‘Sing to me, Paolo’
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Hilary Duff performs at The O2 Arena on September 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage for ABA)
I don’t know what it is about hitting your mid-30s that triggers an overwhelming desire to relive your childhood at any opportunity – but I’m here for it.
Give me a dancefloor. Give me a DJ. Give me Hilary Duff at the AO Arena.
It has been a long time since the days of Lizzie McGuire on the Disney Channel. It’s actually 23 – yes TWENTY THREE – years since Lizzie McGuire goes to Rome, and the moment we fell in love with THAT song.
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Walking into the AO Arena last night was like walking into a comic con for old school Disney fans and 00s kids. Sequins, butterfly clips and diamante jeans everywhere. There were a fair few of Lizzie’s iconic baker boy hats, and I think at least a quarter of the audience had the same burgundy Hilary Duff t-shirt from Primark – myself included.
The efforts some people had gone to – we are talking months of outfit prep. But it was the fans who had nailed the Lizzie and Isabella outfits that had me obsessed. Like, where did they even find them?! One woman had an actual igloo dress?!
Hilary kicked off her the Lucky Me Tour with Wake Up which was a perfect way to get things going. The arena was full and even those with seats spent most of the show on their feet singing their hearts out.
It was a strong mix of classic Hilary Duff, the songs we all know and love like So Yesterday and Come Clean, along with new stuff such as Weather for Tennis and Mature.
Believe it or not it’s been 14 years since Hilary’s last record. Part way through the gig she paid an emotional tribute to her fans, thanking them for being patient while she lived her life, grew up and started a family – something many of us could relate to.
The Lucky Me tour has played over 30 dates across the UK and US so far and in each city Hilary gets a ‘treat’ in the form of a local delicacy. And what was it in Manchester? Vimto of course. Both regular and Cheeky, the latter going down better with the Texan star.
One thing I really enjoyed was the use of video montages to break up the show and fill time during costume changes. There was one which took us back to Hilary’s younger years – and another played before Mature that showed her enjoying life with her family.
Then, 90 minutes after Hilary came on stage, it was finally time to give us all what we’d been waiting for.
She closed the show with the absolute banger that is What Dreams Are Made Of. Balloons fell from the ceiling and everyone was on their feet. It was the perfect finale to a night of pure nostalgia.
It goes to show, it doesn’t matter how old you are, that millennial teen is always inside you, and music has an incredible way of bringing it out.
