Whether you remember Hilary Duff from Disney’s ‘Lizzie McGuire’, her movie career or her music career, you cannot argue with her impact in pop culture throughout the 2000s. Seen as a role model and a coming-of-age figure for many in their formative years, it was no surprise to see the audience filled with 30somethings ready to relive their childhoods. There were referential outfits galore and the air was filled with millennial anticipation with Hilary’s last Scottish visit being to the SEC Armadillo 20 whole years ago. Fans were ready for a stunning night out despite the Sunday of it all.
Opener La Roux was perfect for the occasion with her upbeat electronic pop warming up the crowd. Songs from self-titled debut have aged beautifully, still sounding like they could have been released last week but it was tracks from 2014 album ‘Trouble In Paradise’ that went down the best with fans in the know.
Bulletproof and In For The Kill obviously provided the peak of excitement in the set, producing the first feelings of nostalgia of the night. 45 minutes is sometimes a bold amount of time to allow your opener, but La Roux had earned it, with no set lull in sight.
Hilary Duff stormed the stage in the ultimate millennial outfit: jeans and a nice top, beginning her set with 2000s hit ‘Wake Up’. Her voice has kept its youthful clarity managing to deliver what fans have come to know from the recordings. Another burst of nostalgia from ‘So Yesterday’ sparked the ultimate singalong in the crowd with fans ecstatic to hear a throwback from their youth.
The tour itself was to promote her first album in over 10 years ‘luck… or something’ referring to how she managed to be a child star unscathed by the effects and pressures of early fame that plague many who enter the industry at a young age. Beginning her career as a pop-rock superstar, her sound has now evolved to classy electro-pop with her latest output producing a set of catchy, well-written tracks soundtracking Hilary’s adult life. Roommates, We Don’t Talk and lead single Mature proved that her pop power still remains.
No expense was spared in the production, from a giant disco ball, to the fire and pyro and of course the explosion of confetti and balloons during the climactic encore of What Dreams Are Made Of making many a childhood dream come true. Hilary’s connection with the crowd made the show unique, bringing fans onstage to reenact her iconic With Love dance break from the Today Show and acknowledging a successful proposal in the crowd. Behind the glitz and glamour, it was just a girl hanging out with her Scottish fans: discussing her lineage from actual Robert the Bruce, embracing the local culture: trying Irn Bru, a deep fried Mars Bar and some whisky live on-stage and learning our very own ‘No Scotland No Party’ chant.
Where many artists bring such a large show to life, sometimes the sincerity can be lost, however, this was not the case with Hilary Duff. She fully engaged with the city she was playing in, took time to connect with the crowd and still delivered an evening of slick 2000s pop anthems. It truly was what dreams are made of.
Relive the full evening in the playlist below.