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Live Review: LeAnn Rimes
Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne
16 September 2025
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LeAnn Rimes makes a triumphant return to Melbourne, delivering a nostalgic, powerful, and deeply personal performance. The sold-out show marks the final stop of her three-city Australian tour.
Starting off at the grand piano solo with ‘Remnants’ Rimes is a vision in a long white dress and flowing golden hair. From the moment she opens up to sing her incredibly rich, emotive, and technically flawless voice soars across the arena, reminding fans why she remains one of the most celebrated vocalists of her generation.
“It’s been 22 years since we’ve been here and I’m so honoured and excited to be back. I was over here a lot last year as I as I filmed The Voice, which was a blast, and it just made me fall in love with Australia all over again,” Rimes exclaims.
The band joins in for ‘Life Goes On’ and a stirring rendition of ‘Blue,’ the song that launched her into stardom at just 13-years-old. Fans of all ages – many who grew up with Rimes’ music, sing along, sway and shed tears.
From country ballads to pop anthems, her setlist spans three decades of her music journey through her evolving artistry, performing tracks from her recent albums with newer songs that added depth to the show and revealing a matured artist unafraid to explore vulnerability and growth. The production is simple yet understated, allowing Rimes’ voice and presence to take centre stage with lighting and visuals subtly complementing the emotional tone of each song.
Rimes acknowledges that today also marks three years since she released her latest album ‘God’s Work’. She describes the record as being deep and laced with a lot of joyous melodies that’s a rollercoaster of human emotions from rage to grief to terror to hopefulness to hopelessness. She shares one of her favourite songs on this album called ‘Awakening.’
Rimes then launches into a song that was her very first number one when she was 14 – ‘One Way Ticket,’ that she performs at a more mature and down-tempo version mixed with a cover of Tracey Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’.
“Coyote Ugly just celebrated 25 years. The film has now been passed down to another generation, it is because of this crazy cult following this music has lived on. And not just, hung around, but people are still obsessed with this music, which is just so incredible to see. But this film, and this music has been such a gift. And if you’re a coyote, this is your karaoke moment,” she says before launching into a medley of songs from the movie including the biggest pop hit ‘Can’t Fight the Moonlight.’
Adding to the night’s magic are guest performances by Reuben De Melo, Rimes’ winning contestant from The Voice Australia 2024. They share their soulful harmonies for a heartfelt duet on a cover of Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’ and also joined by Tori Darke for a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain.’
“To think that I have been woven into so many incredible memories for all of you, from weddings to the funerals to births. Hearing these stories has touched my heart so deeply, and I think that’s my favourite part of my job, is to know that I’ve made a bit of a difference in your world in some way, shape or form, and that we’ve connected. And it’s just a such a beautiful gift. So, thank you very, much from the bottom of my heart, I truly appreciate you,” she says graciously before dedicating ‘How Do I Live’ to her fans. The audience lights up the arena with their phone torches swaying.
Rimes leaves us with a final performance of a cover of Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man.’ Her stripped-back interpretation is met with a thunderous applause and a standing ovation. Even after all this time, Rimes reminds us why she’s a rare musical icon and for those lucky enough to attend, it’s a night they won’t soon forget.
Words by Michael Prebeg
