Mexico City was the last stop. Dua Lipa stood backstage on the final night of the Radical Optimism Tour, adrenaline still running high, knowing that when the lights came up on this third consecutive night at the venue, it would mark the end of two years and 92 shows across Asia, Australia, America, Europe, the UK, and Latin America. For anyone who has ever thrown themselves completely into something and then had to let it go, the feeling she described was instantly recognizable. The tour that began as a record and a dream was about to become a memory.
When the road becomes home
In the hours before the final show, Lipa spoke candidly about what it means to reach the end of something this big. She described the pull in two directions: genuine excitement about going home to see friends and family, and the unmistakable dread of losing a rhythm that had defined her days. ‘There will be kind of this gaping hole from not being on the road,’ she said. ‘You become so accustomed to this fast-paced life and all the traveling and being around this tall family that we’ve all created.’ That honesty landed harder than any headline could.
Backstage before showtime, a fan named Mauricio approached her, thanked her for the effort she had made learning Spanish, and mentioned it was his birthday. Another fan named El arrived carrying something handmade. Lipa hugged her, told her she looked beautiful, borrowed the handmade piece to incorporate into her look for an upcoming section of the show, and then went on to perform.
Once the show began, Mexico City delivered. Lipa moved through the full catalogue, from ‘Electricity’ to ‘Levitating’ to ‘Be the One,’ the song she described as having followed her from the very beginning of her career, from girl to woman. She led a crowd singalong on that last number and paused to acknowledge what 63,000 voices sound like in unison. She also called out every member of her band by name, including Smiley on drums, Manny Carol on bass, Sophie Galpin and Alexander Lion on guitar, Kira Connor and Scarlet on backing vocals, and Georgie Wood on keys.
What radical optimism actually means after two years of it
At the emotional center of the night was the speech Lipa gave to thank her full touring crew. She framed radical optimism not as a mood or a brand phrase but as a daily practice. ‘Some days are better than others. You don’t know how you’re going to wake up in the morning or what’s going on in your personal life. And you have to get up and perform and put on a show. That to me is radical optimism. Sometimes you just got to wake up in the morning and do the damn thing.’
She also called a fan named Hazel on the phone before the show, just to tell her it was going to be a good night. Hazel said she had been waiting over a year to be there.
By the time the final song ended, Lipa had performed three consecutive nights in Mexico City to close not just a tour but, by her own account, the most fulfilling chapter of her career so far.
A name written in a birthday setlist
Somewhere in the crowd that night was Antonio, whose name Lipa said aloud after he told her it was his birthday, then signed something for him in front of thousands of people.
The adrenaline she described the night before was still running when the house lights finally went down for the last time.
