Lily Allen at the Orpheum, Boston, April 11, 2026

Concert ratings

Perhaps the only person who won’t like Lily Allen’s performance of “West End Girl” in Boston on Saturday is her ex-husband David Harbour.

Lily Allen at the Orpheum Theater, Boston, April 11, 2026.

Not only was Lily Allen stopping in Boston on tour to promote her fifth studio album, “West End Girl,” she was bringing the album to life before our eyes, in all its messy, laid-back glory.

Released in late October 2025, “West End Girl” deals with Allen’s marriage to and breakup with the actor. David Harbour. This album explores themes of deception, infidelity, and vulnerability.

This may sound depressing, but Allen’s performance was anything but. Throughout the night, the British electropop singer-songwriter created a healing and eye-opening atmosphere for the lucky audience who were in attendance for her first two shows at the Orpheum Theater.

First law:

Allen’s presentation consists of two chapters. In Act One, Allen is not physically present on stage, but is spiritually present through her music.

For about 45 minutes, the Dallas Minor Trio, a group of three extremely talented female cellists, performed Allen’s biggest hits from earlier in her career. While the group played Allen’s songs, behind her were the words displayed on the screen that synchronized with what they were playing. This gave the audience a chance to sing along by following the hot pink words across the screen.

Most of the audience was engaged, but there were notable conversations from a few people who might have preferred to see and hear the artist in person. However, that didn’t last long when the trio started playing “Smile.” By the end of the first act, the audience has become exposed to each other by hearing the people around you singing along. This touches on what Allen does so beautifully during the second act of “West End Girl”: being vulnerable.

The second law:

Chapter Two exclusively showcases the “West End Girl” album. This work was filled with shock, drama, sadness and strength through its performances, as well as the set design and intimate setting.

Before Allen entered, the light bulbs surrounding the stage and background began to flicker and the sound of the heartbeat began to get louder and faster. People were screaming and clapping excitedly when suddenly a pink banner bearing the words “West End Girl” began to light up and flash at the top of the stage.

Soon after was the tune of the first song on the album, “West End Girl”. The spotlight fell on the teal velvet curtains hanging over the stage, which quickly split down the middle, where Ms. Allen appeared. She was wearing a cute little matching set that made her stand out against the dark curtains.

Allen ended her first song by receiving a phone call from her lover. She seems excited at the beginning of the conversation, but you can tell by her shaky voice that she’s quickly let down by the other person on the line. This conversation sets up the rest of the show by highlighting her willingness at first to accept whatever it takes to make their relationship work.

After hanging up the phone, Allen begins her next song, “Rumination,” which explores Allen’s over-analyzing and second-guessing all of her actions in her relationship. The stage lighting and visuals reflected this, with videos of Allen shaking her head and making different facial expressions, while different colored lights bounced back and forth around the confines of the stage, representing chaos.

On her third track, “Sleepwalking,” the play now depicts her bedroom, where she reflects and admits that she is simply going through the motions in her relationship. Multiple bedrooms are depicted throughout the rest of the show, and the state of the room represents where Allen is mentally. We can see near the end of her performance when she sings “Let You W/n”, and the room she’s in has been destroyed. The light fixtures were destroyed and only one bulb worked in the chandelier as Allen was on the floor, basically in the gutter.

Despite the heavy themes of this album, Allen is able to balance it by creating art that addresses these difficult themes while keeping it light and even fun. One of the crowd’s favorite songs that night was “Tennis,” the fourth song on the album. That’s when Aline begins to suspect infidelity in their relationship and says her famous line, “Who is Madeleine?” The audience loved to chime in and emphasize this lyric.

On this song and throughout the night, Allen’s voice was clear and powerful, while still managing to deliver the deep hurt she was singing about. Allen did use Autotune in certain areas of the show, like many current artists (Charli

Also in the crowd favorite category is “4chan Stan,” which shows Allen on stage physically wrapped in a large receipt containing all the charges against this other woman, “Madeleine.” “Dallas Major,” where Allen recognizes and accepts what happened in their relationship, shows her flirting with the idea of ​​putting herself out there again, but still having her doubts. And the song that got people on their feet was “Nonmonogamummy.” During this track, people were able to let loose on Allen’s steps and follow her with the macarena-like dance she performed on stage.

And through Allen’s story, she’s also able to be raw and serious in other tracks. “Relapse” shows the ongoing battles with addiction that people face on a daily basis. During this song, a shiny hand reaches under Allen’s bed. This hand represents addiction and trying to tempt her again. She touches the hand but quickly lets it go, maintaining her composure even in dark times. Even though she doesn’t relapse, it still shows the constant battle people face trying to stay sober.

Its seventh track, “Pussy Palace”, shows Allen’s defeat when she realizes that everything she thought she knew was a lie. During this performance, Allen reveals things she didn’t know happened during her marriage.

Allen closed her show with her final song on the album, “Fruityloop.” Despite the rollercoaster of feelings and emotions, Allen is able to pick herself up again, stand tall, and see that the infidelity in her relationship had nothing to do with her, but the insecurities her partner had and how they ultimately chose to deal with them.

After this final song, Allen came out for the final time, waving and blowing kisses to the crowd as a form of thanks. As she said her final farewell, someone handed her a bouquet of flowers, finally giving this West End girl the recognition she truly deserved.

Setlist for Lily Allen at the Orpheum, Boston, April 11, 2026:

Chapter One (Dallas Minor Trio):

• the fear
• LDN
• Come on then
• Not fair
• 22
• Two thousand
• Who knew
• It’s hard here
• He smiles
• F-You

Chapter Two (Lily Allen):

• West End girl
• rumination
• Sleepwalking
• Tennis
• Madeleine
• Relapse
• pussy palace
• 4 chan stan
• Non-monogamous
• Just enough
• Dallas Major
• Begging for me
• W/In
• Fruityloop

Lily Allen He returns to the Orpheum on Sunday night.