{"id":905888,"date":"2026-09-26T06:36:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T06:36:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/905888\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T06:36:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T06:36:18","slug":"kylie-minogue-afl-grand-final-halftime-show-pop-star-prepares-era-spanning-set-list-for-brisbane-vs-fremantle-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/905888\/","title":{"rendered":"Kylie Minogue AFL grand final halftime show: Pop star prepares era-spanning set list for Brisbane vs Fremantle clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Karl<\/p>\n

Updated September 26, 2026 \u2014 4:19pm,first published 1:49pm<\/p>\n

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There was no sign of the anxiety Kylie Minogue had admitted to during the week as she delivered a glorious celebration of disco-pop in the AFL grand final pre-game show at the MCG on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping I don\u2019t get too overcome with emotion \u2013 I might,\u201d she had said in the days leading up to her performance, urging herself to \u201chold it together, hold it together\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

She did so much more than that. She blew us away with a 20-minute set full of colour, movement, hits, guest appearances, and celebratory nods to her hometown and her life in it.<\/p>\n

It was the show Melbourne had wanted for years, and one that Kylie herself had perhaps been dreaming of for decades. And it delivered in spades.<\/p>\n

It began with a video prelude, the very personal acknowledgement of her own journey from Camberwell High to this moment. As images of Kylie and Melbourne and footy played on the screen, a remote Minogue spoke in voiceover.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you\u2019ve come a long way since the start of things,\u201d she said, and might have been talking about herself or about the game of footy. \u201cYou\u2019ve made us cry, you\u2019ve made us smile \u2026 there\u2019s one day in September we want to remember \u2026 football\u2019s such a part of this whole town, and we know that you won\u2019t let us down. A homecoming like this? I should be so lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KylieKylie flanked by her Daft Punk-style dancers.Eddie Jim<\/p>\n

With that, a girl in school uniform, blonde hair in pigtails and Walkman in hand, emerged onto the field as a snippet of I Should Be So Lucky played over the speakers.<\/p>\n

It was a mere tease, though, as the camera panned quickly to the real Kylie atop a raised plinth in the centre of the field, surrounded by blue-clad dancers dressed in tight blue bodysuits and space-age helmets, like a bunch of Daft Punk clones, and singing Love At First Sight.<\/p>\n

In joyful defiance of the weather, she was dressed as if for the Copacabana beach in Rio, wearing a tank-top and micro shorts draped with a long fringe skirt. If we act like it\u2019s summer, it will be, right?<\/p>\n

The stage was in the shape of a giant X; the plinth at its centre looked oddly like a liquid gas tank, despite the glowing LEDs on its outer face.<\/p>\n

\"KylieKylie Minogue and her dancers on stage at the MCG.Getty Images<\/p>\n

With her four-piece band and two female backing singers dressed in off-white suits, Kylie moved through a tight and packed disco-pop set: In Your Eyes, Get Outta My Way, On a Night Like This, All The Lovers.<\/p>\n

As dozens of silver-clad dancers moved about the field and stage looking like they\u2019d been transported from Studio 54 circa 1980, Kylie re-emerged before we\u2019d even clocked that she\u2019d disappeared, having somehow managed a costume change. Now in a tight dark-grey mini-dress with \u201cMelbourne\u201d in gold letters on the back and \u201c2026\u2033 on the hem, and wearing metallic knee-high boots, she launched into the unmistakable sounds of Spinnin\u2019 Around.<\/p>\n

No gold op-shop shorts, but there was plenty of bum action all the same.<\/p>\n

Next, Indigenous musician William Barton<\/a> \u2013 best known for his prowess on the didgeridoo, but here playing acoustic guitar \u2013 joined her on stage, while somehow a full string section had appeared on the turf, and Kylie had magically donned a gold overcoat (or was it a fancy Drizabone, a nod to the inclement weather after all?) to sing Confide In Me. She struggled a little with the top notes, but the backdrop of gold fireworks ensured no one was too distracted by that.<\/p>\n

\"GG Flip joins Kylie Minogue on stage at the AFL grand final.Eddie Jim<\/p>\n

Slow was next, with its \u201cread my body language\u201d refrain. We have, Kylie. It says you\u2019re giving it everything, and it\u2019s more than enough.<\/p>\n

As Padam Padam started, a phalanx of dancers emerged in red Vegas-style feathers, and G Flip (also in red) joined her on stage on guitar and vocals. The local singer is a fan \u2013 they revealed this week they even have a tattoo that reads \u201cKylie thinks I\u2019m cute\u201d on their right arm \u2013 and they brought a nice touch of guitar rock to the track.<\/p>\n

Another cameo, from comedy duo The Inspired Unemployed dressed as station masters, introduced The Loco-Motion. There were dancers everywhere \u2013 on stage in pink with black-and-white check-pattern boots, and on the field in multicoloured footy-style Team Kylie merch (available, no doubt, to purchase at the pop-up shop outside the G, should you feel inspired). It was an absolute riot of late-1980s primary colour and feelgood vibes.<\/p>\n

\"AA colourful crowd of dancers surround Kylie during her set.Eddie Jim<\/p>\n

The extended disco-mix treatment of the song gave Kylie cover to slip away for yet another costume change, and paved the way for a spectacular finale.<\/p>\n

When she emerged, it was on a small rig that rose from behind the giant Sherrin disco-ball that now sat atop the plinth in the middle of the stage.<\/p>\n

It was a spectacular moment, but it got better, as Kylie \u2013 now dressed in a flowing white bodice dress (even her boots had changed; that\u2019s three pairs!) \u2013 floated high above the centre square, passing through the smoke billowing out of the disco-Sherrin while singing Can\u2019t Get You Out of My Head.<\/p>\n

As the song morphed into the Dom Dolla remix, Kylie floated through the air, and dancers cavorted everywhere, it all felt so fabulously joyous.<\/p>\n

The rig was guided to the ground by a guy in hi-viz waving air-traffic control wands, and after the safety harness was removed, Kylie wandered over to him, shook his hand, and gave a knowing smile; it was Dom Dolla. And it was one more cute moment in a performance full of them.<\/p>\n

\"KylieKylie floats above the MCG surface, and a giant glittery Sherrin, as she performs at the AFL grand final.Joe Armao<\/p>\n

It ended with Kylie on the hallowed turf, surrounded by her backing dancers, framed by a puff of smoke and fireworks, and that was it. A tight, packed, colourful 20-minute set, as promised, and an absolute party.<\/p>\n

Yes, there might have been a few vocal wobbles, but as entertainment that was absolutely marvellous. You\u2019ve done Melbourne, footy, and yourself proud, Kylie. It was well worth the wait.<\/p>\n

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