On Monday evening, the highly anticipated UK and Ireland tour of Lana Del Rey finally commenced in Cardiff, yet for numerous attendees, the opening night failed to live up to expectations. The 40-year-old chanteuse of hits like "Video Games" made her entrance at the Principality Stadium more than 20 minutes past the scheduled time, leaving a section of her devoted fans disappointed by both the abbreviated concert and a setlist lacking in freshness.
With a stringent 10:30 PM curfew imposed, Lana was restricted to just 90 minutes of performance time, during which she managed to squeeze in a mere 15 songs, inclusive of two covers. Despite ticket prices spanning from £78.40 to an astonishing £420, several fans took to social media to vent their frustrations.
One fan lamented, "Lana Del Rey played for just over an hour, hid behind a wall for another 20 minutes, sang the same setlist from the past three years, charged exorbitant prices for tickets, and even performed covers. Lana, I adore you, but please sort this out." Another expressed their dissatisfaction, stating, "I saw Lana Del Rey, and she was late for her show. I paid £300 for a 1.5-hour performance, whereas I paid less to see Beyoncé perform for nearly 3 hours."
A third echoed similar sentiments of heartbreak: "I love Lana, truly, but her lack of urgency is so disappointing. I'm honestly devastated. Please get better management." Another remarked, "Lana Del Rey's Cardiff show wasn't even 90 minutes, and she was late? Absolutely abysmal."
One fan even claimed, "Lana came on at 8:53 PM and left at 10:16 PM. She kissed her husband and sang 'Salvatore' but read the lyrics from an iPhone!" 'Salvatore', a track from her 2015 album, was requested by the audience and performed acapella, albeit in a shortened version.
Elsewhere, a TikTok user admitted they didn't want to be negative but felt disappointed by the show's pacing and energy. Instead of performing 'Norman F**ing Rockwell' and 'Arcadia' live, Lana appeared as a projection while shortened studio versions of the tracks played through the speakers.
Despite the fans' disappointment, many praised the American singer's "amazing" vocals, with others commenting on the "beautiful staging." One Reddit user wrote in defense, "I know many in the comments are saying it seemed underwhelming, but I'm on the train home from the show, and it was fantastic. The staging, her voice – she sounded brilliant, and the staging was beautiful."
Another penned, "I had a really good time today, to be honest." A third added, "On a positive note, I really loved the setlist and the set itself. The stage was beautiful, and you could tell so much time and effort were put into it. I cried a lot during 'Ocean Boulevard' – finally getting to see one of my idols, despite certain issues. She was very emotional, which made me emotional too."
Critics were equally enthusiastic, with The Times describing the show as "gloomy but exquisite," The Guardian hailing it as "mid-century melodrama as a mindblowing stadium spectacle," and Rolling Stone praising it as "a dazzling stadium debut." Each publication awarded the performance four stars.
Lana, who is no stranger to being late on stage, faced similar issues during her 2023 Glastonbury performance. Organizers were forced to cut her mic due to her tardy start. At the time, Lana, who married alligator wrangler Jeremy Dufrene last October, attributed the delay to her hair taking a long time to style.
