Kylie Minogue’s AFL grand final performance has opened at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with the Australian singer delivering a colourful 20-minute set despite the wet weather.
Minogue began with Love At First Sight, appearing in a tank top and micro shorts beneath a long fringed skirt. She was joined by dozens of dancers in blue bodysuits and futuristic helmets.
Before the music started, the performance acknowledged Minogue’s journey from Camberwell High to the MCG. Images of the singer and Australian rules football played on the stadium screens, while a girl in school uniform, with blonde pigtails and a Walkman, walked on to the field.
“Well you’ve come a long way from the start of things,” Minogue said, in words that reflected both her own career and the occasion. She added: “A homecoming like this? I should be so lucky.”
Her four-piece band wore off-white suits, with two backing singers accompanying her through It’s In Your Eyes, Get Outta My Way, On a Night Like This and All The Lovers.
The stage was built in the shape of a giant X, with Minogue initially performing on a raised central platform before moving across the stage and around the stadium. Dancers appeared both on the stage and on the field as the set continued.
For Spinning Around, Minogue changed into a black mini-dress bearing the word “Melbourne” in gold, along with metallic knee-high boots. She later appeared in a gold coat for Confide In Me, performed against a backdrop of gold fireworks.
First Nations didgeridoo player and composer William Barton made a surprise appearance, joining Minogue on stage with an acoustic guitar. The singer then moved through Slow before beginning Padam Padam, accompanied by dancers in red Vegas-style feather costumes.
G Flip joined Minogue for the song on guitar and vocals, also dressed in red. The Locomotion followed, with dancers in pink and others on the field wearing multicoloured, football jersey-style Team Kylie merchandise.
The set’s closing sequence featured a giant Sherrin football-shaped disco ball above the central platform. Minogue then rose on a hoist above the centre square to sing Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, surrounded by smoke and fireworks.
After descending, she briefly shook the hand of a security worker who helped her out of the safety harness. The performance ended with Minogue among her dancers, followed by another burst of smoke and fireworks.
There were some vocal wobbles during the set, but Minogue completed the tightly packed performance as planned before the AFL grand final began.
