Hilary Duff Performs Live Debut of ‘Lizzie McGuire’ Favorite in London

Hilary Duff gave the people what they wanted on Monday night (Jan. 19) at the kick-off of her first tour in more than a decade at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. In addition to a few new tunes and some classics, Duff first live performance since 2015 included the show-closing live debut of the 2003 The Lizzie McGuire Movie classic “What Dreams Are Made Of.”

The first show on Duff’s Small Rooms, Big Nerves tour opened with “Wake Up” from Duff’s 2005 Most Wanted compilation, followed by “So Yesterday” from the singer’s 2003 debut album of original material, Metamorphosis. The 17-song gig was filled with career highlights for Duff diehards, including such beloved songs as “Metamorphosis,” “Fly,” “Beat of My Heart” and “Come Clean,” as well as dance party with three fans during “With Love” from 2007’s Dignity album.

Duff was feeling nostalgic on Tuesday morning (Jan. 20), writing in an Instagram post, “18 years later, and I still can’t quite make sense of it all. I’ve imagined what it might feel like to return to the stage, but last night was something else entirely. The love, the community, the energy…it met me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. Thank you for walking with me all these years, for celebrating what was while embracing what’s becoming. I don’t know how I ended up here, but I know I’m exactly where I’m meant to be. Truly what dreams are made of – but real.”

The show comes just a few weeks before the Feb. 20 release of Duff’s upcoming album, Luck… or Something, the long-awaited follow-up to 2015’s Breath In. Breathe Out. LP. Duff rolled out the live versions of the first two singles from the album during the London show, including her steamy new song, “Roommates,” and the LP’s first single, “Mature,” as well as the live debut of the album tracks “Weather for Tennis,” “We Don’t Talk” and “Future Trippin.’” In addition to those tracks, the show wrapped up with the Metamorphosis song “Why Not” and the aforementioned first live performance of “What Dreams Are Made Of.”

According to a provided set list, the show also included performances of “Sparks” and runs through “Someone’s Watching Over Me” and “My Kind.”

“When we started rehearsing for the tour, this felt so far away and now it’s real and way beyond my imagination. Thank you, guys, for showing up for me. I keep saying that over and over again, but I mean it”, Duff said in a statement. “It’s so amazing to get to play old songs and connect on that level and see you all again and then share songs from luck… or something. It really means a lot to be able to play these new songs in this setting. I hope you’re loving the new and the old.” 

The next stop on the Small Rooms, Big Nerves tour will be at HISTORY in Toronto on Saturday (Jan. 24), followed by a gig at New York’s Brooklyn Paramount on Jan. 27. Duff also has a mini Las Vegas residency planned at the Voltaire stage at the Venetian on Feb. 13, 14 and 15 and May 22, 23 and 24.