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Dua Lipa has completed the Melbourne segment of her Australian tour, showcasing impressive collaborations during her cover performances.
Kicking off her live performances for 2025, Lipa arrived in Australia earlier this month for her Radical Optimism Tour. She has five shows lined up at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne and three at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The anticipation surrounding the tour was palpable, as all eight performances sold out, culminating in over 120,000 tickets sold.
In each concert thus far, Lipa has dedicated the eighth song of her set to a special cover of a song by an Australian artist. On March 17, she honored AC/DC with a rendition of “Highway to Hell,” followed by Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” and Kylie Minogue’s iconic “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” on subsequent nights.
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The last two performances in Melbourne reached new heights as Lipa invited the original artists to join her on stage for special duets. On March 22, Troye Sivan made a surprise appearance to collaborate with Lipa on his Grammy-nominated single “Rush.”
“This next song in the set is different every night,” Lipa shared with the audience, explaining her choice to highlight a local artist each evening. She expressed her excitement about performing with Sivan, saying, “So tonight, I thought it would be a big mistake if I didn’t play one of my favorite, favorite artists ever who’s also a friend of mine.”
Describing the song, she noted, “This is a Saturday night banger, so I think it’s going to be a fun one,” before Sivan joined her on stage to enthusiastic applause.
The following night, on March 23, Lipa concluded the Melbourne shows by performing another cover, once again featuring a guest artist. This time, Vance Joy appeared to perform “Riptide,” a single that has become emblematic of the Australian music scene.
Notably, “Riptide” became a significant hit upon its release and received nominations for various awards, although it has not topped the Australian charts. It did, however, feature prominently in ARIA’s 2024 end-of-year report.
Lipa’s practice of showcasing a local artist each night prioritizes the artists’ nationality, with both Joy and Minogue from Melbourne, while Sivan is from Perth (originally from South Africa). The identities of the artists slated to join her during her Sydney shows, which begin on March 26, remain undisclosed.
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