New Rules,” a song about getting over a boy who you’re better than, I’ve never felt more over the ex that I’ve never had. •

PHOTO BY ADELAIDE KAISER