After a punishing two years for the live music industry, pop shows returned with full force in 2022, with many of the world’s top-tier stars jostling to see their fans in a live setting once again. Punters have been faced with an embarrassment of riches, from Harry Styles’ multi-night US arena residencies to Charli XCX’s Grecian rave fantasia to Dua Lipa’s Studio 54-esque disco spectacular.
But even if you couldn’t afford the higher-than-ever price tags for big pop shows – the result of a significant labour shortage and the need for artists to recoup losses after two years without touring – it was also easier than ever, in 2022, to experience shows from afar. The year’s most-talked about tours – Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Ball, Lorde’s Solar Power tour, Rosalía for Motomami and the 1975’s At Their Very Best – felt as though they were designed to be shared on social media, with clips from each show proving inescapable on TikTok and Twitter.
