As Dua Lipa stood on stage at the 150-year-old Royal Albert Hall in London, she reflected on some of the famous names that would tread those hallowed stages before her.

“There were so many remarkable people on that stage, like Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Einstein,” she said with a wink. “I’m 99% sure they didn’t have their dancers with them either…”

At least at the beginning, it wasn't really a backing dancer evening. Instead, Lipa promised a concert “like no other we've ever done” that fit the prestigious setting. And this special show certainly provided the perfect opportunity for Lipa to show her own brand of Churchillian defiance.

Their highly anticipated latest album, “Radical Optimism,” received a lukewarm reception upon arrival, especially compared to the enthusiastic response to 2020's “Future Nostalgia.” And with a world tour surrounding the new album continuing until the end of next year, Industry rumors suggest that top collaborators will be brought in to add a little more magic to a deluxe edition.

However, things couldn't go better live. Lipa has two sold-out shows at London's cavernous Wembley Stadium next summer, marking a significant evolution from the arena shows of the “Future Nostalgia” era, while this show at the comparatively intimate 5,500-seat Royal Albert Hall features an orchestra and a surprise performance included by Elton John.

Still, if a change of mood is what you're after, this hugely entertaining one-off show – ahead of a month-long European tour next month – definitely fits the bill, although perhaps not in the way you'd expect. Far from leaving “Radical Optimism” behind, Lipa took a cue from it, with all eleven tracks appearing on the 19-song setlist, five of which were played live for the first time ever.

And interestingly, optimism wasn't the only radical thing on display. This performance, recorded for later broadcast, may have lacked all the production bells and whistles and dazzling choreography of the Future Nostalgia tour, but its immersion in a more old-school Raye/Amy Winehouse-style revue was a real showstopper a different and truly special kind of fun.

Lipa wore a scarlet dress and coat by Jean Paul Gaultier and was joined by a 53-piece orchestra, a 14-part choir and a seven-piece band. She performed in the round, with the unusual S-shaped stage allowing her to come within inches of the lower audience, most of whom had adhered to the “Dress to Impress” dress code but were encouraged to keep their cameras couldn't keep phones in their pockets.

Certainly some of the lesser-regarded pieces from Radical Optimism benefited enormously from the orchestral approach. “Maria,” a fairly standard Latin-flavored stomper, was transformed into a spaghetti western-style showstopper. “French Exit” elevated its flamenco flavor to a fiery clap-along. And the wild reception to Lipa's smoky piano version of “Anything for Love” suggested it might be her first ballad to truly connect after all. Only a slightly strained “Falling Forever” didn’t quite make it.

Other songs seemed even better, like an initially slowed-down “Training Season” and a smoldering cover of Cleo Sol's “Sunshine” that sounded like lost James Bond themes, and the live recreation of the White Town sample in “Love Again.” A full orchestra was a goosebumps moment.

Of course, she won't take this approach on the actual “Radical Optimism” tour, but the show and encore were supremely confident iterations of Dua Lipa's elite qualities.

First the choir parted ways, revealing: “A man who needs no introduction!” – Sir Elton John, with whom she shared diversity– 2022 Hitmaker of the Year Awards – Looking positively sprightly after retiring from touring last year, they sat on a bar stool to duet an upbeat version of their 2021 hit “Cold Heart” as the audience watched the The few marbles it had left were duly lost up to this point.

Lipa – now dressed in a black, feathery Chanel dress – then raged through “Be the One” (“The Song That Changed My Life”) and announced that her backup dancers were here for the live premiere of “Dance the” after all Night”.

The “Barbie” banger may not seem like an obvious candidate for the classic treatment, but Lipa's breakdown of the song — complete with musical flourishes from each section of the Heritage Orchestra — was genuinely exciting.

It ended with a euphoric “Don’t Start Now,” lively stop-starts from the string section, and happy grins between Lipa and her dancers. And despite this “Future Nostalgia” nostalgia, the evening’s message that “Radical Optimism” still has a long way to go resonated.

SET LIST

End of an era

Houdini

Floating

Mary

French exit

Sunshine (Cleo Sol cover)

Training season

These walls

What are you doing?

Love again

Very please

illusion

Fall forever

Everything for love

I'm happy for you

Cold Heart (with Elton John)

Be the one

Dance the night away

Don't start now