Review: Kylie at RAC Arena

Kylie at RAC Arena
w/ Mallrat
Saturday, February 15, 2025

Delivering a performance full of energy, campy fun, and an absolute slew of dance-infused pop hits, global pop icon Kylie kicked off her Tension World Tour in style at the RAC Arena. Being designated as the first stop on a seventy-date tour, it was the lucky people of Perth who were the first to witness the glitz and glam of Kylie’s latest live endeavour.

The tour represents Kylie’s first on such a large scale in over a decade and comes on the back of the critical and commercial success she has garnered from the release of 2023’s Tension LP and its sequel, Tension II. With the former’s single Padam Padam winning the singer her second ever Grammy, and both debuting in top spot on charts around the world, all signs ahead of the performace pointed to the Princess of Pop once again being at the peak of her powers.

Opening on the night was Brisbane-based performer Mallrat. With the Arena’s general admission area seated for the event, large empty pockets faced the singer which made it hard for her to emotionally connect with the audience. Regardless of this, Mallrat endeavoured to do her best on stage, dropping the high-energy banger R U High with aplomb, while elsewhere offering up a pumped-up version of her confessional hit, Charlie. Given that the singer has not only just released her sophomore album, Light Hit My Face Like a Straight Right and in April sets off on her own headlining national tour, 2025 is likely to see Mallrat’s career continue to rise.

Allowing for the tour’s namesake to rise, all of the seats quickly filled during the gap between sets, metamorphasing the Arena into a sea of glitter and sequins. And then, with the club-based thud intro of Lights Camera Action, Kylie and her dancers, clad in neo-futuristc black and mirror adorned get-ups, emerged onto centre stage. Moving into a swing seat, the singer’s star then literally started to rise as she was lifted ten feet into the air. As the extensive train of the singer’s black, slitted, diamante-trimmed gown flowed all the way back down to the stage, a lighted prism came to life that encaptured her to create a beautifully stunning opening moment.

Returning back down to Earth, the singer and her band continued without pause, dropping abridged versions of classics In Your Eyes and Get Outta My Way into a medley that saw the audience begin to move in their seats. Landmark in the history of Kylie, What Do I Have To Do, followed next. While on its release the song symbolised the singer’s transition from teen pop star to mature artist as well as her infusion of rave and house influences into her music, on stage in 2025 sounded fresh and vital.

Drawing the First Act of the performance to a close, Kylie ventured onto the T-walkway at the front of the stage and came within arm’s reach of her adoring fans. In reciprocation, the audience, almost as one, emerged out of their seats for the first time on the night to dance and holler along with the disco-infused megahit Spinning Around.

Returning after a short respite, Kylie, now resplendent in a red mesh and baggy cargo pants get-up, stepped back in time for the Second Act. Flicking between high-energy club and disco infused tracks, Kylie was absolutely radiant on stage. The artist flashed smiles and dance moves that, while less evocative than those of her younger years, demonstrated her expertise in knowing how to entertain a crowd. Ultimately, Kylie is a star at peace herself, and this includes even the daggiest moments of her back catalogue. Exemplifying this was her transportation of the Arena back to where it all began via Locomotion. The song’s musical climax was greeted with a gigantic explosion of confetti, upon which the train of dancers, now clad in Eighties-esque coloured and striped suits, snaked Kylie through the audience and onto her next station.

Arriving at a smaller stage in the middle of the GA section, Kylie commenced Act Three with the live debut of her current single, last night i dreamt i fell in love. The singer then took requests from the audience, resulting in a crowd-led singalong of I Should Be So Lucky, before she took time out to receive roses from nearby fans. This led to one of the night’s tenderest moments as, when handing back the roses to fans, , she stopped to acknowledge a young girl named Savannah. Handing her a rose, Savannah’s eyes remained transfixed as Kylie dedicated a shortened version of her duet with Nick Cave, Where The Wild Roses Grow, to the young fan. Captured on the big screens, many were able to identify their younger selves in the girl, making hearts melt across the Arena.

To bring the dance-energy back into the night, Kylie then proceeded into a medley of disco-inspired tunes, ending with her and her dancers making their way back to the main stage before all lights cut out, plunging the Arena into darkness. With suspense building, a layer of smoke carpetted the stage, before a languid Kylie stepped out onto to deliver alternative-era hit Confide In Me. With another costume change enacted, this time a willowy black dress evoking strong film noir tones, her dancers played the role of tailor midway through the sensually provocative Slow, stripping a layer from the outfit to reveal a frilled green mini underneath.

Despite spending time in her past, the night was far more than Kylie resting on her laurels. Songs from her two most recent releases were peppered throughout the set, and all fitted superbly well and were received as equally warmly as were the classics. A particularly strong standout was recent single Edge of Saturday Night, which continues to twin Kylie’s love of club music with pop hooks, but features a modern production the demonstrates the artist’s continuing artistc evolution. While at times nostalgic, the performance was a celebration of an artist that is at her best, rather remakably, given she is three decades into her career.

The Final Act also encapsulated this mix of the old and new. Padam Padam got the entire audience up and out of their seats, and was one of the highlights of the night, as did 2001’s Can’t Get You Out of My Head, while Kylie finally confirmed her modus operandi for the night on set closer All The Lovers, “Dance, it’s all I wanna do.”

And while this Final Act served as a rather fitting ending, Kylie and her crew had other ideas, returning to the stage for an encore. Commencing with deftly slick electronica of Tension, the tour’s namesake, before Love At First Sight was a glorious celebration that was iced with a rain of coloured streamers over the audience.

While there was never any question that Kylie is a living icon, it is on the stage that the she has been able to define herself. On stage in Perth, though there was little in the way of stage setting, this artistic choice made the focus on Kylie and her music. And the music said more than words ever could, as its seamless mix of recent hits and classic tracks proved that Kylie in 2025 is as close to the top of the pantheon of pop as she has ever been.

MICHAEL HOLLICK

Photos by Erik Melvin