Aphrodite Les Folies: London

Kylie arrives at the venue for her second of five London performances of the Aphrodite Les Folies Tour as fans send some love!...



Fan messages and some special behind the scenes moments from Kylie's final three shows of the European leg of the Aphrodite Les Folies Tour in London...





Kylie Minogue opened the final stage of the European leg of her 'Aphrodite: Les Folies' tour at London's O2 Arena on Thursday (7 April), her first night of five at the venue.

Complete with a hydraulic water fountain, a sexy Greek mythology theme merged weirdly with burlesque Paris and aerial dancers, Kylie's latest production is estimated to have cost a whopping $25 million, is said to feature over a million moving parts and is moved between venues by 100 people using 25 trucks.

Whatever the statistics, the result is a theatrical spectacular, but perhaps not as convincingly overwhelming a pop concert as staged by Lady Gaga or Madonna in the last two years or even her own Kylie X tour in 2008.

From start to finish (two hours late), Minogue meant (show)business, beginning by rising goddess-like out of the 'sea' in front of a Greek palace façade in a golden clam shell singing the title track from newest album 'Aphrodite'. The show ended with her standing atop a multi-layered revolving water fountain in a glittering D&G swimming cap for an incredible 'All the Lovers' finale. In between, the Australian former soap opera star made pop on a heaving grand scale look almost dazzlingly effortless -- if without a huge amount of substance.

In the scheme of a career spanning almost a quarter of a century, it's good to hear hits like 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head', 'Confide In Me,' and 'Love At First Sight' nestle in amongst the new Calvin Harris and Stuart Price-penned 'Aphrodite' tracks on the 24-strong set list whilst also embracing Stock, Aitken and Waterman oldies such as 'What Do I Have To Do' and 'Better The Devil You Know.'

An a cappella snippet of 'I Should Be So Lucky' brings the most audience interaction with en mass singing, yet it's illuminating that some of the most well received moments of the night come when Kylie sings curveball covers; first of the Eurhythmics ('There Must Be an Angel) to the angel prostrated up on aerial wires above the stage, and then a version of Prefab Sprout's 'If You Don't Love Me.'

Having already played several arena shows on this tour -- in Cardiff (two shows), Glasgow (three), Manchester (four), the UK tour production of 'Les Folies' is extremely slick. Minogue glides amongst the naked flesh of gilded Greek soldier dancers, trussed up can-can dancers and heaps of other dancers doing routines int their pants. The mixed-up themes are an odd combination -- some of the plumed dancing routines and holographic fabric clothing detracting slightly from the star herself -- but it all comes together well by the encore, when the much hyped water features simply blow the blustery bits of the rest of the show away.

The North American leg of the biggest Kylie tour to date -- renamed 'Aphrodite Live 2011' – begins in Montreal on 28 April and winds-up, more than befittingly, at Las Vegas' Colosseum concert venue at Caesar's Palace on 22 May.
by Farah Ishaq (aol music)







Now Playing...
What Do I Have to Do (Extended A by dj Marky Marc