Dua Lipa & Ro Ransom – The Fillmore Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA – March 2, 2017 (A PopEntert

Updated: Jun 29, 2022

Dua Lipa & Ro Ransom – The Fillmore Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA – March 2, 2017

Dua Lipa rocked the stage the other night at the Fillmore in North Philly, along side New York native Ro Ransom. The support of the fans came hard and early. Most of the venue filled up long before Ro Ransom would take the mic to open the show. The majority of the crowd arrived before the doors opened filling the Fillmore right at 7:30, but Dua Lipa had a plan for the evening; she planned to keep to schedule and make the audience wait.

Ro Ransom took the stage around 8 pm with no introduction. He dived straight into some of his hits like “Doppelgänger” and “See Me Fall,” which have gained popularity online over the past few years. Ranso, wouldn’t turn out to be so much of a talker as he was a dancer. He didn’t say much, but when his music was playing there was constant movement. His style is a mix of Prince and Tupac: hardcore rap lyrics with moves and fashion of soul. Ransom wore a big black tear drop in what appeared to be eye liner under one eye. His set was short and to the point, playing just over 30 minutes, leaving about a 30 minute gap before Lipa would come on at 9 pm. The combination of Ro and Dua seemed even odder as we all waited for main event.

The crowd, fans of Dua Lipa’s, probably don’t listen to much of the kind music Ransom played, so they were ready for their show. At 9pm on the dot, the band would emerge and take there places to a massive roar from the Fillmore. Finally Lipa came to the stage and got straight into singing “Last Dance.” Afterwards, she addressed the crowd, but only to introduce herself, say hello and ask “Philly, are you ready to party?” with a ear-blowing response.

Lipa went on to play songs like “Be the One” and “Scared To Be Lonely.” Her show was cinematic; it felt like a music video, mostly due to the charisma she brought to the room from the second she stepped on stage. The crowd was not disappointed. They danced and sang along with every word. Lipa, like Ro Ransom, didn’t talk to the crowd much, but again she made up with it by dancing and jumping around, throwing her hair back and forth.

This was Dua Lipa’s first headlining tour and first studio album, but she managed to fill her time and put in a solid 60 minutes of stage time. She finished with “Blow Your Mind,” possibly her most popular song. It was the high point of the evening. It was a serious party for that song. She sang the lyrics “If we don’t fuck this whole thing up, guaranteed I can blow your mind!” *MWAH.

Lipa ran off stage with a kiss blown to the audience, followed by her band mates. The crowd roared and chanted “DUA, DUA, DUA,” for maybe two full minutes before just the band returned, and then Lipa sauntered back onstage. The audience shrieked again. She played one encore, but there was no topping the ending kiss from “Blow Your Mind.” Charisma makes Lipa cool, but her talent is what sets her apart.

Ro Ransom and Dua Lipa may not be the most traditional of combinations, but they both put on a hell of a show. When you love your own art, people can see you enjoy it, and it translates to authenticity. If you didn’t know it was Lipa’s first headlining tour, you wouldn’t have had a clue that she was a rookie. Her performance was top notch. I personally look forward to bigger shows for Dua Lipa.

Nick Bergmann