4 days ago
Kylie Minogue was my first CD - seeing her perform was not what I expected
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As per her 2007 hit: 'Wow, wow, wow, wow.'
Kylie Minogue is not consigned to the past, even if it is nearing four decades since her breakout 80s track, The Loco-Motion.
Alongside – oddly – Elvis Presley, Kylie's 2001 album Fever, with Love At First Sight, In Your Eyes and Can't Get You Out Of My Head, was my first CD. Experiencing her live over 20 years on was an experience I will never forget, and one I was not expecting.
I thought seeing Kylie would simply be a warm, familiar burst of sunny nostalgia all these years on, but she was everything and more, with outfit changes galore, whiplash dance moves, and a voice that never, ever falters.
In 2025, the 57-year-old is past, present and future. She is a chart-topping discography of pop, disco and even country-inspired bangers dating back to before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Right now, Kylie is the only solo female artist to have performed over 21 times at the O2, as she explained last night, while clutching her chest, shaking her head and wiping away tears.
But Kylie is also the future. She's spearheading the LGBT+ music scene, with album Tension, from which her global mega-hit Padam, Padam was born. It was clear last night that she's a modern day icon as much as an 80s, 90s, or 00s one, with dramatic cries of 'Mother!' audible from youngsters in the crowd.
Cultural relevance partied alongside nostalgia, with fans desperately waving signs to signify it was their 50th and 80th Kylie show, demonstrating just how multifaceted her influence is. This unusual melting pot of fans made for one hell of an atmosphere.
Come Into My World cut through beaty pop hits like Get Outta My Way with a 90s trance-like romance, while Better the Devil You Know united 20,000 strangers into one huge hug of a party, everyone safe in Kylie's experienced arms.
At no point did Kylie stumble, misstep, or sing a dud note. She was spectacular and heartfelt from start to finish. Kylie has so much love for fans that she sang three mini-songs acapella at their request – Hand on Your Heart, Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi and Midnight Ride. More Trending
A highlight was Dancing, her 2018 track which veers mysteriously into country and got the audience swaying and toe-tapping in unison. When Kylie stripped things back for an acoustic version of Say Something, with all the fuss of lights, synthy beats and dancers gone, like a true professional megastar, she shone.
After a sultry, dimly-lit and powerful turn in Slow, the last three songs of the show were unbridled euphoria. All The Lovers was a floaty, enchanting pop explosion and the highlight of the evening, before Padam Padam saw Mother enter the room.
I looked around the O2 during the closing song of the evening, Love at First Sight, and all I saw was pits-in-the-air jubilation. That's the feeling Kylie gave me when I was six, and one she's still conjuring over 20 years later.
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