The singer-songwriter and actress traverses the stages of grief and ignites potent female rage.

There’s something cathartic about thousands of fans singing, “Fuck you (Fuck you), fuck you very, very much,” to the tune of seven cellos.

On Sept. 18, The Dallas Minor Trio and additional cellists opened Lily Allen’s show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre with instrumental versions of some of her most popular songs, including the classic “Fuck You.”

As screens on either side of the stage displayed Allen’s sarcastic lyrics in pink, audience members sang along, laughing every few lines. It felt like the moments in Bridgerton when the orchestra plays romantic versions of vulgar, present-day pop songs.

The interactive start was a perfect introduction to Allen and her music. The 41-year-old singer-songwriter and actress has been through the wringer with her ex-husband David Harbour, who, by her account, cheated on her over and over again. Rather than allowing the infidelity to break her, she turned her pain into “West End Girl,” an electropop and alt-pop album she wrote in just 10 days. It’s a bitter and at times comedic expression of a marriage unraveling.

Lily Allen onstage at Red Rocks Sept. 18, 2026. | Photo: Maddie Browning

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Expressing female rage

Earlier this month, Alanis Morissette went on Alex Cooper’s podcast “Call Her Daddy” to chat about her illustrious career and the backlash she received when she first began releasing music that expressed female rage. She explained that even fellow female artists said hurtful things about her, but she continued. Allen stands on Morissette’s shoulders with songs that convey her raw anger at how she was treated.

Allen creates a concert experience that feels more like a dramatic one-woman show. She performed the entire “West End Girl” album in an apartment set, without acknowledging the audience until the end. She moved through the nonlinear stages of grief while lounging on a floral bed, sitting on a pink tufted rug and pulling items from a vintage pink fridge. The production is best accompanied by a nice glass of red wine.

The show opened with Allen cheekily popping out from deep teal curtains in front of a stage setup with “West End Girl” lit up in pink above her. Channeling Priscilla Presley, she wore a ’60s beehive and a glittering mini dress with an oversized bow in the back.

A spotlight landed on her as she sang the album’s title track. A red rotary phone rang, and Allen sat down to simulate a call with Harbour. Only her end of the conversation could be heard, but it was clear he wanted an open relationship and she was devastated by the news.

“I mean it makes me really sad but …” she said, with tears in her eyes. “I just, I want you to be happy.” It was a painful portrayal of a dream life ripping apart at the seams and the unfortunately relatable situation of a woman giving up her needs and joy for her partner.

“Ruminating” pulled the audience out of despair and into dizzying electronic dance music, a funny juxtaposition given that the track explores the unsettling feeling of knowing your partner is being unfaithful without having the details.

Sitting in betrayal

The curtains pulled away to reveal a settee where Allen lounged, wiping her eyes. She looked out onto a cityscape from the apartment’s floor-to-ceiling windows as she sang the R&B-infused “Sleepwalking.”

Allen captured the confusion of a partner who isn’t paying attention but won’t let go. She unzipped down to a lingerie bodysuit and sang, “I wanna be your whore,” begging her ex to see her, if only sexually.

On “Tennis,” she donned a blue, fur-laced robe that flowed dramatically in the wind as she discovered Harbour’s texts with a woman named Madeline (not the actual name of the woman he was involved with).

Old West-style strings soared as Allen rapped about her ex breaking the agreed-upon terms of their open relationship. In a Valley girl accent, she performed a monologue the woman had sent her. The message ended with “Love and light, Madeline,” a ridiculous send-off for a life-altering discovery.

Catchy melodies and infidelity

As visuals of New York City transit sped past onscreen, Allen returned to the stage in a tight, blue two-piece set: a fuzzy top and leather bootie shorts with a bedazzled star on her nether region. She simulated walking into her West Village apartment to find evidence of Harbour’s extensive cheating. As Allen assessed a bed with sheets strewn about, she discovered a black lace bra left behind. Singing the catchy single “Pussy Palace,” she found a Duane Reade bag containing sex toys.

Continuing with the heartbreaking proof, she wrapped herself in an oversized receipt of all the items Harbour purchased for other women on “4chan Stan.” Making fun of herself, she wore a girly pink apron with the word “Cuck” on it during “Nonmonogamummy.”

Standing on a three-tiered cake platform, Allen marketed her current situation to other potential partners: “I’m almost nearly forty / And just shy of five-foot-two / I’m a mum to teenage children / Does that sound like fun to you?”

A reggaeton beat played as strobing lights fell across the audience for a brief dance break. Under colorful lampshades and hanging chandeliers, Allen emerged again in a shimmering mini dress with pointy, Madonna-esque breasts. On “Fruityloop,” she rose from the darkness, realizing she wasn’t the problem — he was. “And finally I see / It’s not me / It’s you / It’s what you’ve always done, it’s what you do.”

At the end of the show, she thanked the audience and bowed, accepting a large bouquet before exiting the stage.

While it was a stunning performance, the “West End Girl” tour was also hard to watch at times because of Allen’s raw emotion. She sometimes broke from the lyrics, choked up with tears. The audience watched a woman fall apart in real time, which seemed counterintuitive to her healing process. It hurt to see Allen in pain, but it was impressive to watch her full grief experience unfold with a triumphant ending.