Kelly Rowland at Mighty Hoopla review: ‘A crowd pleasing set from start to finish’

Kelly Rowland starts her Mighty Hoopla 2023 headliner set with her, Amorphous, and MNEK’s 2021 take on the CeCe Peniston classic, ‘Finally’.

The lyrics “Waited for this moment / It’s so golden / You can see it in the way we shine” seem appropriate. This is an act that people have been eagerly waiting to see.

‘Finally (Cannot Hide It)’ certainly gets the crowd going and Rowland looks flawless in a shining black catsuit.

Kelly goes straight into ‘Commander,’ the opening notes of which are enough to make the audience scream even louder. With choreography similar to Cheryl’s ‘Fight For This Love’ it’s an energetic performance.

After entertaining the crowd with songs like “Crazy’ and ‘Dilemma’ Kelly begins working through the Destiny’s Child back catalog.

This section of the performance starts with ‘Bills, Bills, Bills,’ ‘Say My Name,’ and ‘Survivor’. Unsurprisingly these are all crowd favourites but surprisingly Kelly works through them in quick succession. It’s a bit of a shame as we barely get to experience one before we move on to the next.

‘Lose My Breath’ is yet another crowd pleaser as is ‘Independent Women – Part 1’. Both bring back more of the high-energy aspects of the set with choreo, pyrotechnics, and more.

Even ‘Jumpin’ Jumpin’,’ and ‘Bootylicious’ are kept rather brief. The set list shows Kelly knows what songs people want to hear, but the short duration of each almost acts as a teaser for a longer show to come. Can we expect a tour announcement soon perhaps?

After an extended pause to showcase her fabulous dancers Kelly returns to the stage for one last hit to round out the night – ‘When Love Takes Over’ – the 2009 club banger from David Guetta.

It’s the best way to bring the show to an end and once again shows how well Kelly knows her audience. It’s big, loud, and proud – perfect for Hoopla – and leaves the audience buzzing.

Overall, a crowd-pleasing set from start to finish.