Kylie Minogue ProfileFor sports fans and music lovers, it's been hard to tell which is the more anticipated event: prospective first-time premiers Fremantle Dockers going head-to-head with Brisbane Lions as they seek a third win in a row, or Kylie Minogue's pre-match entertainment appearance?
Every year, the AFL's pre-match set is one that draws countless music fans in, so much so that often it's easy to forget there's a football match on afterwards. Why, a lot of folks might not recall who Brisbane competed against last year, but they likely recall a Snoop Dogg appearance preceded it.
Earlier this year, the AFL announced that our Kylie would be heading to the game – the first time she's ever done so – and in turn, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon later claimed it would be “the greatest production and show” the organisation has put on to date.
Expectations were undoubtedly high, and even as the rainy city lived up to its name, there was no denying that Minogue was set to turn the soggy Melbourne Cricket Ground into the country's most-watched stage on Saturday afternoon.
Kicking off the entertainment was none other than G Flip who took centre-stage behind their drumkit to lead a two-song set led by The Worst Person Alive, before heading to the front to jump into the most popular song – local or otherwise – on the airwaves currently, Bed On Fire.
As pyro shot into the sky, G Flip threw away their guitar in favour of a saxophone, closing out the far-too brief set that gave way to AFL legends circling the field.
Perennial favourite Mike Brady was up next, offering up a rendition of his triumphant cut Up There Cazaly, undeniably bringing a tear to the eye of even the most hardened football lovers. "It wouldn't be a Grand Final without Mike Brady," commentators quipped after the fact.
As screens displayed a montage of pictures of Minogue, a voice-over celebrated both the singer and her connection to her home city and its love of football. "A homecoming like this?" she said. "I should be lucky."
A massive four-pronged stage appeared to showcase Minogue, who appeared on a podium at its centre as she belted out Love At First Sight, surrounded by a myriad dancers clad in blue reflective outfits.
Minogue traversed the stage as In Your Eyes began to play, as a full band – complete with backing vocalists – made themselves apparent. Making it clear the event was to be a celebration of Minogue's stellar discography, the blue dancers largely took their leave as she briefly dipped into On A Night Like This, swiftly moving onto All The Lovers after a pair of verses.
"How are the Dockers feeling?" she enquired, before ensuring an equal playing field. "How are the Lions fans feeling?" Fireworks burst from around the ground before the track switched over to the infectious Spinning Around.
A parade of dancers joined the field to show off their impressive talents (including one dancer clad in a shirt emblazoned with the phrase "Bombay Rock", potentially in reference to the venue launched by Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski, who was also responsible for signing Minogue to her first record deal), before William Barton was welcomed aboard to add guitar to a powerful version of the hauntingly-groovy Confide In Me.
The vibe soon shifted to the sultry Slow as dancers writhed around the field, with Minogue urging fans to dance with her as she showcased her third outfit change.
G Flip was welcomed back to the stage to add vocals and guitars to Minogue's unifying party-starter Padam Padam, complete with dancers dressed in heart-red outfits.
Minogue soon turned back the clock to her earliest days, offering a performance of her debut single, The Loco-Motion, as rainbow clad dancers (including train conductors) made their way around the field, celebrating Minogue's status as an LGBTQI+ icon.
A giant, disco-ball/football – emblazoned with 'Kylie' in lieu of the standard 'Sherrin' – made its appearance at the centre of the stage before Minogue herself (fresh from another wardrobe change) was raised high in a basket to offer up the iconic "la la la" of Can't Get You Out Of My Head as she floated around the field.
In another tribute to the Melbourne music scene, the cut soon switched to the Dom Dolla remix. Honouring the hometown hero who had just nights earlier performed before 60,000 at the nearby Marvel Stadium, Dolla himself was on hand to welcome Minogue back to earth as the performance came to a triumphant end – complete with fireworks throughout the venue.
In true AFL Grand Final tradition, the performance swiftly came to its conclusion, feeling as though it had only begun moments earlier, though leaving fans feeling as though they’d just witnessed a true tribute to Melbourne music.
Was it – as promised – "the biggest spectacle ever seen at the MCG"? Well, surely big headliners have provided bigger gigs over the years, but in terms of AFL pre-match entertainment headliners, it's hard not to view Minogue's appearance as one of the better ones.
Time might tell as to whether this one will go down in history as one of the best AFL performances of all time, but in the immediate aftermath, we can definitely count it as one of the best in recent memory.
Kylie Minogue performing at the #2026AustralianFootballGrandFinal MCG Melbourne Australia. 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/OQwBXx2E7M
— ✫☆𝕊𝕜𝕪𝕗𝕒𝕝𝕝 ☆✫ (@awizard_from_oz) September 26, 2026
