World Pride celebrations are going full throttle with Kylie Minogue headlining the Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert, at The Domain on Friday night.
The international icon wowed the crowds with some of her most-loved hits in an unforgettable night of music, celebration and community. The official opening concert was attended by 20,000 fans from Australia and across the globe who gathered in a huge celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride.
Charli XCX, Jessica Mauboy and Electric Fields all performed, with Courtney Act and Casey Donovan hosting and performing. The concert was a giant celebration of queer culture.
The event began with a performance from acclaimed opera star Deborah Cheetam Fraillon who sung an Indigenous language opera. The soprano was announced as the inaugural Elizabeth Todd Chair of Vocal Studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music earlier this week.
Her performance was followed up by a burst of dance music from Electric Fields who performed We the People, the official theme to World Pride 2023.
Drag star Nana Miss Koori welcomed attendees to the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation.
“I’m also very honoured tonight to welcome each and every one of you on behalf of my Sydney tribe of sexually and gender diverse first nations people, with our own very long and very proud history and future.” Nana Miss Koori said before acknowledging the battles fought by queer trailbalzers including those who marched in the first Mardi Gras parade in 1978.
Courtney Act and Casey Donovan hosted the festivities highlighting it was the very first time the World Pride has been held in the southern hemisphere.
Courtney Act to the stage singing a comical version of a classic from The Sound of Music but instead of singing Do Rei Mi, the words were changed to highlight the concert was being broadcast on the ABC and it’s all about the LGBT.
“There’s no LGB without the T” the drag star sang to a round of applause. There Broadway inspired series of songs saw Courntney explaining queer history and all the different parts of the LGBTIQA+ acronym.
Sheldon Riley performed with a massive choir made up of members of queer choirs from around Australia. Members of the Perth Pride Choir joined the performance.
Robyn Kennedy, one of the original ’78ers, delivered an address during Riley’s performance saying, “while tonight we celebrate, we never forget those who were prevented from doing so.” The video backdrop of the stage was filled with images from 45 years of Mardi Gras parades.
A drag spectacular revisited the queer anthem I Will Survive with a tribute to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Perth’s Justin Cider joined drag kings Boy Michael, J Starr and Sexy Galexy to perform the Village People’s Go West.
Casey Donovan’s emotional performance of Bob Dylan’s Make Your Feel My Love recalled Australia’s long battle for marriage equality. Images of the many rallies and marches calling for change were interspersed with footage of couple’s joyful wedding celebrations.
Jessica Mauboy was backed by dancers clad in hot pink velour as she sang a succession of her hit songs including Automatic, Glow, Running Back, Little Things, Right Here Right Now and Burn. After the dancers departed Mauboy moved into rockier territory with Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up) before finishing up with her Eurovision hit, We Got Love.
Ballroom culture was front and centre as the runway opened with a large contingent of different houses strutting their stuff.
Moju performed their new song Change Has To Come. A slice of sultry RnB with a serious message.
Keiynan Lonsdale star of the film Love Simon and James Majoos from Heartbreak High introduced Charli XCX.
The rainbow clad singer amped the crowd into a frenzy with her sing-along hit I Love It, before working her way through 1999, Boys, Beg for You, Vroom Vroom and Unlock It.
Kylie Minogue took to the stage to rapturous applause. The singer worked her way through hits including Spinning Around, Get Outta My Way, Light Years, Your Disco Needs You, Slow and Can’t Get You Out of My Head. Donna Summer’s disco classic Love to Love You Baby was also worked into the set.
Kylie had a quick consume change before launching into All the Lovers, but she had another surprise in store. As her dancer parted, they revealed sister Dannii Minogue in a matching outfit.
The opening concert is one of a host of major events taking place this weekend. Tonight will see the 45th Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade return to Oxford Street and Sunday will see Kelly Rowland headline at Domain Dance Party.
Sydney World Pride 2023 runs for 17 days, from 17 February to 5 March 2023 incorporating Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
The full festival program over 300 events across WorldPride Official, WorldPride Arts, WorldPride Sports and Pride Amplified is available on the Sydney WorldPride website.
If you missed the opening concert, it can be streamed on ABC iView.
OIP Staff, images Anna Kucera, Dan Boud, Joseph Mayer courtesy of World Pride.
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