The year is 2004.
On Valentine’s Day, the final episode of “Lizzie McGuire” airs. A few months later, a Disney Channel-loving teenage girl in New Jersey quotes show star Hilary Duff’s song “Why Not” in her seventh grade presidential campaign speech impressing upon her potential young voters “it might take a little and it might take a lot, but why not?”
That young girl?
She ended up becoming my wife.
When she heard that Hilary Duff was touring in early 2026 a few months back, she was surprised. The last time the pop star from her youth hit the road was back in 2008 on her ‘Dignity Tour.’
So, my wife quickly made plans to catch Duff live at the Jan. 27 Brooklyn Paramount stop on her brief ‘Small Room, Big Nerves Tour’ in support of her upcoming album “Luck… or Something,” which hits shelves on Feb. 20.
Did the early-aughts icon still have the goods after nearly two decades away from the stage?
“Why Not” jump in and find out? Here’s her honest song-by-song account of the evening.
Hilary Duff concert review
My wife entered the Brooklyn Paramount, which she described as “a beautiful venue that’s conveniently located and makes good use of a historical theatre,” and squished in with thousands of other Duff diehards.
The place was beyond packed with Millennials “wearing Y2K fashions and butterfly clips” she told me.
That makes sense- tickets were going for upwards of $1,900 on the resale market for General Admission passes. These were clearly a hot ticket.
At 8:35 p.m., the 38-year-old singer/songwriter/actress/mom took the stage and busted out the 2005 classic “Wake Up.” My wife noted “the crowd was electric and knew all the words. I found myself singing along and dancing. Even the band jumped in unison.”
Next up was “So Yesterday,” which is also from 2005’s chart-topping compilation album “Most Wanted.” “All the words came flooding back to me,” she smiled.
Duff was passing the nostalgia muster test.
After treating the fans to the classics, Duff unveiled her new single “Roommates” with “grown-up lyrics like ‘I only want the beginning, I don’t want the end/Want the part where you say goddamn/Back of a dive bar, giving you head.”
No, this probably won’t make any seventh grader’s presidential speeches anytime soon.
Up fourth was “Weather For Tennis,” an unreleased bop from the forthcoming album. “I didn’t recognize that one, but I thought the song was pretty good,” my wife mused.
From there, Duff dove into “Metamorphosis,” the title track for her 2003 album. “The rap interlude impressed me,” was my wife’s main takeaway.
Five songs deep, the “Younger” star took a moment to address the crowd and gave an introspective speech. “Have you guys been noticing how much social media I’ve been doing? I need to finish a quick TikTok,” Duff quipped.
Polite laughter ensued, which led into the rockin’ “Fly” off the singer’s self-titled 2004 record, followed by the more modern 2015 tunes “My Kind” and “Sparks.”
Here, my wife sheepishly admitted “I didn’t know these middle ones but they might account for her younger fans.”
Once Duff paying tribute to her late-era album “Breathe In. Breathe Out,” she took a second breather to say “she said she met her husband doing this record.”
The longtime pop princess then rocked the new “Future Trippin’,” a fun, punchy song that “fans will have to wait a few more weeks to hear until ‘Luck… or Something’ drops.”
With nine songs under her belt, Duff launched into “With Love” and informed the crowd “there has been some internet lore about this one.”
Fans were onboard. “That one got people moving,” my wife smiled. “She picked people to come on stage for that one and they knew the dance.”
“Now, we’re sort of back in my era,” my wife grinned when the first chords of the raucous “The Beat Of My Heart” sounded. That blast from the past was followed by the earnest ballad “Someone’s Watching Over Me,” from the 2004 film “Raise Your Voice” starring Duff, Rita Wilson, Jason Ritter and a slew of other early ’00s familiar faces.
As the concert wound down, “We Don’t Talk” slowed the energy. “The song was a bit of a lull,” my wife mentioned.
Of course, this was all a buildup for the smash “Why Not,” aka the song my wife quoted in her seventh grade campaign speech. “The crowd went crazy,” she said.
“I’m being healed by people relating to my old songs,” Duff beamed.
Finally, “Come Clean,” with the apt lyric “let’s go back…back to the beginning” ended the pre-encore portion of the evening.
Moments later, after the applause died down, Gordo and Miranda’s old pal returned for the lead single off the new album “Mature” that The Post called “raunchy.”
To close the show, Duff went with the certified “Lizzie McGuire Movie” banger “What Dreams Are Made Of.” “Everybody really wanted to hear that one,” my wife said, noting that the crowd loudly sang along.
Final verdict: Seeing Duff live made for the perfect warm hug of nostalgia on a bitterly cold night. My wife’s take? “If you can afford a ticket, I definitely recommend catching her live.”
Hilary Duff tickets
Inventory to see Hilary Duff live is available on all verified ticketing sites.
We recommend checking out StubHub, Ticketmaster, Vivid Seats and GameTime to find the seats that makes the most sense for you.
Hilary Duff tour schedule 2026
A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found below.
Hilary Duff set list
Duff performed 17 songs at Brooklyn Paramount on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Based on our findings at Set List FM, these were the tracks that made the cut.
01.) “Wake Up”
02.) “So Yesterday”
03.) “Roommates”
04.) “Weather for Tennis”
05.) “Metamorphosis”
06.) “Fly”
07.) “My Kind”
08.) “Sparks”
09.) “Future Trippin’”
10.) “With Love”
11.) “Beat of My Heart”
12.) “Someone’s Watching Over Me”
13.) “We Don’t Talk”
14.) “Why Not”
15.) “Come Clean”
13.) “I Wish”
14.) “Love Is a Battlefield” (Pat Benatar cover)
15.) “Come Clean”
Encore
16.) “Mature”
17.) “What Dreams Are Made Of”
Hilary Duff docuseries
In September 2025, British director Sam Wrench aka the man behind “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” and “A Nonsense Christmas With Sabrina Carpenter” was announced to bring a multipart series about Duff’s foray back into music to the people.
Expect the series to “[embrace] the ups, downs, and everything in between, fans will ride shotgun as she balances raising a family, recording new music, live show rehearsals, and preparing to perform on stage for the first time in over a decade.”
Glamour added that the series will include “vérité footage, stylized interviews, performances, and videos from her personal archive.”
Huge pop stars on tour in 2026
Many iconic hitmakers from yesterday and today are taking their bops to venues all over the world these next few months.
Here are just five of our favorites you won’t want to miss live.
Truth be told, 2026 is shaping up to be the Year of the Millennial Pop Princesses. StubHub’s 2025 Year in Live Experiences report found that solo artists made up 89% of its Breakthrough Artists list, and most were women. Nostalgia was also one of 2025’s strongest forces, with nearly half of nostalgia-ticket buyers new to StubHub, a clear sign that fans are returning to the artists they grew up with.
That prediction is already coming to life on 2026 calendars:
- Hilary Duff (as you likely know) returned to music for the first time in a decade, with a new record deal, a buzzy single, and a sold-out mini-tour built squarely around Millennial nostalgia.
- Lily Allen is launching her biggest North American tour yet, following rave reviews of “West End Girl” and high-profile TV moments.
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
