KYLIE MINOGUE: TORONTO REVIEW

Kylie Minogue in Toronto - Novembe 2009

Two words describe Kylie Minogue's Toronto Show: outstanding and overdue.  I had the pleasure of seeing Minogue's X Tour last summer at London's 02 Arena and enjoyed it immensely. Little did I know that just over a year later, I'd be seeing her again live in Toronto - her first visit to Canada since the launch of her music career in 1987. She charms with her girl-next-door innocence and has fought with warrior-like resilience in an industry which hasn't always been so kind to her. Minogue delivered a selection of her biggest hits this evening in a reduced-size Air Canada Centre, with a near sold-out crowd in attendance. The audience, a vast majority of which were gay men, were on their toes from start to finish.

The set began with Giorgio Moroder-esque Light Years, where the audience saw Minogue descending upon the stage on a giant metallic skull, like she had done on her previous tour. The skull concept keeps in line with fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier's aesthetic. He of course is responsible for overseeing the show's stunning outfits. She then went on to perform Speakerphone from her X album where she was followed closely by a tight team of Robo-dancers. The set had kicked into high gear with Minogue's '90s House-inspired rendition of Spinning Around (written by Paula Abdul), her big comeback hit in 2000. Can't Get You Out Of My Head, which she sometimes rearranges, was presented in an identical manner to how the song was originally recorded. This was just fine according to the audience's enthused reaction. Red Blooded Woman had four handsome male dancers scantily clad in red towels, hovering around Minogue who was in Goddess mode; the jealous audience ogled. A cheerleader-inspired version of Heart Beat Rock/Wow was brought out again on this tour, although Minogue opted to wear a more conservative form-fitting black bodysuit for this number whereas on her X Tour, she donned a full cheerleader outfit.

Minogue slowed things down a bit with a ballad version of Scissor Sisters-penned White Diamond from a sofa equipped with two decorative cats. It was her performance of Confide in Me which showed her true singing chops as she nailed the song's demanding sustained higher notes (the song is also featured in the upcoming Mirvish production of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert). She also presented a new track Better Than Today which has an Olivia Newton-John/Sheena Easton nostalgic feel to it. It seems promising and is a welcome return to basic disco pop as her direction has leaned towards futuristic Electropop of late. It was also a pleasant surprise seeing a sexy cabaret interpretation of Minogue's first single The Loco-Motion too. This has been a dream of mine since seventh grade.

Never to end a show on a low-note, the audience was treated to a high energy buffet in final number, the highly under-appreciated In Your Arms. This was then followed by a high-energy three-song encore of The One, Your Disco Needs You and Love at First Sight. Minogue played off audience feedback genuinely and she had to negotiate with her band's music director, Sasparilla, a final encore song order based on audience requests.

I uploaded a Clip of the Encore here at my YouTube channel:

Minogue consistently delivers a technically spot-on show. Anyone who's seen her live or watched her on DVD would say the same. The choreography was spectacular, the LED screen projections were superb and of course her energy is infectious. Madonna will always be Madonna. Kylie Minogue will always be Kylie Minogue. She has effectively carved out her own brand and loyal fan base. It was a pleasure to see my friend Adrian Eccleston on guitar as he has been touring with her for quite some time now and I can imagine how happy he must be to finally be home. It is certain that this North American tour may incur some form of financial loss as bringing a show of this magnitude stateside would be an expensive undertaking. The fans however, have been waiting patiently for years now and truly deserved it. Here's to hoping that enough interest will generate in bringing Minogue back again soon. North Americans truly don't know what they're missing! Grade: A+

I've uploaded pics from Minogue's X Tour in London also if you are interested:
Gallery 1
Gallery 2


(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will-W.)