Kylie proves she’s the ultimate showgirl as her Tension Tour takes off

Kylie Minogue kicked off her Australian ‘Tension Tour’ in Perth to a sellout crowd of 13,500 fans. Indeed, Perth’s RAC Arena was literally packed to the rafters, with even those in the far back rows up on their feet the moment the diminutive pop icon appeared on stage.

Dressed in a classic black couture gown with a train that seemed to go on forever, Kylie sat with legs elegantly crossed on a trapeze swing framed by a giant laser diamond display: the singing budgie waiting to break out of her gilded cage. And, boy, did she break out.

The first song of the night was Lights Camera Action, one of the better singles off of Kylie’s Tension II album, released earlier this year. Alas, the budgie suddenly turns stage director and appears to have done a pretty good job in the setup of her latest production.

‘Lights…’ was the perfect song to kick off an overall upbeat show – two hours crammed with familiar hits, slickly edited clips, smart laser lighting, colour – lots of colour, and wild (sometimes wacky) routines by a DEI-heavy dance troupe.

Colour, lots of colour. Photo: Michael Jepson.

The opener segued nicely into fan favourite In Your Eyes, followed by well-revised renditions of songs that crossed decades and genres: Get Outta My Way, What Do I Have To Do?, Come Into My World, Spinning Around – eclectic pop, electric pop, hyperpop, Kylie can deliver it all, and then some.

When I think about, the number of songs in this show really is rather remarkable. I counted 28 and, though some were cut down to two minutes or so, the sheer variety was enough to write home about. My favourites were the fresh treatments of non-obvious singles: Say Something from the pandemic period – a song that ought to have received far more ubiquity than it did; Confide In Me – complete with a new clip that appeared to have been inspired by Madonna’s Madame X era; and, my favourite, an acoustic delivery of her part in Where the Wild Roses Grow followed by one of my all-time favourite Kylie songs (and personal meditation mantras) Breathe.

One thing I think she could have gone obvious with is the costuming for the number everybody ached for: Padam Padam. The song, and its definitive red palette on video and single art would have translated brilliantly on stage. Such vivid branding was just aching to be seen while fans, too, were just aching to see it. The style icon did include a red outfit in the show but Padam would have been the perfect time to don it. Still, it’s never too late to jiggle the tour wardrobe around.

Photo: Cream Magazine.

There’s certainly something for everyone in the expansive Tension Tour setlist and judging by commentary online, fans appear to be generally content. Some followers, however, have noted that some parts of the show looked ‘cheap’. I kind of agreed when it came to seeing some of the same video footage again and again… and at one moment when Kylie’s ear-piece dropped out, the singer mouthing to her tech guys while vocals kept miraculously coming out of the speakers. The incident did kind of reveal the secret to the show’s audio perfection otherwise. I myself don’t quite mind a bit of studio recording backing. It keeps things crisp. Still, the superstar soldiered through and, I must say, after four-plus decades of music making and at the age of 56, Kylie still puts the ‘show’ in showgirl.

Something about Kylie that I think all of us can agree on is that she is a shining example of optimism. Even on the cover of her albums and in her music videos you can see it, quite literally: a bright light never too far from her. Of course there’s plenty of light to play with on stage, and the Tension Tour uses this to full effect.

Photo: Michael Jepson.

Kylie shines when she’s on stage and on screen, offering a couple of minutes in every song for us to let go of tensions in life and simply dance, smile, or even cry a little. It’s no wonder her star has only gotten brighter in the US of late. She is a true survivor in what is now a very fickle industry. Her longevity, certified by a Vegas residency, referenced in talkshow after talkshow, and even leading to a performance at the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, has resulted in her reaching her broadest global audience since the success of Can’t Get You Out of My Head.

Photo: Cream Magazine.

So long as Kylie stays the evergreen optimist, I’m sure she’ll remain a longstanding icon on the music scene. Indeed, if she were to release just one quality album every decade, and perform just the occasional stripped-back set, we’d still be happy – plus her credibility would remain intact. A bit like Cher, but with less plastic… and possibly a little more Auto-Tune.

Cunning digital effects aside, Kylie truly puts the art back into artistry and (as Nick Cave once reminded me, perhaps not so delicately) she was the first artist in a long time to show the rest of the world what Australia has to offer in terms of great entertainment. This tour stands testament to that.

Two tips for her, during what looks like being an extensive, possibly exhausting schedule: sleep, lots of sleep; and avoid social media like the plague, or at least get one of the boys in the entourage to filter it for continued positive momentum. Our girl deserves that.

Antonino Tati

Kylie brings her Tension Tour next to Melbourne for three sold-out nights, then continues to Brisbane and Sydney before heading to Asia, Canada, North America, UK, Europe and Latin America.