Let’s not beat around the bush: This was the best show I’ve seen this year. The joy, energy, and vibes that filled The Anthem were incredible and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since the lights came up.
Robyn has had quite the career. She was a ’90s teen pop sensation, then pivoted in the oughts to start her own label and do things entirely on her own terms, a gamble that led to the 2010’s breakthrough Body Talk. Now she’s a bona fide international pop star playing 20,000-plus seaters on this short US run, which made her two nights at The Anthem downright intimate by comparison.
The stage setup matched that intimacy on Sept. 8. It was sparse, just giant white sheets for a backdrop and a faceless band perched at the back, bathed in reds and whites. The one flourish was a stage extension with a rotating turntable that spun Robyn in place while she stood there, letting the whole room orbit around her instead of the other way around. Every eye in the building was on her for all 21 songs.
She’s touring behind her new album, Sexistential, and played six of its nine songs on the night, with lead single “Dopamine” and my personal fave “Light Up” standing out. The new record’s sound isn’t miles away from 2018’s Honey, so “Missing U” and “Honey” blended together seamlessly with the newer material rather than feeling like two different shows stitched together.
Watch the official music video for “Dopamine” by Robyn on YouTube:
Of course, the hits were all present and accounted for, “With Every Heartbeat,” “Hang With Me,” and “Indestructible” among them, and there was a fun two-song acoustic detour into “Be Mine!” and “Show Me Love” that gave the show a nice change of pace.
Robyn had enough moves and costume changes to keep everyone locked in for the full set, but honestly we were all just waiting for “Call Your Girlfriend” and “Dancing on My Own,” the 1-2 punch that closed the night. The entire venue sang along to both, word for word, and it ended on an image I won’t forget anytime soon: Robyn, still spinning on that turntable stage, getting showered in glitter as the song wound down. A visual and a show to remember.
Setlist:
Blow My Mind
Fembot
Talk to Me Hang With Me (Paola cover)
Ever Again
Dopamine
Honey
Life (Jamie xx cover)
Don’t Fucking Tell Me What to Do
Sexistential
Really Real
Love Kills
Be Mine! (Acoustic)
Show Me Love (Acoustic)
Light Up
Sucker for Love
Indestructible
With Every Heartbeat
Encore:
Missing U
Call Your Girlfriend
Dancing on My Own
Here are some photos of Robyn performing at The Anthem on Sept. 8, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Kyle Gustafson.
