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“Amanda Fucking Palmer is dead”, announced Danger Ensemble leader Steven Mitchell Wright, to well-rehearsed expressions of sadness from the crowd. Earlier, the jauntily-attired thespian had hinted at some sorrowful news as he introduced cellist Zoë Keating to the crowd clustered around the stage, berating them for laughing and coaching a more appropriate response.

Keating proved herself a formidable solo performer, skillfully weaving live-recorded loops with a series of pedals which build into a stageful of audible, reverberating but invisible Zoës: a one-woman orchestra indeed. Between tracks from her album One Cello x 16 she chatted quietly with her audience about the songs and touring and sunburned feet.

But back to the action. While Keating and violinist Lyndon Chester performed a funerary dirge, and a eulogy recorded by author Neil Gaiman recounted the tale of Palmer’s untimely demise, Wright and three other members of the Brisbane-based performance troupe clustered on stage in theatrical mourning. Silently a veiled figure appeared, moving through the crowd – her progress tracked by a barrage of camera flashes. With Gaiman’s tale reaching a frantic crescendo the figure was hoisted on stage and revealed to be – none other than Amanda Palmer herself!

Seemingly alive and well, the Dresden Dolls frontwoman positioned herself at the keyboard, and joined by Keating and Chester, started the set with Astronaut from her latest solo effort, Who Killed Amanda Palmer. As the very last date of not only the Australian leg but of the entire tour, Palmer was eager to mix things up and put together a very special night. The next two hours were a blur of theatrics and cabaret, Palmer treating fans to her own songs, some Dolls favourites, some cover songs, and even some new songs. But what endeared the performer to her audience most was no doubt the personal insights Palmer gave as she recounted stories about each song – seemingly shrinking the Fly By Night club to a fraction of its actual size with intimate stories of love lost before a cover of Momus’ I Like You But I Don’t Need You. That reflective tune led to a raucous rendition of My Favorite Things – and the innocent Sound of Music version will never be the same.

Laughingly suggesting she should move to Perth generated roars of approval, which continued when the next track began – Dolls tune Coin-Operated Boy, which was accompanied by the Danger Ensemble boys running around the crowd with signs offering “Kash 4 Kiss” (and getting some takers). The variety show madness continued with “Ask Amanda”, where questions submitted earlier by the audience were read out and Palmer attempted to answer them, going off in tangents and revealing much of her personality in the process. The audience found out – among various other things – that Palmer prefers Frank Sinatra to Nat King Cole, misses Dresden Dolls collaborator Brian Viglione but they will tour Australia again, is a fan of Tori Amos, and does not have any tattoos. And that no, she will not marry any audience members.

Then it was back to the music: Oasis leading to an “on-the-fly” rendition of actual Oasis song Wonderwall; and I Google You, a gorgeous “modern lounge song” about the internet. The mood turned somber as Palmer introduced the haunting Strength Through Music, a Colombine-inspired piece, then was uplifted once more with the rocking Guitar Hero, with all performers playing up on stage.

Showing herself as one of the new breed of artists that understand that the music business as we know it is dying, Palmer invited audience members to text their email addresses to a mobile number she read out on stage. After revealing that the Danger Ensemble had been touring with Palmer without pay, the guitar used as a prop in Guitar Hero was auctioned off to an audience member, raising an amazing $1120. Later the troupe wandered through the crowd, collecting donations in their boots.

A hilarious mimed performance of pop star Rhianna’s hit Umbrella led into the last song of the set, Girl Anachronism. But the crowd wanted more and was insistent on getting it so it wasn’t long before Palmer was back on stage, hunting around for the stool she’d thrown down, rockstar-style, at the end of the last song, for encores: first an appropriate new song Australia, then a haunting rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

Amanda Palmer brought it all: murder and mayhem; theatre, cabaret, lounge and pop; amazing musicians and talented actors. Definitely a night that will be long remembered by those fortunate enough to witness it.

You’re a fool if you missed it. Our gallery’s here