1 week Ago By The Vancouver Sun
Australian dance pop diva Kylie Minogue made her Vancouver debut at the Pacific Coliseum when the Tension 2025 tour came to town. Based on the reaction from the packed house, this show was long overdue. From the opening lasers and pulsing dance beat that kicked off Lights Camera Action, the arena transformed into a club unlike any other.
It’s hard to believe that an artist as globally-beloved as Minogue, whose hit-laden career dates back to the late 1980s has never played here before. When she asked the audience how many of them were at their first Kylie concert, most of the house shouted out. It was pretty clear that a lot of fans have been eagerly awaiting the appearance.
They certainly got what they wanted in a 29 tune set list that went back as far as her 1989 breakout album Enjoy Yourself with her cover of Carol King’s the Loco-Motion right up to the breakaway banger Edge of Saturday Night (with the Blessed Madonna) from last year’s Tension II. That she touched on so many eras of her career pasted smiles on the faces of those folks who have followed her from day one right up to kids who probably just discovered her addictive blend of disco, EDM, nineties electro and even a country tune or two. Minogue’s set was about as close to pure pop perfection as an arena gig gets.
Broken down into five acts and a double encore, she was a non-stop ball of energy surrounded by towering dancers who shimmied, vogued and boogied with fluid motion that was often surprisingly relatable. There were plenty of people in the stands who could move in the same way and probably did later at a dance club. Because Minogue’s music is all about dancing.
Every song seems to build up to some perfectly crafted explosive release that just makes even the most reticent wallflower want to cut loose. The energy is infectious and blasted out in bold, brash strokes. Rather than the tendency toward grand statements of artistic complexity and moody lighting, Minogue’s shows are big, bright fun fests.
From strutting around in a blue latex catsuit that was a second skin to a purple silk mini-kimono and thigh-high black stiletto heeled boots, she was clearly having a good time interacting with the adoring crowd, as well as the dancers. At one point, when they paraded out onto the stage in giant inflatable alien balloon suits in an array of bright neon hues, the singer almost couldn’t keep a straight face. It wasn’t a gag, it was just a giggle.
One that worked perfectly, well positioned against the pristinely rendered music cranked out by a timepiece drummer, keyboardist, bassist, guitarist/keyboardist and a trio of golden-voiced backup singers. At one point, Minogue and the singers did a few a cappella versions of such hits as Where the Wild Roses gown, her duet with Nick Cave from his acclaimed Murder Ballads release, and the ballad Say Something. But these quieter moments were quickly pumped right backup with numbers ranging from Where Does the DJ Go? to the mega hit Can’t Get You Out of My Head.
The pacing was never anything short of exactly what the crowd came for, right up to the closing notes of the final number Love at First Sight. As people danced their way out of the stadium, it was pretty clear that it had been love at first listen long before most of the crowd got to see Minogue. There is no question that she will be welcomed back any time she wants to return.
This kind of positivity is in short supply and the world can always use more of it. What a great night of shiny, happy people and music. sderdeyn@postmedia.
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