After spending several weeks touring the rest of the UK on her first stadium tour, it was finally time for Wembley Stadium to be graced by 21st-century starlet Lana Del Rey, making her long-awaited debut. With a set resembling a traditional 1950s rural home—complete with a swimming pool—and wearing a gorgeous outfit inspired by the Southern Belles of old, Lana entertained, captivated, and commanded a legion of loyal, eager fans.
Addison Rae, the rising star and TikTok extraordinaire, kicked off the evening’s proceedings with a high-energy rendition of “Money is Everything” before tearing through much of her recently released and fabulous debut album Addison. Standout moments included “Times Like These,” “Headphones On,” and a surprisingly beat-heavy, extended version of “Fame Is a Gun”, which allowed Addison to further prove her mettle in the electronic pop realm.
To date, Addison has played just three shows—one of which was a TV appearance and two small corporate events for Spotify. To jump from that to confidently commanding a stage as iconic as Wembley is no small feat, yet Addison more than proved herself capable, successfully warming up the audience for their—and, seemingly, her own—icon.
Following an hour-long wait between Addison’s set and Lana’s entrance, the crowd grew increasingly restless but also more excited, with Mexican waves rippling through the stands and scattered comments about the lengthy gap. However, within five minutes of Lana’s arrival, all was seemingly forgiven. She opened with a three-song country run, including an early emotional highlight with new single “Henry, Come On” and a playful cover of the country classic “Stand By Your Man.”
This was swiftly followed by two of Lana’s most beloved and emotionally resonant tracks, “Ride” and “Video Games”—both of which quickly became passionate sing-alongs, accompanied by gentle weeping and the occasional heartfelt sob from the crowd. Her stunning vocal performances on both tracks reaffirm why Lana is considered one of the defining voices of her generation. She clearly had Wembley in the palm of her hand. Overcome with emotion herself, Lana remarked how deeply aware she is of her fans’ support, and that “it really doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Unfortunately, the show hit its first and only major stumbling block shortly after. In the second act, Lana was off-stage for around fifteen minutes during a series of holographic interludes. While this might be forgivable in a two-hour-plus performance, in a set lasting just around eighty minutes, the break felt overlong and slightly frustrating.
Nevertheless, Lana quickly regained momentum with a thrilling run of four classics, including a tour debut of her Norman F**ing Rockwell* epic “Venice Bitch” and a full-band version of “Summertime Sadness,” which sent London into an ecstatic frenzy.
As the show neared its end, Lana delivered a particularly sweet moment by inviting Addison Rae back on stage for a performance of her track “57.5” and a duet of Addison’s breakout single “Diet Pepsi”. Lana’s repeated praise of Addison felt like a symbolic passing of the torch—one pop icon welcoming a newcomer into the fold. The two shared several genuinely heartfelt moments on stage.
The night concluded with a stirring rendition of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” transporting Wembley from the Old South to 2010s Tumblr and perhaps even a glimpse of pop’s future. Through powerful vocals and magnetic charisma, Lana ensured each section of the performance was as rich and exciting as the last.