REVIEW: Hilary Duff – Rod Laver Arena – Melbourne, VIC
Photo: Ash Sekulich
Rod Laver Arena was giving serious early 2000s energy last night and I was absolutely here for it.
For Hilary Duff's Melbourne show, the butterfly clips were out, the chokers were back and the denim was everywhere. The crowd was overwhelmingly women in their 30s and 40s, with plenty of pink and purple sequins and even a few pairs of skinny jeans making a comeback. But the real commitment award goes to the fans dressed as Lizzie McGuire, complete with pink tees, blue jeans and yellow wigs.
La Roux got things started with a serious throwback to our nightclub days, finishing strong with Bulletproof and turning the packed mosh pit into one big dance party. The throwbacks continued between sets, with 2000s anthems like Kelly Clarkson’s Since U Been Gone and Icona Pop’s I Love It keeping everyone entertained while we waited for the main event.
After a short instrumental intro to build the anticipation, the queen herself finally appeared on stage in a dreamy outfit that showed off those incredible abs. She kicked things off by getting the crowd involved in a classic “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi” chant, before asking for the house lights to come up so she could see what everyone was wearing.
She opened with the 2005 classic Wake Up, followed by So Yesterday, and honestly, what a way to start. Everyone was straight into it, singing along like we'd been listening to these songs on repeat yesterday rather than 20 years ago.
She then moved into some of her newer music, with Flames a standout, complete with huge flames lighting up the stage behind her. As a longtime Hilary fan, I have to admit I'm not super familiar with her newer stuff, but her vocals were seriously impressive. She was also moving around the stage with so much energy. You could tell she'd put in the work to get back to performing after 10 years away from the stage.
After a quick costume change, she returned in another gorgeous outfit featuring a beaded crop top, with an enormous disco ball hanging above her. How that managed to appear without us noticing, I'll never know. We also got some classic Hilary dance moves during Breathe In, Breathe Out, including a cute little disco move to the lyrics “X marks the spot”.
Next up was Future Trippin’, where she got the crowd clapping every time she called out “Honey, I need help.” And then came one of the biggest highlights of the night: With Love. Hilary brought 8 people from the crowd on stage to join her for the iconic dance routine. I'm not entirely convinced they were all random audience members, but either way, they absolutely delivered. One young fan finished with an incredible high kick, and everyone got a hug from Hilary. Honestly, adorable.
Between costume changes, we also got little glimpses into Hilary's life, from her childhood and early acting days through to the Lizzie McGuire era, her music career and her family today. This was one of the things I loved most about the show. At one point, Hilary thanked everyone for being part of her journey and spoke about how nice it was to look back on memories from a simpler time. But she also reminded us to keep chasing our dreams, sharing that performing again had been a dream of hers until just two years ago.
Between the footage, the mix of old and new songs and the way she kept interacting with the crowd, it was clear she wanted to reconnect with her fans. It didn't feel like she was just ticking off the old hits for a nostalgic payday. She seemed genuinely happy to be there, and grateful that we were there too. Following this with Suddenly I See was the perfect touch.
After another break, she returned in what was probably my favourite outfit of the night: baggy jeans, an oversized Cat in the Hat tee and socks, sitting on a green couch. I'd seen clips from other shows where she does a drink challenge, but Melbourne had other ideas. The crowd called for a shoey, which was very quickly ruled out. Instead, we got an Aussie classic: Vegemite on toast.
She then shared another message with the crowd: no matter how old we get, we should keep doing the things we care about and stop worrying about being cool. Naturally, this led into Why Not, with Hilary jumping around the stage, climbing onto the couch and getting the entire arena up and dancing.
Then came Come Clean, another personal highlight and clearly a crowd favourite. It immediately took me back to watching Laguna Beachwith my sisters and desperately wanting to be a cool Southern California girl. Tell me I'm not the only one.
And just like that, we were at the final two songs. First came her 2025 hit Mature, followed by the song we'd all been waiting for, What Dreams Are Made Of. With huge balloons and butterfly confetti filling the arena, it was the perfect ending to a genuinely wholesome night.
Hilary gave us the hits, the dance moves, the nostalgia and a few heartfelt moments along the way. More than anything, it was a reminder that growing up doesn't mean you have to leave the things you loved behind.
For one night, we were all back in our early 2000s bedrooms, singing into our hairbrushes and dreaming of being the next Lizzie McGuire. Except this time, we got to do it with thousands of other women who were just as excited to be there.
A millennial dream come true. 10/10, would absolutely recommend.
Hilary Duff – the lucky me Australian Tour 2026
With special guest La Roux
Tue 20 Oct 2026 – Spark Arena – Auckland, NZ
Thu 22 Oct 2026 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre – Brisbane, QLD
Sat 24 Oct 2026 – Qudos Bank Arena – Sydney, NSW
Mon 26 Oct 2026 – Rod Laver Arena – Melbourne, VIC
Tue 27 Oct 2026 – Rod Laver Arena – Melbourne, VIC
Thu 29 Oct 2026 – RAC Arena – Perth, WA
Tickets on sale now
