Camila Cabello at 3Arena review: Fast, loud and fun – except for one humiliating moment
3Arena, Dublin
★★☆☆☆
Camila Cabello
's show at
3Arena
on Wednesday night is a spectacle of pure, unrelenting energy. Everything from the towering set to the booming sound is hyped to be epic.
The stage begins as a kind of white padded cell, a surreal centrepiece that unfolds over the night into something between a nightclub climbing frame and a bouncy castle on wheels, illuminated with seizure-inducing light displays.
The artistic vision is difficult to gauge. Seven backing dancers twerk voraciously, even through the sad ballads. It's fast, loud, hypersaturated and undeniably fun, engineered to leave you dazzled if not exactly moved.
The set list is expertly structured. Cabello cycles through her hits – Havana, Señorita – and cuts from her latest album, C,XOXO, each song receiving the same tinny, high-intensity treatment. Short videos play between numbers, Cabello looking sultry while delivering snippets of motivational wisdom.
READ MORE
The whole show is tightly choreographed and visually overwhelming, designed more for TikTok clips than for any real communion with the audience.
The stage banter feels copied-and-pasted, peppered with awkward 'What's the craic, Dublin?' interjections in an unconvincing Irish accent.
At one point Cabello pulls a teenage fan onstage and gets the crowd to chant that the poor girl's 'a 10 out of 10' before launching into a motivational speech about how even depressed people can get the lives they want. It's oddly humiliating for everyone involved.
At one point the US singer seems to forget some of her lyrics. Not her fault, really. I'd forget them too. The words are stitched together from generic love-as-drug metaphors and tired empowerment slogans. This is pop guided by trend analytics and market-tested themes.
There are borrowings from
Charli XCX
's synthetic, subversive pop; echoes of
Ariana Grande
's vocal styling; and flashes that could come straight from a
Lana Del Rey
song. Some tracks aim for introspection, others for euphoric club heat, but all feel strangely impersonal, as if composed by an algorithm crunching data on what should work.
What makes this all more interesting is the audience of overwhelmingly young girls. The last time I stood among such a crowd was just weeks ago, at
Lana Del Rey's show
at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, where, along with all the 13-year-olds, I loudly chanted 'Fuck me to death / Love me until I love myself.'
[
Lana Del Rey in Dublin review: By far the strangest performance the Aviva has hosted
Opens in new window
]
For all the hand-wringing about Del Rey as a 'bad influence', I'd far rather girls grew up with women like her – problematic, visionary, thoroughly distinctive – than with someone like Cabello, who seems so aggressively inoffensive, so corporate and defanged.
Lines about girls 'keeping it sexy while we figure it out' feel like a defeat: the kind of feminism that sells well, streams well and says nothing.
Still, there's something oddly compelling in Cabello's blankness. Her extreme lack of stage personality becomes, in flashes, almost interesting, sphinx-like. Maybe I imagine it, but at points it feels as if the mask slips a little, and something haunted shows through the bright smile.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
13 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Watch: Roy Keane gets asked would he 'cuddle' Micah Richards
Roy Keane is back on punditry duty for the new Premier League season and is bringing his usual deadpan humour with him. The ex-Ireland icon never fails to crack fans up when he appears on Sky Sports and it was no different for Sunday's showings of Chelsea vs Crystal Palace and Manchester United vs Arsenal. For someone who is usually so serious, Keane always finds a way to provide a laugh in the punditry box. Roy Keane was up to his usual tricks on Sky Sports Super Sunday. Pic: The Overlap/ YouTube After the final-whistle in Chelsea's 0-0 draw at home to Palace, there was a notable interaction between the away side's captain and manager. Marc Guehi was seen ignoring his boss Oliver Glasner's calls for a conversation on the pitch, which has further flamed rumours that the defender could be leaving the club amid links to Liverpool. Glasner looked a bit fed up with Guehi as he walked away and also seemed to point out the snubbing to Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta as he was clapping the away supporters. Micah Richards is no stranger to winding up his fellow pundit. Pic: Visionhaus Mateta was seen looking back at Guehi and remarking something to Glasner who just shrugged his shoulders. However, Keane was quick to jump to the Palace captain's defence and instead took aim at Glasner – and Premier League managers in general – for coming onto the pitch at the end of a game. Keane said: 'Where has this all happened in the last year or two when manager's come onto the pitch and shake hands with everybody and the opposition players? The Corkman usually cracks a few jokes while on punditry duty. Pic:'When a player's just had a tough match, he's physically exhausted, then the manager's like 'come and have a little chit-chat', knowing that there's talk about him leaving. 'As a player you don't want to get involved in that as well and that manager's come up and you're just like 'what's up with ya? Let's just get down the tunnel, if you want to have a chat we'll do it inside'. 'But this idea of managers all wanting to do something on the pitch, that's come in the last few years. 🗣️ "It's like the new garlic bread" Roy Keane's thoughts on that Oliver Glasner and Marc Guehi interaction at full-time of Chelsea vs Crystal Palace…
Extra.ie
an hour ago
- Extra.ie
Irish rugby's power couples have a ball at Oasis concert
Oasis have brought hundreds of thousands of fans out in force this weekend for their first Irish show in 16 years. Among the waves of people descending onto Croke Park on Saturday night were a few of Ireland's top rugby stars with their other halves. Tickets to see the Gallagher brothers seemed to be like gold dust but it's no real surprise that these lads were quick to get their hands on some. Rob Kearney with his wife Jess Redden at Oasis. Pic: Instagram Brian O'Driscoll and his wife Amy Huberman were out in force as they intended the concert alongside Rob Kearney and his wife Jess Redden. The four were seated beside each other in Croke Park and O'Driscoll made sure to catch Kearney mid-groove as they enjoyed the historic night. He shared a snap of his former teammate on his Instagram story and captioned it: 'Definitely Maybe was still s****ng his pants when this album came out!' O'Driscoll caught Kearney enjoying himself. Pic: Instagram Kearney's wife also shared a couple of photos of the couple at the gig and made sure to let those going on Sunday know that they were in for a treat. She said: 'What a night. If you're going tonight, have the best time – iconic show!' Elsewhere in the packed-out stadium, Johnny Sexton was reuniting with a former rugby rival. Amy Huberman was all set for the gig. Pic: Instagram The ex-Ireland star attended the concert with England international Owen Farrell and each of their wives, Laura Sexton and Georgie Farrell. The four of them posed for a photo which Georgie shared to her Instagram story and Sexton re-shared to his. Sexton and Farrell would have had heated battles on the rugby pitch for many years but their differences were put to the side on Saturday night for the special concert. Sexton and Farrell reunited at the concert. Pic: Instagram Another former Ireland star also managed to make his way into GAA HQ to see Liam and Noel. Cian Healy shared a snap of him and his wife Laura Smith in yet another section of the stadium. The couple posed for a selfie as Oasis lit up Ireland for the first time since 2009. Cian Healy was elsewhere in the crowd. Pic: Instagram It'll be left to wonder however if any of the Ireland stars had any trouble with their tickets, as some fans reported issues on Saturday night, A number of standing section ticketholders have said they were initially let in to Croke Park but weren't given a wristband, which are commonly used by stadiums to identify who is entitled to access into standing areas. They were reportedly then later stopped from entering the standing area because of not having a wristband. This caused delays for fans trying to get onto the pitch and secure a spot to watch the iconic duo. Rob and Jess seemed to have a great night. Pic: Instagram Video footage from the concert shows a large number of fans still streaming onto the pitch after Oasis had already started performing. There were further issues at the other end of the gig on Saturday night, with planned pyrotechnics for the finale not going off 'due to a technical issue'. However, it won't be much of a concern for the tens of thousands of fans descending upon Croke Park for the second sold-out show as fans ultimately reported an unbelievable experience on night one.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Scaled-back India Independence Day celebration in Dublin after spate of attacks
A scaled-back celebration of India 's Independence Day was held in Dublin on Sunday following a spate of attacks on members of the Indian community in Ireland. A larger event was due to take place at Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park, but was postponed by the Ireland India Council earlier this week due to concerns that the way in which it was perceived online could be used to justify further violence. Sunday's event took place in Merrion Square and was organised by the Federation of Indian Communities in Ireland in partnership with Dublin City Council and other civic groups. There was traditional Indian music and dance performances, street food stalls and art exhibitions . READ MORE [ 'Raising my son in Dublin, I believed there was nowhere safer or more welcoming' Opens in new window ] Sheetal Yedge's two daughters performed several music and dance acts on stage in front of a crowd of a few hundred people. 'We come every year and they like to participate every year, each time it's something different,' Ms Yedge said. She said the girls had been 'preparing for quite a few months' and she was pleased to see them share their culture. 'We love Irish culture as well, so integrating the both of them together is a really great thing.' Sayli Dixit (left) and Pradhnya Jadhav-Panse taking part in an event in Merrion Square, Dublin to mark India Day. Photograph: Dan Dennison/The Irish Times Sisters Srikruthi and Srimanya, with their mum, practise their dance routine in Merrion Square. Photograph: Dan Dennison/The Irish Times Ms Yedge's daughters performed a dance recalling the story of an 18th-century Indian king who preserved local culture and heritage in spite of the British Empire's invasion. Ms Yedge's eldest daughter, Saina, described it as 'fast paced and really loud'. 'There's all these drums and lots of instruments of different varieties,' she said. Kuldeep Joshi, a director and treasurer of the federation and a coordinator of the event, said the occasion is 'a celebration of our independence from British rule'. Chiranjeevi and family take part in India Day. Photograph: Dan Dennison/The Irish Times India Day attendees at Merrion Square, Dublin. Photograph: Dan Dennison/The Irish Times Members of the Mudra School Of Indian Classical Dances, Stamullen, take part in an event in Merrion Square, Dublin to mark India Day. This was mentioned by President Michael D Higgins earlier this week when he condemned attacks on Indian people , who he said have brought 'immeasurable benefits' to the State. He acknowledged a past 'exchange of expertise' as the two countries drafted constitutions after gaining independence from the British, noting that Ireland's connection with India was 'neither recent nor superficial'. People in attendance on Sunday were asked to stand for nAmhrán na bhFiann and Jana Gana Mana, the Indian national anthem, which were played at the beginning of the festivities. 'We came forward and we are still celebrating,' Mr Joshi said. 'The attacks are in isolation and they do not represent the entire Irish society, and you can see here all the Irish nationals are welcome, it's such a welcoming country.' [ 'Widespread media coverage in India' of attacks on Indian people living in Ireland Opens in new window ] He said he expected around 3,000 people would come over the course of the day. Indian community representatives met Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan to discuss the rise in reported attacks against Indians in Ireland, many of which gardaí believe were racially motivated hate crimes. Indian ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra said many TDs and civic leaders had reassured him of the gravity with which the recent assaults were being treated. 'Nowhere else would you find such an outpouring of condemnation across a society of such attacks,' he added.
