LONDON — Lily Allen defended her theatrical concert format at London's O2 Arena after journalist Rupert Hawksley criticized the show's brevity and ticket price following her performances on Saturday and Sunday. Hawksley posted a review on X stating, "Lily Allen at The O2. No support act, arrived on stage at 9:10pm, all wrapped up by 10pm, not one word to the audience, £86 to sit in the gods." He added, "While Allen's performance was 'brilliant', it can't be right to charge that much for an hour, late on Sunday night."

Allen responded on X, explaining the intentional artistic choices for the performance. "It's my artistic choice not to talk to the audience, the fourth wall helps with the storytelling," she said. She further stated, "I don't want anyone to feel ripped off." regarding the cost and length. Allen attributed her late stage appearance on the night Hawksley attended to a wardrobe issue, noting her "tights were laddered and I had to change them." Hawksley replied on X, acknowledging the explanation but maintaining reservations: "But no support act and not even a 'thank you so much for coming' was a bit weird."

The show features Allen performing the 45-minute "West End Girl" album in its entirety. Allen does not appear during the first half of the show. Instead, a string ensemble called the Dallas Minor Trio plays instrumental covers of her older hits, and the audience is encouraged to sing along karaoke-style. Allen has described the show as akin to theatre rather than a conventional concert, previously telling Elle magazine that it would resemble a Broadway-style one-woman show without a band or dancers.

Tickets for the London O2 Arena shows were around £100. Upcoming dates for the Australian leg of the tour range from $110 to $400 for VIP packages. The tour initially began in intimate theatrical venues in the UK before more dates were added at larger venues, including arenas. Allen will play only large venues in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand.