Who had Hilary Duff being one of the hottest music stories of 2026 on their bingo cards?
Certainly not most people, including this critic and presumably Duff herself, who comes across as more than just a bit in awe of the resurgence in her career after many years out of the white-hot celebrity spotlight.
Yet, Duff definitely ranks as the Comeback Queen of the Year.
The proof of that was in very ample supply as an enormous turnout of fans — wearing butterfly clips in their hair, low-rise flare jeans, body sparkle and other early aughts fashion staples — filled the 22,000-capacity Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View to the absolute brim on Saturday night (July 11).
It’s one of many sell-outs that the 38-year-old Duff has posted on “the lucky me tour,” which is the pop star’s first major-scale global road show in nearly two decades. The trek supports the singer’s sixth studio album, “luck… or something,” the long-awaited follow-up to 2015’s “Breathe In. Breathe Out.” that has been embraced by both listeners and (far more surprisingly) critics.
Much of this success can be chalked up to the current wave of heavy nostalgia for all things early aughts — with Duff representing the millennial tween dream of the era arguably better than anyone.
But there’s more to it than just that. Something has just felt missing over the last couple of decades. And now we are realizing that something — or, more accurately, someone — was Hilary Duff.
She wasn’t just a music star during the first half of the 2000s, but rather a whole industry — initially shepherded, like so many before and after her, by the folks at Disney — and she impacted so many different areas of pop culture. She’s best remembered for playing the title character in the TV show “Lizzie McGuire,” which ruled the Disney Channel during its initial go-around from 2001–2004, as well as for starring in such era-defining films as “The Lizzie McGuire Movie,” “Cheaper by the Dozen” and “A Cinderella Story.” She also sold millions of albums, had her share of hit singles and was a true fashion icon.
The kids raised on “Lizzie McGuire” wanted to watch her, listen to her and dress like her. And many even dreamed of being her. Duff’s impact as a teen idol has been overlooked in recent years — as the original fans aged and the singer concentrated on being a mom and raising a family — but it’s everywhere to be seen in 2026. It certainly was on Saturday in the throng of mostly-female thirtysomethings that packed the Shoreline.
Taking the stage in the Bay Area for the first time since a 2007 date on her Dignity Tour at what’s now known as the Toyota Pavilion at Concord, Duff put on an enjoyable show that consisted of 21 songs spread over a little less than two hours. The concert was rarely spectacular or flashy — which is appropriate, given that those qualities have never really been Duff’s selling points — but was as easy to like as the star herself. It didn’t hurt that Duff’s singing voice, spared from the strain of constant touring over the years, was pristine.
Following opening sets by Jade LeMac and La Roux — two talented acts that fans might want to try to check out on Myspace — Duff first connected with her fans on their preferred ground, going back to their beloved ’00s for a fun double shot of “Wake Up” (from 2005’s “Most Wanted”) and “So Yesterday” (from the 2004 quadruple-platinum blockbuster “Metamorphosis”). From there, she took listeners right out of Nostalgialand and into the present with “Roommates” and “Weather for Tennis” off the new album.
And you know what? Fans didn’t seem to mind one bit. In total, Duff would highlight nine of the 11 tracks off “luck… or something” (with only “Tell Me That Won’t Happen” and “The Optimist” not making the cut) and fans ate up all of it with pretty much the same enthusiasm shown to such longtime favorites as “Come Clean” and “Beat of My Heart.”
The new tunes fit in fairly seamlessly with the older material, boosting a slightly more mature sound, but still comfortably coming across as unapologetically pop. The few expletives scattered across the new songs, however, definitely feel forced, like they are Duff’s way of distancing herself from Lizzy McGuire. There are also some mature storylines — especially on the track “Roommates” — which might give a listener a bit of topical whiplash taken in context with the Disney era material.
There were some wardrobe changes, a few pyrotechnic displays and a couple of nostalgic video montages. But mainly, it was just Duff, working steadily alongside a five-piece backing band, which proved to be the ideal setting for her to showcase her greatest asset — her likability.
She did so in a variety of ways, yet almost all of them had to do with the way she interacted with the fans. In one instance, she played the charming host as she invited a small handful of lucky fans to come up on stage and dance with her — as well as get plenty of hugs. In other moments, she’d connect with a fan over a handmade sign or a prized plushy toy. Somehow, standing in front of a mammoth crowd that numbered over 20,000 strong, Duff was able to make each and every individual feel like they mattered.
That carried through to the way she spoke to the crowd, coming across so humble and so appreciative of the outpouring of love that she was witnessing at Shoreline Amphitheatre.
“You guys have been by my side for decades,” Duff said with sincerity and emotion. “Definitely some career highs and some career lows. Thank you for holding me and lifting me up and being so kind. Letting me go off and have my babies. Letting me live my life authentically and honestly and loving me and accepting me.
“If I ever got to do that for you, I really don’t take that lightly. If I ever got to be there for you — or be a soundtrack to one your chapters — it’s an honor.”
Duff closed up the main set with a mix of old and new, placing the “luck… or something” standout “Adult Size Medium” between the surefire “Metamorphosis” winners “Why Not” and “Come Clean” before returning for a two-song encore that capped off this magical night of millennial nostalgia.
Yet, this evening was more than just about nostalgia, really, as Duff used the showcase to prove that she still has what it takes to make plenty of new musical memories and could be doing so for years — and new albums — to come.
Hilary Duff setlist
1. “Wake Up”
2. “So Yesterday”
3. “Roommates”
4. “Weather for Tennis”
5. “Play With Fire”
6. “Breathe In. Breathe Out.”
7. “Sparks”
8. “Future Tripping”
9. “With Love”
10. “Beat of My Heart”
11. “You, from the Honeymoon”
12. “Anywhere but Here”
13. “Growing Up”
14. “Fly”
15. “Holiday Party”
16. “We Don’t Talk”
17. “Why Not”
18. “Adult Size Medium”
19. “Come Clean”
Encore:
20. “Mature”
21. “What Dreams Are Made Of”
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