HEADLINER: YUNGBLUD
SUPPORT: THE DUNE RATS
DATES: JANUARY 17TH AND 18TH 2026
VENUE: RIVERSTAGE, BRISBANE
REVIEWER: HAYLEY TREADWELL (REAL WOMAN REAL REVIEW)
PHOTOGRAPHER 1: HAYLEY TREADWELL (REAL WOMAN REAL REVIEW)
PHOTOGRAPHER 2: ANDREW TREADWELL (ANDREW TREADWELL PHOTOGRAPHY)
Yungblud’s Idols World Tour 2026 hit Brisbane this week, and it’s one we have been looking forward to.
A friend of ours went to the Sydney show and said he thought it would be a hard show to top for the year. I was skeptical, it’s only January. But after the last 2 nights, I absolutely agree with him.
We were very fortunate and grateful to be at both shows at Brisbane’s Riverstage and I have never experienced the joy that radiated throughout the hill quite like it did on Saturday and Sunday nights.
On Saturday the line for the gate went through the Botanic Gardens and out to Alice Street. If you are not from Brisbane, that’s a long way! I have never seen that before.
Local Brisbane band The Dune Rats opened both nights and really got the crowd pumped. These guys are fun, tight and know how to have a good time on stage.
Not many people have the capacity, let alone the balls to start a show with a 9 minute song, but as the music kicked in for ‘Hello Heaven, Hello’, I knew we were in for a special night as the crowd immersed themselves in every moment of that 9 minutes, especially when the confetti went off!
In those first moments of night 1, we immediately understood we were dealing with an artist on a level all to his own! Dom is absolutely genuine in ever interaction and conversation with the crowd! He got me to jump more times than a middle age woman should, put my hands in the air over and over again and wave my arms across the sky! We took part in the Yungblud Riverstage Choir and shouted out lyrics as loud as we could, all with the hopes we were louder and more wild than the last audience!
Throughout both shows Dom expressed how much he had always wanted to play this venue and he absolutely owned it! He talked a lot about love; feeling love, sharing love and at one point asked us all to turn the the person either side of us and tell them ‘I fucking love you man’. Which was beautiful to hear radiating throughout the crowd.
In every moment of his performance you can 100% feel the love Dom is giving to his audience. It is contagious from front to back and it allows a space for people from all walks of life to celebrate themselves and their love of music!
Punters from age 5 – 75 were all having the best time together, riding the waves of love spreading through the crowd. Absolutely beautiful.
Night 1 in Brisbane had some amazing moments, but none quite as special as when Yungblud played ‘Changes’, his famed cover of the classic Black Sabbath song, and I swear it happened as the very first note rang out from the band, Dom began talking to us about his friend Ozzy and the first drops of rain began to fall, and when the song kicked in the heavens opened and it absolutely poured with rain! Dom acknowledging the amazing moment from the stage proclaiming ‘Ozzy Is Here With Us’ which was felt widely amongst the crowd. I saw people all around me in awe, and in tears and it really was a goosebumps moment, and to add to the emotions, as the last notes of the song rang out, the rain practically stopped, it was something we won’t forget any time soon.
One of my favorite moments of night 1 was seeing Dom get so excited over a little rocker standing on their parents shoulders wearing a Slayer t-shirt! And no wonder he was so excited, that’s parenting done right!
After the show, we were lucky enough to say a quick Hi to Dom in the post show meet area! It was amazing to see the time he gave to so many, when in that moment he was limited on time himself! This was a really cool moment for the fans!
As we began to prepare for day 2 we saw the announcement of an after-party in a Fortitude Valley club, and when we got the the venue, everyone in the crowd was talking about it.
I wasn’t sure if night 2 was going to be quite as full as night 1, but it certainly felt it! And the Yungblud energy was just as high as the night before. We had another night full of amazing moments, with the moment of the night during ‘Fleabag‘ when Yungblud called up a fan from the crown to play guitar on stage! She was absolutely sensational and fit right in up there! Instant chemistry with Dom and the band! I think Dom said it best – ‘Girls make the best fucking rock stars man!!!’
Night 2 gave us one of my favorite songs, ‘ice cream man’ as well as one of Yungblud’s collaborations with Aerosmith and Lainey Wilson – ‘Wild Woman’! And he delivered it perfectly on his own!
Dom encouraged the crowd to get back to the 90’s during ‘Lowlife’ with a request to the crowd to see as many people on shoulders as possible, and my favorite both nights was ‘Lovesick Lullaby’, it’s such a fun song and Yungblud’s performance was sensational!
We got covered in streams of red confetti during ‘Ghosts’ and then sung so loud to ‘Zombie’ to close out an amazing 2 nights at Riverstage! Vocally, Yungblud is impressive, consistent and loves a good sing a long with the crowd.
Dom wrapped his arms around his Aussie fans on this tour. Everything from social media overload, airport arrival tip offs, art gallery appearances, post show meet n greets, and finishing off his time in Brisbane doing a shift at Crowbar, which gave the fans that up close intense eye contact they were all there for!
Attending a Yungblud concert is to experience a night of pure beauty, love and joy! Imagine being on this tour! Weather as a fan or part of the crew, if you are travelling Australia for this tour I know you are having the time of your life!!
The Idols World Tour will not doubt make you laugh, some will cry and you will dance and sing so hard you will feel it for days and you will talk about it, well my guess is forever! I think this experience will just stay with those of us that were lucky enough to be there!
The future of music and Rock ‘n’ Roll is in fantastic hands with this very talented, very passionate and very loveable young man. What an absolute legend!
Yungblud, you told us you will be back in Australia every 18 months, and we want to be at that gig with you every single time! What a bunch of fun we had!
Thank you for having us along, we are so very grateful for the opportunity and look forward to watching how far you go until we see you back on our shores! Good luck at the Grammy’s!!! You’ve got our vote!
Until the next gig
Hayley
Thank you for this, you’ve captured the energy and joy perfectly. My daughter and I went both nights…we’re still talking about the shows.🖤