Kylie delights Newcastle after six year wait

Jul 21 2008 by Sam Wonfor, The Journal

TALK about your cups runneth over – Kylie fans last night saw the pocket-sized pop princess touch down for the first of four dates with her North-East fan club.

And although my experience in this area isn’t extensive, I’d wager that first dates don’t come much better.

It had been more than six years since everyone’s favourite mini-diva had thrilled a sell-out crowd at the Metro Radio Arena… and as we waited for what was behind the giant, Kylie-emblazoned purple curtain to be revealed, it was clear they were more than ready to be Wow-wow-wow-wowed all over again.

And Ms Minogue couldn’t have been happier to oblige with great big sequin-clad bells on.

From the moment she made her glittering entrance – draped in a purple evening gown in the centre of a golden ring suspended above the stage (your typical understated arrival!) she provided the lovestruck crowd with exactly what they came for: pure, unadulterated, no strings (but plenty of shiny things) pop.

And it was all performed flawlessly by a lady who seems to be enjoying what she does more than she ever has. As expected, there were many songs from her latest (and 10th) album, X.

Wow, 2 Hearts and Speakerphone being three, but there was also a bucketload of brilliant pop classics from her 20-year-spanning back catalogue. Spinning Around, Shocked, Confide In Me, I Believe In You, Slow and Can’t Get You Out of My Head are a few examples to get you humming.

Kylie – or the people’s Madonna as I’ve often thought of her – has mastered the art of reinventing herself to suit the mood and didn’t disappoint throughout proceedings.

A plethora of alter-egos were relentlessly paraded – feeding the fashionista appetites of the crowd… and then giving them seconds.

We had elegant Kylie, military-style Kylie, sailor girl Kylie, Copacabana Kylie, cheerleading Kylie, Jodhpur-clad Kylie, Geisha Kylie and rocker Kylie. And all this is to say nothing of the countless styles which flashed on the screens behind.

The set incorporated more screen square footage than Kylie could have shaken her perfectly formed bottom at, and provided a blank canvas which was used to stunning effect.

From 70s discos and football pitches to Geisha girl’s bedrooms and elegant ballrooms, each segment of the two-hour show had clearly been meticulously created for our enjoyment… and the cheers as we said goodnight would have doubtless sent the 40-year-old to her North-East hotel bed with that famous smile all over her face.