Concert Reviews

Dean dazzled fans with sparkles, class, her iconic banana shaker, and plenty of words of wisdom on connection and healing.

By Kelly Chan

August 11, 2026 | 2:13 PM

4 minutes to read

Olivia Dean at TD Garden, Boston, Aug. 10, 2026.

Olivia Dean was everyone’s big sister at her Monday night show in Boston — the glittery, charming, self-assured one who was passing on her words of wisdom, sharing everything she’s learned so far to get to this healed version of herself. And naturally, she even shed a tear or two in the process.

The Grammy-winning 27-year-old breakout star’s “The Art of Loving” album is about just that: the art of loving friends, family, partners, and most importantly, yourself. It’s a journey of self-discovery, empowerment, connection, and letting go — all dressed up in jazzy, colorful ballads that seep deeply through the skin.

Dean said the album itself was actually inspired by Bell Hooks’ book “All About Love,” or rather created in response to it. 

“It gave me this definition of love that made everything make sense,” she told the crowd at TD Garden. “Basically she says in the book that loving another person in your life — it doesn’t have to be a romantic partner, it could be a friend or a family member — is wanting to see them be the best version of themselves.”

In an interview with New Zealand radio DJ Zane Lowe in November, Dean even described how she best sees love as two people supporting each other’s growth, independently while moving together. 

And she wrote those songs as affirmations of that kind of love, for herself and her fanbase: “I just want you to remember that: You deserve to be loved that way. And I now know that I deserve that, too.”

Baby Rose set the cozy, classic jazz lounge vibe as the opener, performing a retro-soul rendition of “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. That atmosphere continued with a simple, yet formal and elegant stage for Dean, as she took the stage at 8:33 p.m., first as a silhouette behind a white curtain. Then, the curtain pulled back to reveal Dean, an image of grace in a bold orange-red dress with bow ties lining the front, standing out in contrast to her band (including three brass players!) in black suits and her backing vocalists in pleated black dresses. All that was missing was a red velvet rope.

Grabbing a tambourine, Dean started off with a few crowd favorites, like “Nice To Each Other” and “So Easy (To Fall In Love),” where fans hung onto every word. 

And I think it’s safe to say, every fan in that stadium was already sure of one thing: It really was that easy to fall in love with her. 

Dean sang passionately and intimately, as if you and her were the only people in the room. Her rich lyrics flowed off her lips like a diary entry, unveiling every layer of vulnerability like it was her last. She was like a breath of fresh air, one that every fan desperately needed. The crowd was notably full of women, dressed up in silky tops, maxi skirts, and lots of polka dots (the uniform, it seems), many of whom brought best friends, mothers, and partners to love and hold as they sang along.

Toward the middle of her set, Dean stripped down the production even further to just her and her two guitarists, all strumming on stools. Here, she grooved with a gentle confidence to some of her earlier songs like “Touching Toes” and “UFO,” the latter from her first album (“Messy”) about embracing life’s imperfections.

“Life is best enjoyed when you just allow it to be,” she said. And it really did seem like Dean allowed herself to relish every moment: twirling across the stage, patting her tears dry at the beginning, and speechlessly soaking in the packed crowd’s energy. 

Once Dean headed into “Echo” and “Time,” she hit a turning point, where her initial soothing glow built into something louder and stronger, as she channeled more of her vocal prowess. And her brass players — especially Ruben Fox on the saxophone — mirrored her energy, adding another soulful layer of richness to her music.

Then Dean slipped away backstage and emerged on a small platform in the middle of the stadium, and the crowd went wild. Decked out in a big white feathery skirt, she continued to belt “A Couple Minutes” and “The Hardest Part,” while making her way around the perimeter of the floor and electrifying the crowd in doing so. 

She made her way back to the stage for the entrance to her finale, fitted with a sparkly flapper-like dress, disco balls, her iconic banana shaker, and an upbeat tempo that was ripe for a two-step. 

Dean closed the show with her two most popular hits: “Dive” and “Man I Need,” the latter of which propelled her into stardom. The crowd screamed every word with their whole chest, bouncing and swaying to every line of courage and self-love, before being sprayed with a blast of pink confetti. 

Together, the concert felt like a string of deep personal conversations, the same ones that you have late at night at childhood sleepovers. It was a night full of laughter, tears, and whimsy, that prompted us all to squeeze our loved ones tighter, especially as Dean shared stories of her hometown friends and her grandmother.

She danced like no one was watching, staying absolutely present in all her own dazzling glory. But don’t worry, she made sure we were dancing, too.

Setlist for Olivia Dean at TD Garden, Boston, Aug. 10, 2026:

• The Art of Loving (Intro)
• Nice to Each Other
• Lady Lady
• So Easy (To Fall in Love)
• Close Up
• Let Alone the One You Love
• Messy
• UFO
• Touching Toes
• Something Inbetween
• I’ve Seen It
• Carmen
• Echo
• Time
• Loud
• A Couple Minutes
• The Hardest Part
• Baby Steps
• Ladies Room
• Move On Up
• OK Love You Bye
• It Isn’t Perfect But It Might Be
• Dive
• Man I Need

Kelly Chan

Content Producer

Kelly Chan is a content producer at Boston.com. She designs multimedia content on site and across social media platforms, and experiments with new ways to engage readers.

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