Latino Martin a hit with the girls
It may have been his first visit to Perth, but Ricky Martin has promised it won't be his last.
The Latin pop star proved he was the consummate showman in a fast-paced concert at Perth Arena on Saturday night, which had women of all ages in various fits of hysteria.
Jumping out of the floor to his recent hit single Come with Me, which he recorded in Australia during his stint this year as a judge on The Voice, an all-white-clad Martin kept the energy levels high with Shake Your Bon-Bon and It's Alright, which were enhanced by the use of a strong brass section.
After a passionate performance of Vuelve, the 41-year-old waited for the crowd to settle down before gently saying, "Perth, finally. I'm finally in front of you."
Despite coming out as gay in 2010, Martin played up to his lothario image on stage as he gyrated against his troupe of scantily clad, ultra- fit female dancers.
For his smash hit 2000 single She Bangs, Martin sat in a chair allowing his dancers to perform various forms of acrobatic lap dances on him much to the delight of the 11,000-strong crowd.
Martin showed off his flamboyant side, indulging in almost as many costume changes as there were songs, with some of the campy outfits looking like they were straight from Sydney's Mardi Gras.
It wasn't just the sex and sizzle that had the crowd enraptured. The ballad section also struck a chord when Martin was joined on stage by contestants he had mentored during The Voice, Luke Kennedy and Miss Murphy (Karen Andrews).
A swift 90 minutes later and the audience was treated to The Cup of Life, the Ole Ole Ole anthem that made Martin's hip-thrusting moves famous at the 1998 World Cup in France.
He had almost every audience member on their feet, waving their hands in the air and cheering, to which he said, "Perth, you are addictive. This is my first time, it's not going to be my last - I'll be back."
