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September 24, 2026 \u2014 2:04pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n In some respects Kylie Minogue has been preparing her entire life for the set that has brought Melbourne to a pink-tinged standstill this week.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re getting a show,\u201d she said at the MCG on Thursday morning when asked what the 100,024 people at the sold-out AFL grand final, and the many millions watching at home, in pubs and at barbecue gatherings around the country, could expect from her pre-game on Saturday. \u201cWe really are throwing everything at it. They\u2019re getting a Melbourne girl performing in her hometown, which is wild to me.\u201d<\/p>\n In some respects, though, she\u2019s only just begun to get her head around what it means. Stepping out onto the hallowed turf for a rehearsal without amplification, with just her backing singers by her side, \u201cit just struck me \u2026 I\u2019m singing centre stage at the MCG. I just had that little moment for myself, which was amazing and a beautiful emotion.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping I don\u2019t get too overcome with emotion \u2013 I might,\u201d she added, urging herself to \u201chold it together, hold it together\u201d.<\/p>\n Minogue has played plenty of stadiums in her 38-year career as a global pop music star. But she\u2019s never played one in which she has to get on and off the stage in such quick time, rattle through a tight set, and make it coherent for a massive audience on live TV as well as those in the stands.<\/p>\n \u201cWith a longer show, you might have two or three songs to kind of settle in, but with a 20-minute set, I\u2019ve got to get to that point quickly,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I did feel when we were rehearsing that as much as the MCG is gargantuan \u2013 and even when it\u2019s empty it has this incredible energy \u2013 it\u2019s also like a massive hug. It\u2019s such a communal space that it did feel good out there.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s also the small matter of the weather to contend with \u2013 \u201cis it going to be gale force winds? Is it going to be boiling hot? Is it going to be pouring rain,\u201d Minogue pondered. \u201cBut that\u2019s part of the fun, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n (For the record, Saturday is predicted to be cold, around 15 degrees, and wet, up to 15 millimetres of rain, not ideal for a performer with a penchant for Vegas-style costumes and slick dance moves.)<\/p>\n She declined to reveal what songs she would play, though she did reveal that Love At First Sight might be the one she most enjoys performing. But she promised a set of \u201csongs that people know, a little bit of nostalgia, a little bit of fun, a few surprises\u201d.<\/p>\n She did hint, however, that there would be a nod to her own very Melbourne, very personal story in the set.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes a nice little mention of me being a young girl going to Camberwell High School and dreaming about pop music and what I might do in life, getting to the end of HSC \u2013 I\u2019d already started acting, so there was nothing at school that made any sense to me. And then the question of what do you want to do, how are you going to live, how are you going to pay your bills, and just how far I\u2019ve come, I guess, and it\u2019s led me back to centre stage at home in the most iconic venue for the most iconic game, an Australian game. There\u2019s just so much about this moment for me that\u2019s hard for me to grasp, so I\u2019m kind of in awe and wonder myself at this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n In one of her many pre-match social media appearances this week \u2013 really, whatever the AFL is paying her, they are getting serious bang for buck \u2013 Minogue was coached in how to kick a footy by Hawthorn players Nick Watson and Jack Ginnivan, aka The Wiz and Ginni. And it seems she got way more than on-ball advice from the exchange.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were talking about stepping over the line, and I\u2019ve been thinking about a lot of those parallels,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m not in a team sport, but I kind of am. There\u2019s so many people working on this show, and everyone\u2019s got each other\u2019s back, and the self-talk in your brain, in your mind, leading up to any important gig or game \u2013 \u2018You can do it, you can\u2019t do it, this is going to go wrong, that\u2019s going to go, what if, but maybe\u2019 \u2013 and I just felt a nice kind of oneness with people from a completely different field.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article The doubts are just part and parcel of playing on the biggest stages, she added.<\/p>\n \u201cThe voices in your head … we\u2019ve all got the same thing. For you guys, it\u2019s probably when you get up the race and you step onto the field everything changes.<\/p>\n \u201cSame for me,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018OK, there\u2019s no turning back now. It\u2019s showtime\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Kylie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/186f95c5781023eb3063ecdaa1b4c78b8079d582.jpeg\")
Kylie Minogue appeared at a media call at the MCG on Thursday ahead of her pre-game show at this weekend\u2019s grand final.Joe Armao<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/88017ad8c5029132e529aba95fdbd9e7352925c2.jpeg\")
The AFL has been trying to woo Minogue for years. This year, she said, just felt right.Joe Armao<\/p>\n![\"Tones](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790229499_730_e33c2f9c8ba3c330188dadd57d63f2e4163e7aa5474da5e42ec100eb5b6e91a6.jpeg\")
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