Less than two weeks shy of her 37th birthday (May 28, 1968) and faced with breast cancer, which seems to have been caught early, Kylie Minogue has postponed the rest of her Showgirl, The Greatest Hits world tour. For those pining for her return, one substitute is the DVD of the launch party to her last tour, Body Language Live: Album Launch live at the London Apollo.
The modern-day Kylie show is a Cirque de Soleil act set to music.
The 110-minute "Body" concert has four "acts" filled with delightful distraction: Paris By Night, Bordello, Electro and On Yer Bike. Lightning strikes and an Eiffel Tower are the eye-opening backdrop, later geometric shapes and 30-foot pictures of Minogue, looking like Deee-Lite's Lady Miss Kier, create the scene.
"Still Standing" starts off the seven of 14 tracks on the "Body Language" CD, an "I've returned" testament at the time - and a song that, no doubt, will be engulfed by crowd noise when she resumes her tour.
"Red-Blooded Woman" sees Kylie in black and white-striped Frenchie shirt, surrounded by gals and guys in lingerie. With red "Phantom ..." masks and 80s-style severe Marc Almond and early Depeche Mode hair. The dancers look pretty ... unattractive. Twisted, unnatural poses pile on each other. I can't believe man or woman enjoys this. Luckily there's Kylie to focus on and it was cool how the song echoed "Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round," like a record baby.
Then there's my mind sayin' think before you go,
through that door it could lead you nowhere, (This guy)
Has got you all romantic, crazy in your head
Do you think I'd listen, no I don't care,
Cause I can't focus I can't stop,
You got me spinning round,
round, round, round (Like a record),
I can't focus it's too hot inside,
You'll never get to Heaven
if you're scared of getting high,
She's not referring to drugs.
The high-contrast visuals continue with "On a Night Like This." It's all quite striking, but a lot is overblown. Perhaps so the in-house audience can see the bold strokes. At the start of "Breathe / Je T'aime" a black woman rolls to the middle of the stage and stops, though there appears to be no reason. At the end, the refrain "It won't be long now, breathe," made me wonder if childbirth was the inspiration.
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
Since it was already late, it's still worth digitally replicating this post over at Advance.net, a place affiliated with about 10 newspapers around the country.
One such site is here.
Also please let your contact know, if you had one, that this article, is published at one more place. That helps to show they get two?, three? for the "price" of one.
Delayed much in the transfer? Yep.