Sunday was a good day for fans of rap royalty, as Ice Cube performed at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl, the event part of an exclusive two-date Australian tour. The heat of the night was no match for the prolific entertainer, as fans of all ages gathered at the iconic outdoor Melbourne venue in a near-sold out show.
Recognised across the globe, O’Shea Jackson Sr, better known as Ice Cube, has been entertaining the masses for 40 years. As a teen, Ice Cube cut his teeth writing hit songs for future rap heavyweights Dr. Dre and Eazy-E before the trio joined together with MC Ren, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince to form the powerhouse group N.W.A in their hometown of Compton, California. Though they were only active for a brief time, N.W.A completely altered the chemistry of the industry, ushering in the gangsta rap era with lyrics centred on the group members’ own experiences with racism, gang violence and excessive policing.
After leaving the group in 1989, Ice Cube launched his solo career, releasing the albums AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted and Death Certificate before trying his hand at acting in 1991’s critically acclaimed Boyz n the Hood alongside Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, and Regina King. Within a few years, Ice Cube was writing and directing, branching out into comedy and action genres with Friday, Anaconda, Three Kings, and his directorial debut The Players Club.
Now, with his first album in six years Man Down, Ice Cube has fresh material to take on tour. Amidst the eager yelling, fan signs with “Ice Cube I <3 U” in blue glitter, and a permeating smell of weed and tobacco, there was a relaxed aura to the Melbourne audience. An elevated stage with steps leading down to the ground, surrounded by LCD screens and giant blow up hands with the fingers twisted into the shape of a W, provided a simple yet impactful set up for Ice Cube’s Melbourne show. Entering the stage by the tallest platform, the crowd roared to life as Ice Cube’s voiced yelled into the darkness, “Is Melbourne in the mother fucking house?”.
Lit up in blue, Ice Cube opened the night with the songs ‘It’s My Ego’ and ‘I Rep That West’ from his latest 2024 album Man Down and 2010 album I Am the West. With his hype man in tow for ad-libs, Ice Cube sauntered down stage to perform the song ‘Bop Gun (One Nation)’ before dedicating ‘So Sensitive’ to the “sensitive mother fuckers” in the crowd, lighting up the screens with lyrics for patrons to rap along to.
Given Ice Cube’s massive discography and the sheer number of artist features on his tracks, a good amount of the songs Ice Cube performed at his Melbourne show was condensed to just his verses, allowing him to move through a very sizable chunk of his discography. It also meant that his audience interactions were somewhat limited. Making the most of his time on stage, Ice Cube used his brief audience interactions to lead the Melbourne audience through his setlist; when commenting that he was “never gonna retire”, Ice Cube called on naysayers to “check themselves” before performing his hit song ‘Check Yo Self’. While it wasn’t his most clever segue, it achieved the desired effect, bringing the venue to life with howls of excited cheers.
When the screens weren’t displaying lyrics or album visualisers, Ice Cube’s songs were accompanied by a mashup of movie clips from the artist’s lengthy filmography. As he performed the aforementioned ‘Check Yo Self’, scenes from Ice Cube’s action roles flashed across the screens, plus clips from his buddy comedy Friday played while he performed the song of the same name ‘Friday’, reminding Melbourne patrons that this legend is far from being a one trick pony.
In an effort to embrace every part of Ice Cube’s storied career, the final third act of his Melbourne concert was a trip down memory lane, as the music icon performed his verses from N.W.A songs ‘Dope Man’, ‘Gangsta Gangsta’, ‘Straight Outta Compton’ and ‘Fuck Tha Police’, with the whole Melbourne crowd shouting the lyrics, middle fingers raised. After bringing it back to the 90s to perform his hit ‘You Can Do It’, which he dedicated to all the “pretty ladies”, Ice Cube brought a young fan up onto the stage to rap together. The kid, nervous to be on stage with the rap legend, tripped over many of the words, but Ice Cube was gentle and encouraging, giving the male fan a cherished memory that he’ll never forget.
For a man four decades into his career, Ice Cube’s energy on stage never wavered. The veteran performer helped bring Melbourne to life on a Sunday night at Sidney Myer Music Bowl, as everyone basked in the presence of true rap greatness.
Ice Cube performed at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Sunday March 9th to conclude his exclusive two-date Australian tour Ice Cube: Live In Concert, proudly presented by Live Nation Australia.
For more information, visit:
https://www.livenation.com.au/ice-cube-tickets-adp109
https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/event-archive/2025/contemporary-music/ice-cube
https://www.instagram.com/icecube
Photography by Grant Alexander.
