This will go down as an exceptionally active year for the UAE live music scene, with a smorgasbord of diverse events, from full-throttle pop and rock concerts to sets by superstar comedians, colourful musicals and regal dance performances.
It was also home to several landmark moments, from Coldplay bringing their epic Music of the Spheres tour to Abu Dhabi, welcoming fans from across the region and abroad, to Green Day making their regional debut in Dubai, alongside smaller but no less significant shows for niche and devoted fanbases, including Limp Bizkit and Max Richter.
Dubai Opera continued to bring dazzling musicals and ballets to its stage, while seasoned acts ranging from Sting and Guns N’ Roses to Kevin Hart and Rod Stewart showed how these artists continue to get better with age.
Covering all these events was The National’s Arts and Culture team, present throughout the year, documenting, through its reviews, the robust health and dynamism that make the UAE one of the most active touring destinations on the global circuit.
Presented chronologically, here are 20 of the most notable gigs of 2025.
1. Coldplay at Sheikh Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi (January 9)
The year kicked off with what turned out to be the biggest UAE show by a band, as Coldplay had a four-night run at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Sports City Stadium that welcomed over 100,000 fans.
The British band brought joy and colour as they delivered their indomitable 25-year catalogue of hits. While it’s easy, and in some cases justifiable, to label some of their songs as overly sentimental, given the full treatment, tracks such as Higher Power and Adventure of a Lifetime transform into undeniable, bombastic anthems that are impossible to resist.
By the time Paradise arrived, with its swaying, singalong chorus, it became clear not only why Coldplay are the biggest band in the world, but also why Sheikh Zayed Sports City Stadium felt like a venue worthy of such epic concerts.
2. Green Day and The Offspring at Dubai Expo City (January 27)
More than 25,000 fans were reminded of pop-punk’s enduring appeal at a high-energy, double-bill concert by Green Day and The Offspring at Dubai Expo City.
The California stalwarts turned back the clock, while also reinforcing their role in the genre's resurgence. Their careers are a testament to perseverance. Both bands weathered lean periods, teetering on the brink of irrelevance, only to stage remarkable comebacks. For Green Day, it came on the back of their career-defining 2004 album American Idiot. The Offspring kept the good ship afloat by consistently delivering standout singles, from 2008's You're Gonna Go Far, Kid to their latest sparkling release, Make It All Right.
That experience, energy and commitment were on full display in back-to-back sets in Dubai that came tantalisingly close to punk-pop perfection.
3. Sweeney Todd at Dubai Opera (February 1)
The Dubai Opera stage was transformed into the gothic streets of London in a stellar staging of Stephen Sondheim’s macabre masterpiece Sweeney Todd.
Based on the 1846 serialised penny dreadful The String of Pearls, the misadventures of serial killer Sweeney Todd are reworked into an epic musical full of nuance, wit and sheer beauty. The Dubai Opera production harks back to Sondheim’s original intentions for his “musical thriller”, less gruesome than some versions, but still fantastically lurid.
4. Christina Aguilera at Saadiyat Nights, Abu Dhabi (February 15)
The world has seen many versions of Christina Aguilera over the years: as a child star on The Mickey Mouse Club, as a doe-eyed young pop sensation, as the bold and unapologetic Xtina, and finally, as a seasoned veteran songstress.
Here, Aguilera revisited her past selves with a near 90-minute set that turned back the years.
Backed by her dancers, Aguilera powered through two decades’ worth of hits. This includes What a Girl Wants, Moves Like Jagger and Feel This Moment, the latter two from her collaborations with Maroon 5 and Pitbull, as well as the Spanish-language track Santo, and electro-synth pop cuts from Bionic, including Vanity, complete with lasers and smoke machines.
5. Max Richter at Dubai Opera (February 26)
The German-born British classical composer reminded a sold-out crowd of his range, performing selections from his classic album The Blue Notebooks to celebrate its 20th anniversary, alongside the entirety of his latest album, In a Landscape.
Both proved transcendent, building on simple patterns that grow as beautiful elements are layered on top of a basic melody, all performed live by Richter on piano and synthesisers, with an accompanying five-piece orchestra. At a time when we all need catharsis, Richter’s soul-stirring compositions felt especially timely as we headed towards Ramadan.
6. Sting at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi (April 3)
With his latest visit as part of the 3.0 tour, Sting returned to the power trio format for the first time since his days with The Police. This was immediately apparent in potent takes of Message in a Bottle. Without a full band to smooth out the edges, its glittering, jagged guitar lines were pushed to the forefront, hinting at The Police’s often overlooked influence on the post – punk movement.
Despite the relaxed nature of the set, there was no disguising the sheer concentration required to pull these songs off live. Without extra players or backing vocalists, Sting may be working harder on stage than he has for years, with his voice, still rich and fluid, solely carrying those dazzling, and at times complex, melodies on songs such as Synchronicity II and If I Ever Lose My Faith in You.
It all points to an artist who, at 73, feels utterly invigorated and is finding new ways to express familiar material.
7. Usher at Club Social in Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi (April 19)
Ever since his bravura performance at the 2024 Super Bowl half-time show, RnB singer Usher has sustained the moment and brought his high-octane show to Abu Dhabi while headlining the Club Social festival.
The RnB hitmaker delivered a storming set with material that defined the genre for the last two decades, from My Way and Party to Got It Bad, Burn and Confessions, Pt II. Ever the showman, Usher’s charisma hasn’t faded through the years, with every wink, glide and grin met with cheers in what was a celebratory performance.
8. Ed Sheeran at Off Limits in Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi (April 26)
The UAE just can’t get enough of Ed Sheeran, with the singer returning just over a month after conquering Dubai’s Sevens Stadium with two sold-out shows. This time, Abu Dhabi got in on the action, with the Shape of You singer headlining the inaugural Off Limits festival – his debut in the UAE capital.
While the set stayed true to his well-worn formula, playing solo and constructing rhythms live using specialised equipment on stage, it remained a beguiling and virtuosic experience as he moved from the plaintive hit The A Team to more electronically laced tracks such as Shivers and the R&B-driven Don’t.
9. Kevin Hart at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi (May 2)
Hart’s latest show, Acting My Age and part of Abu Dhabi Comedy Season, felt like the course correction he needed.
It was not a reinvention, but a refinement of what audiences have always loved, shaped by years of stage-earned experience. The 70-minute set was lean, well-structured, and packed with anecdotes – from the personal to the outright outlandish – delivered with fresh awareness and the confidence of an artist who knows what he wanted to say.
Hart delivered a hilarious and heartfelt set, sketching a portrait of domesticity that feels relatable – from dysfunctional family members to the absurdities of middle age, and the creeping physical and mental wear and tear that comes with the clock ticking past 40.
10. Carmina Burana at Dubai Opera (May 23)
Staged by Edward Clug, the artistic director of the Slovenian National Ballet, this modern take on the classic 1936 ballet is divided into chapters dealing with different emotions such as love, cynicism and spiritual desolation.
It remains a meditation on the human experience: the intoxication of love and the absurdities of life, against the omnipresent hand of fate. Bold and beautiful, it is the raw essence of humanity being laid bare that makes Clug’s staging so powerful.
11. Guns N’ Roses at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi (May 27)
Guns N’ Roses’ misbehaviour may be the stuff of legend, and feuds kept the core members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan apart for more than two decades, but it’s been about 10 years since they made amends. Their latest Abu Dhabi show is not a victory lap or a quick cash grab – it is further proof of a band built to last for decades to come.
It’s rare for the band to have looked this happy and healthy. Rose no longer sports the long hair and bandanna, and looks noticeably better than he did when the band reformed in 2016, which allows him and his cohorts to breeze through a more than three-hour show at Etihad Arena, hitting all the right notes and hits such as Sweet Child O’ Mine, along with their covers of Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door and Wings’ Live and Let Die.
They even reached for some deep cuts, performing Attitude and Reckless Life for the first time on their current tour, and Used to Love Her for the first time since 2018.
12. Jennifer Lopez at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi (July 29)
What do you do when things cool off at home? You hit the road and remind fans why they loved you in the first place. That’s what Jennifer Lopez did in Abu Dhabi, with high-energy greatest hits set at Etihad Arena.
The show, part of a tour that replaced her cancelled US dates, felt like a statement – and at 56, JLo delivered. Fun, classy and full of purpose, she reminded everyone her catalogue still hits.
Split into five sections, the 90-minute set featured slick choreography, costume changes and surprises, including a mash-up of Jenny from the Block and We Will Rock You, plus a flamenco twist on If You Had My Love.
13. Limp Bizkit at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi (August 12)
Limp Bizkit never really changed. The band that wrote Nookie and covered George Michael’s Faith was always straddling the line between heavy and silly, mixing brutal riffs with pop hooks.
What confused audiences in the late 1990s was their refusal to pick a side – were they serious metal or elaborate parody? During their maiden Middle East appearance at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena, we realised the band was fully committed to embracing the absurdity, and that it was always part of the point.
The joke wasn’t on Limp Bizkit – it was built into them from the beginning, from the quirky song and album titles to Fred Durst’s range from a laconic croon to a dramatic and overly anxious rapping style. The evidence was everywhere, in hits including Hot Dog, Break Stuff and My Generation, which sparked what may have been a first for Etihad Arena – a genuine attempt at a mosh pit.
The Abu Dhabi show remains bittersweet, with bassist and co-founding member Sam Rivers passing away in October at the age of 46.
14. Kings of Convenience at Dubai Opera (October 16)
Quiet was the new loud at Dubai Opera, as Norwegian indie folk duo Kings of Convenience marked their debut performance in the Middle East.
The soft-spoken pair of Erlend Oye and Eirik Glambek Boe, who first started collaborating as childhood schoolmates in Bergen, performed to an enraptured audience, a reception that seemed to confuse them.
Their humility continued throughout the night. They refused to overuse the opera’s special-edition Steinway piano, feeling that their simple songs were not worthy of such an impressive instrument.
But as they traversed through highlights of their decades-long career, it became clear that while these songs may have been written in a small coastal city on the Scandinavian peninsula, their lyrics resonated strongly with Dubai’s diverse audience.
Homesick, they sang in unison, with many audience members singing along. “For I no longer know where home is.”
15. Grease at Dubai Opera (October 24)
Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. When Grease first debuted on the Chicago stage in 1971, only a year before it moved to Broadway and became a phenomenon before its beloved 1978 film adaptation, it was about 12 years removed from its 1959 setting at the fictional Rydell High in Los Angeles.
It doesn’t matter if this version gets every detail right. The reason it endures is that it captures the broad strokes of youth, with a killer soundtrack to boot. In the Dubai Opera production, touring West End performers including Michael Dean-Wilson as Roger, Erin Corfield as Marty and Elliott Baker-Costello as Doody each stole the show when given the spotlight.
And, of course, the hardest part will be stopping yourself from singing along and dancing in the aisles. After all these years, that’s still the word.
16. Benson Boone at Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi (December 4)
They say that in show business, you should save your best tricks for last. Benson Boone clearly missed the memo. The US singer-songwriter, performing as part of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after-race concert series, opened with his trademark flip, one of half a dozen in the first hour alone, a dazzling burst of agility that showed what dizzying success on the back of a viral Coachella appearance in April can do for you. It unlocks reserves you did not know you had, and on Thursday it powered a Middle East debut that was both fun and sweet.
Backed by a four-piece band and clad in an all-red racing outfit, Boone proved a marvel of a voice and movement as he went through the hits. I Wanna Be the One You Call was a breezy rock-pop track that wasted no time in displaying Boone’s high register.
Wanted Man was more punchy, with its strutting bassline and panting background vocals undercut by Boone’s crystalline falsetto. By the time Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else arrived, the show had achieved lift-off, serving as further confirmation that Boone is on his way to superstardom.
17. Metallica at Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi (December 6)
Metallica’s return to Etihad Park can now be comfortably described as their Middle East hometown show, having packed more than 25,000 fans on all three occasions.
They arrived touring behind 72 Seasons, the 2023 album distinguished by its frenetic tempos and darker lyricism, yet the Abu Dhabi show played out as a greatest-hits display of their power and precision.
Their entry cue, The Ecstasy of Gold by Italian composer Ennio Morricone, almost works as a Pavlovian call for the faithful, with metal hand signs lifting across the field. It signalled the start of the Metallica lair, part sinister and part physical release. It set the pace for a raw, joyful night, with nearly all phases of the band’s career represented, from the thrashy sound of early material such as Creeping Death and Seek and Destroy to later masterworks including Wherever I May Roam and the bone-crunching riffs of Sad But True.
Metallica left the stage to a blaze of fireworks, and with evidence, not that any more was needed, that Abu Dhabi has earned its place in the global “Metallica family”.
18. Katy Perry at Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi (December 7)
The US pop star ended her The Lifetimes Tour in Abu Dhabi with an ambitious dystopian design built around more than 30 LED screens of varying heights and angles, descending on to the stage as a humanoid figure as part of the show’s dystopian narrative.
The set moved through different stages of her career, from the sugar rush of California Gurls and Teenage Dream to the moodier tracks from her latest album 143, including Nirvana and Crush. It was a polished sci-fi pop spectacle that showed an artist who, despite the recent lack of critical enthusiasm for her new material, remains capable of delivering on stage when it counts.
19. Tyla at Sole DXB, Dubai (December 13)
Headlining the second day of the annual festival Sole DXB in Dubai, Tyla was the three-day event's gravitational force – drawing perhaps the event's largest crowd and earning screams reserved for only the biggest artists.
And her presentation, though sensual, is never geared towards the male gaze, nor any overt, commodified version of female empowerment. Rather, she reflects women of the TikTok age, where overt presentation of beauty is primarily for the consumption of other women such as herself – and songs such as Chanel become anthems for the 'princess treatment' demands of her generation: “Say you love me, put me in Chanel”. She doesn't quite have an intricately produced big-budget stadium tour show, but her message resonates on that level and her skill set means she is ready when the moment comes.
20. Rod Stewart at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi (December 17)
Rod Stewart’s return to Abu Dhabi carried quiet significance as, in all likelihood, his last performance in the Middle East. The rocker and crooner will turn 81 in January, but he showed little interest in nostalgia for its own sake. Instead, this was a confident, generous performance from an artist fully at ease with where he is and what he still has to offer.
Abu Dhabi, the tour’s only stop in the Middle East, felt like an appropriate setting for a night that balanced reflection with celebration, and his presence was immediate. That unmistakable husky voice, weathered but expressive, still carries emotional weight, particularly when applied to songs that have accompanied audiences for decades, such as Maggie May, Young Turks, Hot Legs, Downtown Train, The First Cut Is the Deepest and the aptly chosen Forever Young.
