I can remember sitting in Maths class when I was sixteen and receiving a text from my dad saying Rita Ora’s Radioactive concert that night was cancelled due to illness. I was devastated. After six years of waiting, I was not disappointed as she graced the Big Top at Sydney’s Luna Park as part of her Phoenix World Tour.
Central Coast pop artist, Sammi Constantine, opened the show with her two-piece band of a synth player and guitarist. Her music is generically popular with thick production behind her sultry voice. In all honesty, her product is nothing we don’t already have in the current Australian scene, with the likes of Nicole Millar, CXLOE and GRAACE killing it at the moment. However, she gave a solid performance and looked incredibly comfortable on stage – definitely one to watch coming up the ranks with these girls.
The main event of the night, however, was the saintly Rita Ora, dressed in a white billowing sleeved corset, a feather mini skirt and platform white trooper boots. She looked like a divine boss. She kicked off the night with her Fifty Shades Freed single, “For You” and rolled straight into the current radio hit “Your Song”. Boom, what a start! The mosh pit was a jumping mass and it was shaping up to be an energetic night indeed.
Rita pointed out that the night was a big one in Sydney, being Mardi Gras, and grabbed a LGBTQ+ flag to dance with for her performance of “Girls”, which made her rainbow-clad audience go wild.
Her 18-song set covered her discography from her 2012 hit “R.I.P.”, to her latest release from March 1st, “Only Want You”. The time capsule effect of the evening had me propelled back to my iPod Touch days – it was a nostalgic experience. Other tunes of the night included “Black Widow” (featuring some strong twerking) and “I Will Never Let You Down”, with “Lonely Together” and “Anywhere” capping the encore.
The evening proved that Rita Ora is still a bop, both now and when I was sixteen. As one fan, Adam, who managed to stop the show, told her, “I wasn’t a big fan, and you know tonight you have changed me and I need to ask you, why are you so amazing?” Adam. Well said. Rita Ora’s oozing charisma and vocal prowess truly had me and everyone in the Big Top in Rita Awe-a.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
For remaining tour dates and tickets, visit Ticketmaster.
March 5 | Brisbane | Eatons Hill Hotel
March 7 | Perth | Metro City
The reviewer attended this performance at the Luna Park Big Top on March 2nd.
Header Photo by Belinda Dipalo
