Kylie Live! :: Bringing the Love

New York City was feeling the love! We've earned it and have certainly much to celebrate - but no one could have expected the party that Kylie Minogue was preparing to unleash on the Big Apple when her Aphrodite Live Tour touched down on North America - the show officially arrived in Boston over the weekend, then DC, before three unprecedented nights at the Hammerstein Ballroom in the heart of Manhattan. The Goddess of Love radiates in a two-hour extravaganza unlike anything the pop icon has ever attempted before. Kylie Minogue has out-shined herself...if that's possible! This time the Impossible Princess comes close!

Minogue's shows have always been elaborate dance and fashion spectaculars but she has never attempted something having this dimension before. This show is bigger than her last visit to the States, a much tighter production with amazing aesthetic, and a non-stop dance escapade with death defying aerialist and a winged horse...and this is a scaled down version of the arena show the rest of the world gets to see! Celebrating the success of her latest album, last fall's "Aphrodite" the stage venture takes its lead from the overall tone set by that release - co-produced by Stuart Price the album is a wildly futuristic foray into modern, electro rhythms & beats which Kylie has always mastered. Minogue has proven herself repeatedly a master minstrel of dance music.

Her song list on the tour features tracks from "Aphrodite" appropriately enough and opens with the title track, since the mythological theme of the show situates Minogue as the embodiment of muses of myths and legends. Amidst the ruins of a Greek pantheon Kylie opens the show surrounded by her gorgeously assembled court singing "The One" before a rousing battle in the arena set to "Wow". Seamlessly transported by a powerful pegasus, the next act features "Illusion" and "I Believe in You".

For The Next Act...

A quick modification to her ensemble, Kylie's wardrobe was designed by Dolce & Gabbana, and the gorgeous set distraction of s 5-story tall Adonis beamed across the animated video backdrop, and Minogue emerges as a dark temptress for "Cupid Boy" before moving into the most incredible disco re-invention of her hit "Spinning Around". Minogue has taken great opportunities with this outing to rearrange some of her most popular tracks - magnificently bringing them into the contemporary landscape of dance music today but still paying great homage to what has come before, so classic hits sit comfortably with current songs like "Get Outta My Way" - which is a rousing crowd pleaser.

And speaking of rousing, never one to shy away from the provocative and play with gender identities in her show, Kylie dresses her male dancers in sculpted hats...and little much else for seductive turns on "Slow" and "Confide In Me". The biggest surprise of the night included a rock version of "Can't Get You Outta My Head" with dancers in muzzles and all - it's the most aggressive take on the song ever performed, which gives it a wonderful new spin!

Under Her Spell...

This non-stop musical adventure surpasses any expectation - and should give other pop princesses hitting the tour-circuit this summer reason to pause; I hope you're taking notes Britney - the experience is all the more enjoyable for Kylie's warm and accessible presence and ease on stage. You can sense that she is thrilled to be in front of her audience and that her band and dancers are having the best time along this journey. By the time the show heads into its encore performances which included "All the Lovers" Minogue has brought the show full circle. Emerging from the depths amid the crashing waves of the Greek shore, she ends the show the epitome of a pop-star - and leaves no doubt that this icon is a goddess. Kylie's latest visit to our shores is not to be missed!

As Kylie criss-crosses the country and comes to a city near you, to celebrate her arrival she's released an exclusive digital EP available at most digital download stores: "North American Tour Bonus Edition" which features previously unreleased live tracks and a short film capturing life on the road. As if that weren't enough the package includes a 6-page PDF booklet with original concept artwork by the tour's designers Dolce & Gabbana.