Review: Hans Zimmer at RAC Arena
Hans Zimmer at RAC Arena
Monday, October 12, 2026
If it’s true that former Smiths’ guitarist Johnny Marr is behind Hans Zimmer taking his show on the road, then this is the second legendary band he’s responsible for. The German composer noted that Monday night’s show marked exactly 12 years since he and his incredible orchestral-electro-rock ensemble started performing live, and it’s a wonder to behold in concert.
Zimmer’s soundtracks to some of the greatest movies of all time came to life with more than 40 players and performers in a grandiose stadium production. From the opening minutes of Like a Dog Chasing Cars and Why so Serious? (both lifted from The Dark Knight soundtrack), the synths were live and pulsating, while the stage looked like a spaceship that might take off any minute.
Fittingly, the tour is called The Next Level. With a multi-tiered stage connected by staircases at each end, level after level of musical genius astonished us: one row for synths alone, another for two drummers and two percussionists (the latter winning the biggest timpanis competition), and the top of the spaceship fashioned into something like a rooftop bar, cordoned off for vocalists, dancers and soloists to work their magic on high.
Suffice to say this was a no-expenses-spared production and one of the most immersive shows Perth has seen this year. But even with a major visual component, there were no cheesy film trailers being used and the focus was very much on the music and how Zimmer’s pieces live and breathe outside of their filmic counterparts. Tracks were generally performed in medleys, one film at a time, with everything from Pirates of the Caribbean to Hannibal to F1 featuring.
An early highlight was Paul’s Dream featuring New York singer and “the voice of Dune” Loire Cotler, who was mesmerising in bringing the Eastern-tinged melodies to life (albeit with a brief technical mishap as a blown fuse shut the spaceship down for a few minutes).
If that was astonishing in its own right, nothing could have prepared us for the privilege of seeing one-time Dead Can Dance vocalist Lisa Gerrard reprise her unique, speaking-in-tongues melodies from the Gladiator soundtrack, first on Elysium and then on Now We Are Free. Described by Zimmer as an “Australian national treasure”, it was as moving and as beautiful as anything staged in Perth this year.
Coming just prior to an intermission this may have been the highlight musically speaking, but Zimmer had some tricks up his sleeve in a second half packed with blockbusters. His work with Christopher Nolan was of particular note, as was an anecdote about how the two friends would often meet in the darkest corners of parties trying to avoid the crowds, conversations which in turn would forge the inspiration for Interstellar‘s soundtrack. It was a catalyst for the night’s most unforgettable production move as a trapeze artist was elevated high into the middle of the arena, complete with mirrorball suit, spinning and sparkling in the most stunning live depiction of zero gravity, jaws left on the floor around the arena.
To pivot straight into The Lion King suite, an all-out celebration of dance, colour and voice including legendary South African singers Lebo M and Refi Sings, only exemplified what a varied and memorable event this was. By this point, our maestro was hitting us in the feels on the regular, and the joy was palpable.
There were too many standout performances to name them all, but special mention must go to cellist Mariko Muranaka and violinist Molly Rogers, as well as a pair of guitarists who couldn’t help but steal the show when given the opportunity. Guthrie Govan in particular can shred as well as anyone we’ve seen in these parts in years, and his solos were as exhilarating as they were technically ‘next level’.
Fittingly, the other guitarist was none other than Johnny Marr’s son Nile Marr, fondly described by Zimmer as “Manchester’s greatest guitarist” (his dad may have something to say about that). Nile’s chiming melodies stood out in contrasting ways, particularly on Dream is Collapsing and Time, both lifted from the Inception soundtrack.
The latter acted as a finale with Zimmer seated at a grand piano atop the spaceship, as Leonardo DiCaprio’s famous spinning top depicting dream vs reality spun endlessly on the big screen—a perfect summation of the altered state of consciousness we found ourselves in on Monday night.
HARVEY RAE
Photos by Stu McKay
