Live Review: Kesha, Ben Abraham

Glitter explosions, shirtless dancers, multiple costume changes and audiences stripping can mean one thing and one thing only; a Kesha concert. Joined by Ben Abraham as support, Kesha brings her Rainbow tour to the Eatons Hill Hotel in Brisbane.

Crowds roll in early to welcome Ben Abraham to the stage, who does wonders warming up the crowd, providing a very intimate set with musicality and creativity flowing through his performance. It would be fair to expect that Abraham just won himself a lot more fans from the Eatons Hill crowd.

With an audience louder than most, it’s time for Kesha to grace the Grand Ballroom stage, and as expected, she does so in style. Opening the set with Woman, proving to be an anthem for the crowd, Kesha seems to fill every inch of the room. Energy is high from the first moment of the show, with fans visibly in awe of her.

Talking points through the first half cause the flow of the night to become slightly disjointed. The stop-and-starting throughout songs for costume changes and adjustments create some awkwardness but are quickly forgotten when Kesha continues with the music. Performing her tracks Blah Blah Blah and We R Who We R revs crowds up even further, with an increasingly huge atmosphere. The colours and lighting integrated into the production are second to none, tailored to the themes of each song and performance. It's an impressive addition to a thoughtfully designed show.

Hits like Timber, Die Young, and Your Love Is My Drug satisfy fans and ensures engagement remains high and unbroken. Followed is Blow, that sees Kesha using glitter machine guns aimed at the crowd. Finally though, one of the most anticipated moments is here as Kesha prepares herself and the crowd for the emotive hit song Praying, written with her support Ben Abraham who joins her for the intimate performance. The audience is entrenched with emotion and captivated by the rawness and sincerity of the performance. The crowd goes wild in appreciation, and Kesha relays her personal connection to the song. Tik Tok finishes the night, being the pinnacle of Kesha culture, and with everyone in the room singing for the entirety of the song, it made for one hell of a finale.