Hilary Duff review – First gig in 18 years for former teen icon is exhilarating fun and escapism | Pop and rock

IIt’s fair to say that American actor, singer, writer and businesswoman Hilary Duff has never been a force to be reckoned with in pop music. Her songs and albums were not particularly critically acclaimed and were not commercially dominant. Many people may only know her as Lizzie McGuire, the heroine of the Disney Channel sitcom from the early 2000s. But in 38-year-old Duff’s first live performance in 18 years, she was met with a sold-out audience chanting every word of her music like they were all international hits. Duff seems overwhelmed by the enthusiastic reception. Fans have come from Brazil, Saudi Arabia and all over Europe, often so loud you can’t hear the woman on stage.

But after the shock wears off, Duff shows no signs of rust, and her brutal honesty combined with girl-next-door charm fills the night with euphoria and escapism. As she jumps up and down on the stage sofa singing “Why Not,” you get the feeling that this is how everyone in the audience sang the song in their teens. She’s also not afraid to poke fun at herself and her past: She brings three fans to the stage to recreate the low-energy choreography of her 2007 single “With Love,” which went viral on TikTok in 2021.

The 17-song collection sprinkles five new numbers from upcoming album Luck… Or Something among fan favorites like 2015’s criminally underrated Sparks and 2003’s So Yesterday to keep the mood high. Time has made Duff’s sound more refined and refined, adding new depth to songs like “Fly” and “Come Clean,” though “Someone’s Watching Over Me,” a song about self-acceptance, is cloying.

The biggest buzz of the night comes with the solo debut of her new single Mature and the Lizzie McGuire classic What Dreams Are Made Of. A wild solo follows, complete with pink butterfly confetti as Duff jumps for joy on stage. It’s an emotional conclusion that takes this loyal audience to new levels of raucous ecstasy and proves that Duff can easily put music at the center of her career.