Standing over him as she pretended not to notice, Dua Lipa watched a man in front of her doing push-ups, then gave a knowing grin and placed a foot on his back as he completed the exercises. An assertive flex of playfulness — and control. It was that kind of night for the singer-songwriter Friday at the first of a two-show stand at a packed United Center, where Lipa made a case for belonging among the ranks of pop’s elite performers.

From sharing a surprise duet with local legend Chaka Khan to flicking away exes like lint; from singing within a ring of fire to presiding over a nearly nonstop club atmosphere where dancing was an opportunity to forget reality, Lipa made everything look effortless. She even looked comfortable banging her head, heavy-metal style, her long black hair whipping

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