Some gigs feel like time capsules — like stepping back into the era of chunky CD booklets and music TV marathons. Others, like this one at Ancienne Belgique, prove that some artists don’t need nostalgia to stay relevant. Anastacia rolled into Brussels for a sold-out night of glam, grit, and unapologetic showmanship, backed by a band tight enough to punch through walls and a setlist packed with hits, deep cuts, and curveballs.
Confidence is a Muscle, not a Lightswitch – Casey McQuillen
Getting the honor to open for Anastacia is already a huge deal. But touring for three months straight across Europe, opening not just for the Sprock Queen herself but also for two-time Eurovision winner Loreen? Casey McQuillen is just built different. Armed with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, a powerhouse voice, and joined by Stacey Kelleher on backing vocals and a whole arsenal of instruments, she took the stage like she owned it.
Switching between singing and strumming is already a balancing act on its own. Doing it while keeping a bubbly, infectious energy that had the whole crowd hooked? That’s some real skill. Belting out song after song, radiating pure confidence, cracking jokes, and keeping the room buzzing – Casey turned what could’ve been a filler opening set into something genuinely memorable. It had that same kind of charm you get from a This Wild Life show – just a couple of musicians, no huge production, but still more than enough to keep everyone completely locked in.
Usually, when artists talk a lot between songs, it can feel like it’s dragging. But here? It hit differently. Getting the backstory behind tracks most of the crowd didn’t know yet gave the whole set an extra layer of meaning. Especially on songs like ‘Skinny’, where Casey opened up about the weird relationship with our bodies that a lot of us faced during COVID – gaining weight, not fitting into old clothes anymore, and fighting the mirror. Real, raw, and painfully relatable.
Before wrapping up, she hit us with some classic emotional blackmail to go check out the merch stand – joking but also not really joking – before introducing her latest, freshly released song, ‘Better Than This’. A perfect closer, tying together everything her set stood for: honesty, hope, and the kind of raw emotional delivery that sticks with you long after the last note fades.
All My Life I’ve Been Waiting… – Anastacia
There are nostalgia tours, and then there are nights like this – where an artist walks out decades after their debut and still hits like a sledgehammer. Anastacia at Ancienne Belgique wasn’t some sentimental trip through old hits; it was a rock-solid, high-energy set from a vocalist who still sounds like she could go head-to-head with anyone on a festival bill.
It wasn’t just a show — it was a victory lap. Backed by a killer band and opening to the Simpsons theme (yes, really), she literally walked through a door center-stage in full diva form, kicking things off with ‘One Day in Your Life’ and ‘Now or Never’ without missing a beat. Instant energy boost. Instant “oh right, she’s that bitch” moment.
Highlights? Plenty. ‘Staring at the Sun‘ came off like an arena anthem, ‘Boxer‘ was a thousand times catchier than expected, and a cover of ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine‘ somehow avoided being cheesy as hell by sheer force of conviction. Even ballads like ‘Heavy on My Heart‘ were stripped of gloss and delivered raw – no overworked backing tracks, just live band muscle and a vocalist who can still wreck a room when she wants to.
There was camp, of course. Leopard print. Many Outfit Changes. A weirdly seamless medley of ‘Vogue‘, ‘No Diggity‘, and ‘Backstreet’s Back‘ mid-set giving the backing vocalists their time to shine. It worked because it was done without irony – more “I dare you to try and not have fun” than guilty pleasure. And when ‘Left Outside Alone‘ landed, teased out with a ‘Kashmir‘-style intro, it felt massive.
Mid-show had one of the night’s most unintentionally hilarious but shocking moments when some loudmouth cut Anastacia off as she was about to introduce ‘How Come the World Won’t Stop‘ – a track written about losing someone close. Without missing a beat, she gave them a polite but firm lecture from the stage, sharp enough to get the entire room cold and silent, reminding everyone who was running this show.
Deep cuts like ‘Made for Lovin’ You‘, ‘I Can Feel You‘, ‘Secrets‘ and ‘Best Days‘ weren’t filler either – each one landed with enough conviction to earn its spot in the set.
Encore was short, sharp, and predictable in the best way: ‘Not That Kind‘ and ‘I’m Outta Love‘, both delivered with enough power to make you forget how overplayed they’ve been.
In a world of nostalgia acts dialing it in, Anastacia’s still out here working for it. Tight band, massive voice, and just enough ridiculousness to make it fun without tipping into parody.
Setlist: One Day in Your Life – Now or Never – Sick and Tired – Paid My Dues – Staring at the Sun – Boxer – Made for Lovin’ – Sweet Child o’ Mine – I Can Feel You – Secrets – Vogue / No Diggity / Backstreet’s Back (Medley) – Heavy on My Heart – Best Days – How Come the World Won’t Stop – Welcome to My Truth – Left Outside Alone
Encore: Not That Kind – I’m Outta Love