Live Review: Lana Del Rey - Wembley Stadium, London 03/07/2025
Lana Del Rey shimmers and shines across Wembley.
Opening for Lana Del Rey on her long awaited Wembley Stadium shows, Tik Tiok phenomenon Addison Rae is a superb fit. With her debut album only out this tune it is a credit to Addison how many fans already know every song. This is a singer very much on the up, as Charli XCX who has collaborated with her, announced at the end of her Coachella set this year “we’ve entered Addison Rae Summer”— a not too far departure from 2024’s Brat Summer.
As she dances sultrily on the stage her huge hit ‘Headphones On’ creates a wave of euphoria as she she sings ‘I need need a cigarette to make me feel better’ to a crowd gleefully singing along with every word. She is effortlessly chic, contrasting the upbeat dance pop of her stage persona with an emotional maturity above her years with lyrics: ‘You can’t fix what’s already been broken’ showing a real authenticity. Addison finishes her set with the smash hit ‘Diet Pepsi’, which unusually gets a second outing in Lana’s headline set, where she invites Addison to join her and sing the song together, as she’s so excited to perform together and loves the song so much. Lana adds about Addison that "It's so important to have somebody so likeminded and magical," high praise indeed!
Lana’s first ever headlining Wembley show is her first stadium show in the UK and Ireland, and her 6th on this tour. An artist who has never been afraid to do things her own way, there is a palpable sense of excitement and more than a little trepidation from the sold out Wembley crowd on what show they are about to witness. As soon as Lana hits the stage all concern fades away, this is a performer who is confident in doing things her own way, entering the stage through her gothic Southern house set- showing us we are going to experience a theatrical experience as they as well as just a musical one.
Unusually, this is not a tour to promote an album, her tenth studio album is still in the works, tentatively called ‘Lasso’ initially announced to be country, but Lana has said the project might "Take a turn" in a different direction, “it might turn it into something more ‘Southern gothic’”. Just to add to the confusion around the new sound, Lana posted on Instagram “I think maybe there’s been a mistake in the Italian translation of what I said.” Despite this, Lana plays five songs from the unreleased album in a unique approach to a stadium set list, starting with ‘Stars fall over Alabama’ the audience’s reaction no less frenzied considering this is the first time them have heard the song.
Her first cover of the set is country legend Tammy Wynette’s ‘Stand By Your Man’, with its demure subject matter perfectly accentuating Lana choice of stage wear. Her cream and gold dress with its long train oozes old school Hollywood glamour; she clearly eschews the skimpy leotards and body revealing clothes of her contemporaries.
‘Video Games’ is a set highlight, and is sung in the middle of the set instead of its usual timings as set closer, with Lana’s syrup like vocals singing the familiar refrain ‘t's you, it's you, it's all for you,
Everything I do’. She sings it whilst swinging gently from her rope swing, the song which was her breakthrough in 2011 and still sounds fresh and full of the haunting power that launched her career.
Once again in an unexpected turn, Lana then leaves the stage, with hit ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’ only being played as a recording alongside by footage of Del Rey in one of the house’s windows. ‘Arcadia’ is also played with a hologram of her in the top window of the house, building towards Lana’s return to the stage to sing ‘Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd’ from her 2023 album, sung in a line with her backing singers for the full vocal harmony experience.
The artistic experience continues with the southern house bursting into metaphorical flames, with the lights creating flames, whilst Lana recites Alan Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’ poem off stage. It’s hard to imagine any other artist doing this, but with her idiosyncratic charm it really works and stirs the audience.
Three songs follow with support Addison Rae, who Lana warmly embraces and it is clear the two singers are full of love for one another. Set closer is the cover of John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ which is an epic singalong around the stadium, with Lana saying “I just feel really excited. And really ready.”, the crowd leaving on a wave of pure ecstasy.
Words by Brendan Sharp
Photo Credit: Gareth Cattermole
