Two months after headlining Coachella (and one month after headlining Alabama’s Hangout Fest), Lana Del Rey made her stadium debut at Boston’s iconic Fenway Park on Thursday (6/20). It was the day before Lana’s 39th birthday, the first day of summer, and one of the hottest days of the year so far, due to a heat wave that had the temperature in the 90s. There were predictions that the heat would turn into storms, and right around the time the show was expected to start, at around 8:30 or so, someone from Fenway came out and announced that the show would have a slight delay due to the expected weather conditions. Lana also posted on her Instagram story that the show was being held off until 9:00 because of wind warnings.

Everyone at the sold-out stadium show packed like sardines into the concession stands, and then the downpours started. And then the lightning. 9:00 came and went with no update, and finally Lana posted a video to her Instagram story saying that each time the lightning strikes they have to wait 20 more minutes to start the show, and that they didn’t want to start any later than 10pm due to the venue’s curfew. If they had to cancel, she said, they’d reschedule to Saturday. As 10pm neared, Lana posted a poll to her Instagram asking fans if they’d rather see a one-hour show tonight or the full two-hour show on Saturday. And then finally, right around 10, someone came on the loudspeaker and announced that the show would be starting in 30 minutes.

Fenway’s curfew is usually 10:30, the same time the show ended up starting, but Lana ended up going until around 11:30 and giving fans the shortened, hour-long set. Lana still hasn’t done too much touring since releasing her excellent 2023 album Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, and this was (and so far still is) the only US non-festival show of 2024 on her schedule; one of the most remarkable moments was the extended version of the new album’s title track, which saw Lana’s three backup singers all taking solos that showed off their powerhouse range. But, for the most part, Lana opted for a career-spanning set and made the best out of being forced to cut the show in half.

She had a very similar setup to what the world saw on the Coachella livestream, with the tiered backdrop that she could climb during the show, dancers, pole dancers, and a great live band, and the elaborate visual aspect of the show was just as memorable as the music itself. She led the crowd through singalongs of over a decade of classics, with “Summertime Sadness,” “Cherry,” “Pretty When You Cry,” “Born to Die,” and “Chemtrails Over the Country Club” all making their way into the set. She also clearly wanted to make her first-ever stadium show a special one, so she brought some guests with her and made sure to fit all of them into her abbreviated set.

Mason Ramsey, who went viral as an 11-year-old for yodeling in a Walmart, is now turning 18 this year and recently put out the new single “Blue Over You,” which Lana duetted with him on at the show. Right after the climactic ending of “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd,” she brought out Stephen Sanchez and joined him on a rendition of his 2021 hit “Until I Found You.” And right after that, Lana brought out Migos member Quavo to debut their new collaborative song “Tough,” which the pair teased on Instagram before the show. No word on when that’s officially coming out, but judging by the reaction last night, the trap-pop ballad is already a crowdpleaser.

After Quavo said goodbye, you could tell that Lana seemed unsure if she had any time left in her set at all, but she said something to the effect of “I’m just gonna do it” and went into the song that started it all, “Video Games.” Since putting out that career-altering single, Lana’s went on to release eight great albums (with a new country album called Lasso expected this year) and she’s solidified herself as one of the most beloved songwriters of her generation. But even with such a vast catalog to pull from, there was a magical timeless nostalgia to seeing her end this very unique show with the song that turned her into a star. When it ended, the crowd took it upon themselves to sing “Happy Birthday” to Lana.

Despite having to cut it in half, Lana’s stadium debut still felt monumental, and it was definitely a night to remember, for better or for worse. She said she wants to find some way to make up for having to shorten the show, and especially considering her shows are relatively rare, let’s hope that means she’ll play the Northeast again soon. Stay tuned for more on that, Lasso, and the official release of the Quavo collab. Check out the setlist and videos from Fenway below.

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Setlist
Without You
West Coast
Summertime Sadness
Cherry
Pretty When You Cry
Blue Over You (Mason Ramsey song with Mason Ramsey)
Ride
Born to Die
Chemtrails Over the Country Club
The Grants
Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
Until I Found You (Stephen Sanchez song with Stephen Sanchez)
Tough (with Quavo)
Video Games