Being the Australian pop princess for close to four decades has its perks: Kylie Minogue’s legacy has been commemorated with a star at the Melbourne Park sporting complex.
Minogue – who recently launched her global Tension Tour on February 15 – received the honor on Saturday (February 22) ahead of a performance in her hometown of Melbourne. The honor coincided with the third of three consecutive performances at the city’s 14,820-capacity Rod Laver Arena. It also coincided with Minogue’s first performance at the venue back in February 1990, when it was then known as the National Tennis Centre.
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Minogue initially debuted at Rod Laver Arena 35 years ago, and has gone on to play 30 shows at Melbourne Park – amassing sales of more than 350,000 tickets in the process. Her three recent dates brought that total to 33 performances with an additional 36,000 ticket sales; making her one of the most successful artists to ever perform at the Melbourne destination.
The special star was unveiled to Minogue on the afternoon of February 22 by Melbourne Park CEO John Harnden AM. Fittingly, it is located in the forecourt of Rod Laver Arena, adjacent to a statue of late promoter Michael Gudinski. Gudinski first signed Minogue to his Mushroom Records label in 1987, while his Frontier Touring company has promoted every one of her Australian concerts to date. In 2021, Minogue performed at Gudinski’s state funeral at the same venue.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been 35 years since I first stepped on stage at this venue, and I’m honoured to be acknowledged in this way in my hometown of Melbourne,” Minogue said of the honor. “It seems appropriate that MG will be watching over my star each day. I’m incredibly thankful to all the fans that have attended my shows over the years.”
John Harnden added: “Kylie has a longstanding and record-breaking association with Melbourne Park and it’s only fitting we celebrate her amazing legacy with this star, cementing her name in the history of this great destination for live events.”
Additionally, the installation of the star coincides with a campaign to reinstate a statue of Minogue in Melbourne following its removal in 2016. At the time, a bronze likeness of Minogue – along with similar figures of Australian entertainers John Farnham, Dame Nellie Melba, Dame Edna Everage, and Graham Kennedy – were removed to make way for a $140 million AUD apartment block. “I, for one, would love to see her statue reinstated in Melbourne,” Melbourne Mayor Nicholas Reece told The Age. “If we could get a statue of Kylie back up again, it will remind all the boys and girls of Melbourne that great Melburnians come in all shapes, sizes and genders.”
Minogue’s most recent album, II, became her fourth consecutive LP to top the Australian ARIA charts upon its October release, and her eighth overall to achieve the feat. It reached #98 on the Billboard 200 and hit #2 on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums. It followed in the footsteps of 2023’s Tension, which saw lead single “Padam Padam” win the Grammy for Best Pop Dance Recording.
Kylie will wrap up her Tension Tour of Australia in Brisbane and Sydney, ending at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Monday, March 3. For her Australian tour, Kylie has been joined by special guest Mallrat. Limited tickets for her previously sold-out concert dates are now available via the Frontier Touring website.
See Minogue's star at the Melbourne Park sporting complex below.
Check out our selection of free stations streaming Kylie Minogue music at Live365.com.
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Article Image: Kylie Minogue smiles on the red carpet at a 2024 Los Angeles movie premiere. (imagepressagency via DepositPhotos.)
