Photo: Reuters
Dear Britney, Gaga, Beyonce, Rihanna, Katy, Pink – this is what a pop concert should look like.
Australia’s own Impossible Princess brought to Adelaide a show that will be impossible to top. The Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour, a $25 million production, was a feast for the senses; a lavish, over-the-top spectacle that screams for a Las Vegas residency. The performances were camp, the dancers wore next to nothing, the stage resembled a Grecian palace at the Mardi Gras, shot into cyberspace – on acid. But no surprises there, it was a Kylie Minogue concert after all.
Kylie was every bit the Grecian goddess as she emerged from a giant golden clam shell to the title track of latest album Aphrodite. While the focus was no doubt on newer material like Get Outta My Way, Cupid Boy and All the Lovers, the reinvented past hits were perhaps the real highlight of the night. Slow was turned into a slow-burning torch song, Can’t Get You Out Of My Head was given full rock treatment and Love at First Sight was mashed-up with album cut Can’t Beat the Feeling. Eurythmic’s 80s hit There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) was the surprise cover of the night, but given the abundance of angels and cupids flying around the stage, it was not at all out of place.
Keeping in theme with her previous tours and love of all things big and shiny, there was plenty for even the most discerning concert-goer to feast their eyes on. A giant gold-plated Pegasus, a rotating stage which turned 90 degrees to face the audience, and even a real life ‘angel’ whom Kylie flew on over the audience during Closer. But perhaps the most exciting part of Les Folies were the state-of-the-art water fountains built into the stage, which actually sprayed out into the audience. Those in the ‘Splash Zone’ (yes, I was one of them) got their moneys worth, but rest assured, we had our commemorative Kylie towels and ponchos to keep us dry.
A show of this scale often leaves little room for error or spontaneity, but even between the tightly choreographed performances or the high-tech stage production, Kylie was her usual, vibrant self; the true definition of an artist who comes to life on stage. Not even sombre ballads Confide in Me or If You Don’t Love Me could dampen hers or the crowd’s spirits. There was definite electricity in the air.
The sellout crowd (right down to the dedicated 85 year old couple in the ‘Splash Zone’) couldn’t have been more ecstatic; being Minogue’s first visit to Adelaide since 2006, it was obvious she had been missed.
And I have to just mention – live vocals. No backing tracks, no lip-syncing (take notes, Britney). Kylie is the real deal; a class act that proves yet again how far our current pop newbies have before they reach her level of consummate professionalism and showmanship (or is it showgirlship?).
Lady Gaga may win the crazy stakes and Katy Perry and Rihanna may be riding a wave of current chart success, but Kylie reigns supreme when it comes to her massive, unparalleled stage productions and her joyous stage presence. It’s safe to say Adelaide won’t see a show this grand or spectacular for a long, long time. Now excuse me while I put on my Ultimate Kylie CD, stand under the shower and relive the ‘Splash Zone’ again and again and again…
Aphrodite (Standard Edition, Tour Edition and Goddess Edition) is in stores now. Kylie brings Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour to Asia on June 25, before finishing the tour in Africa.
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