Dua Lipa and Nile Rodgers Perform Chic Classic “Le Freak” at Madison Square Garden in New York

Dua Lipa continued her pattern of surprise collaborations on the Radical Optimism World Tour when she invited legendary guitarist and producer Nile Rodgers onstage during the third of four nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Sept. 20. The pair delivered a high-energy rendition of Chic’s 1978 disco anthem “Le Freak.” Watch the moment here: https://youtu.be/1h8WSlGH2T0.

On this tour, Lipa has made a point of honoring local musical traditions at each stop by performing regionally inspired covers. At her earlier New York shows she paid homage to the city with versions of Alicia Keys’ “No One” and Blondie’s “One Way or Another,” telling the crowd, “Here in New York, I’m actually spoiled with the choice,” before launching into the Blondie track.

Her U.S. run began in Chicago, where she surprised audiences by bringing out Chaka Khan for a stirring take on the 1983 classic “Ain’t Nobody.” The regional-cover concept originated on the tour’s Australia and New Zealand dates, where Lipa performed songs by artists such as AC/DC, Lorde and Kylie Minogue and welcomed guests including Troye Sivan, Tame Impala and Neil Finn of Crowded House.

Though the practice was less frequent in Europe, memorable moments included a performance of Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero” in Madrid, a guest appearance from Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay at Wembley Stadium for “Virtual Insanity,” and Charli XCX joining Lipa the following night for “360.” Other notable tributes across the tour have ranged from The Zutons’ “Valerie” with Dave McCabe in Liverpool to a rendition of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” and a poignant performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U” in Dublin as a tribute to Sinéad O’Connor.

Lipa is scheduled to close out her four-night Madison Square Garden engagement on Sunday, Sept. 21, before resuming the North American leg with dates in Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, followed by shows across South America and Mexico.

Following a short August break after an intensive two-month European stretch, she returned to North America with back-to-back concerts in Toronto on Sept. 1–2.

The Radical Optimism World Tour promotes Lipa’s third studio album, Radical Optimism, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in 2024. The album spawned the lead single “Houdini,” which dominated Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for 17 weeks.

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