Kylie back on stage after 18 months 

Kylie Minogue says she has set a new benchmark for being late. The pop singer has made a triumphant return to performing, after a forced 18-month break to undergo treatment for breast cancer.

An emotional Minogue held back tears as she thanked fans for their support during the first concert of her renamed Showgirl Homecoming Tour in Sydney on Saturday night.

"I have thought about this moment for a long time," she told the thousands of fans at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

"And I tried to practise in my head what I was going to say... I couldn't prepare anything, I really couldn't. So I am just going to say what comes to me. Generally I am, like, 10 minutes late ... this is officially fashionably late, a year-and-a-half, but I mean fashionably."

"So thanks so much for all your thoughts and wishes. I am really glad to be here, thank-you all."

The 2004 Grammy winner was diagnosed with cancer days before she was due to start the final leg of her Showgirl World Tour in Australia.

The tour was postponed indefinitely and fans were told to hold onto their tickets.

After three concerts in Sydney this month, Minogue and her Showgirl troupe will travel to Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. They will then head back to Europe, playing dates in the UK from January 2.

"Dad, you're in the audience, this is for you," a teary Minogue said to her father Ron, before singing Especially For You.

Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer in May last year. She underwent successful surgery in Melbourne that month, followed by chemotherapy treatment in Paris, where her French actor boyfriend, Olivier Martinez, has a home.

The singer's fans weren't disappointed as she performed hits including Better The Devil You Know, In Your Eyes, On A Night Like This, Spinning Around, I Believe In You, Can't Get You Out Of My Head and Light Years.

She also sang her new song, White Diamond, which she penned with American pop group Scissor Sisters, and covers of Somewhere Over The Rainbow and Madonna's Vogue.

"I'm just going to try and enjoy the moment, roll with the crowd and take a few more risks and just let go," Minogue told journalists last week when asked about the show.

She was at her energetic best, performing fast-paced dance moves throughout the three-hour show.

Known for her cutting edge fashion, she wore costumes specially designed by John Galliano, Gareth Pugh, Dolce and Gabbana, Karl Lagerfeld and Emilio Pucci.