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When tracing Australia’s tapestry of music, Kylie Minogue has continued to break the mould since the release of her ARIA platinum debut single, Loco-Motion. Almost four decades later, her crown as the nations Queen of Pop still stands as Minogue continues to top the charts - most recently with her global hit Padam Padam, which served as the lead single from her sixteenth studio album, Tension. The album scored the singer her first Grammy nomination in two decades, and placed her as the first female recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Pop Dance Recording.
Minogue last embarked on a world tour in 2019, and has since released three studio albums; 2020’s Disco, 2023’s Tension and 2024’s Tension II. With a slew of new material under her belt, the Tension Tour celebrates all three records, whilst honouring the singers iconic catalogue of hits. Almost six years to the day since her last tour hit Sydney, the tension has been well and truly building. The energy vibrating through Qudos Bank Arena echoed the queer joy and the significance of the evening that was taking place on Oxford St for Mardi Gras.
Ever the showgirl, Minogue’s entrance into the arena set the tone for the evening; spectacular. Suspended from above within a diamond shaped cage beaming with lasers, we were met with a Lights Camera Action moment. The sets first act is jam-packed with hits and fan-favourites; In Your Eyes, Get Outta My Way - a personal favourite - Come Into My World, What Do I Have To Do? and Spinning Around to name a few. The shows theatrical opening act finds Minogue surrounded by a troupe of dancers performing in front of striking visuals, with some songs received a 2025 revamp. In Your Eyes took on a subtle EDM update - with operatic vocals from Minogue - whilst What Do I Have To Do? pumped up the bass.
As we enter act two, Minogue hits the stage in a glittering red jumpsuit to perform On A Night Like This, “If you were at Mardi Gras in the 90s you know what time it is,“ she says before singing Better The Devil You Know backed by dancers donning inflatable costumes. Her dance moves were still on point in Things We Do For Love, a shining moment within the setlist. Minogue’s interaction with her audience was effortless. Between sharing jokes, glances and funny moments, she would read signs and create intimately shared moments. At one point, she invited a fan on stage who shared he moved from Brazil to Australia due to discovering Minogue’s music. Seated behind me, a mother and her teenage daughter relished in the chance to dance Minogue’s iconic choreography to The Loco-Motion.
The shows third act takes place on a B-stage, having rode the loco-motion train to the back of the arena to give her devoted audience around the venue a closer glimpse of the superstar. Here she performs an acapella rendition of her collaboration with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Where the Wild Roses Grow, gifting roses to members of the crowd. She also takes requests, giving each show its own extra distinct sparkle. Tonight, Minogue sang Hand On Your Heart and I Should Be So Lucky - continuing to prove her vocal chops. The crowd was also treated to an acoustic take on Say Something, and a Disco mega-mix that included Supernova, Real Groove, Monday Blues, Where Does the DJ Go? and Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life, as well as confetti and a disco ball. “At that time and ever since really I’ve had so many people tell me what the album Disco means to them,” Minogue says of the album, that arrived amidst the pandemic and halted any touring plans.
Having spent the evening thus far relishing in the glitter of the shows first three acts, we take a dramatic turn in act four. A noir visual leads us into Confide In Me, with Minogue then appearing on stage flooded by smoke and wearing an ominous black cape. For any doubters of her vocal ability, Confide In Me alone is a triumph within an already triumphant performance. Minogue’s vocals soar to jaw-dropping heights, echoing the operatic moments present in act one. This act is rounded out by a laser-heavy rendition of Slow (which features an on-stage costume change), Timebomb and Edge of Saturday Night. As we near the end of the evening, the party shows no sign of slowing down. Sing-a-longs of “doo-doo, doo-doo” during Tension and “la-la-la” in Can’t Get You Out Of My Head filled the arena, and kept the crowds on their feet. The mutual love and respect between Minogue and her fans had continued to surge throughout the evening, at times even taking the singer aback, and reached new heights during All The Lovers, which the singer dedicated to them. Confetti once again burst throughout the arena, as Minogue descended into the stage.
Of course, the evening could not end without Padam Padam. Returning to stage on a raised platform, red tones flooded from the stage and into the crowd as Minogue performed the chart-topping hit. The unbridled joy that filled the arena was infectious, as the sea of thousands danced and sang along. They say all good things must come to an end, and it was time for the singer to farewell the crowd with one final song; Love at First Sight. It was an electrifying choice to kick off the Tension Tour in her home country.
Throughout the evening, the shining motif is no matter the decade, genre or style, Kylie Minogue has been ahead of the curb, producing hit after hit for four decades. Songs from Tension and Disco hold up against the hits of Fever, Light Years and Aphrodite, whilst still propelling the singer into the contemporary music sphere. Mingoue’s vocals never faltered, be that whether she leaned into the breathy tones of her voice, or belting out those bigger notes to showcase the range of her vocals accompanied by her brilliant band. She and her dancers brought vivid choreography to life, creating a harmony with the visuals and overall lighting design. With only nine shows of the tours scheduled seventy show run completed, the Tension Tour could very well be the year’s perfect pop spectacle.
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