Kylie Minogue is well known for delivering amazing live moments to the audience while touring. Aside of Michael Jackson and Madonna, Kylie is doubtless a pop act that pop lovers should not miss live. With a catalogue of 18 tours (this includes her Christmas gig at Albert Royal Hall), this ranking will cover her top 10 best tours to date.
#10 – Anti-Tour (2012)
On this tour, Minogue proved she doesn’t need a big production nor hits (!) to deliver a great performance and wow her audiences. This short tour setlist was based on her b-sides, album fillers and rare tracks. The Australian popstar just used her energy, her amazing band and her sharp vocals to sound and look like a real rockstar throughout 2 hours of concert. Definitely, this is a favorite gig for a lot of her fans.
#9 – Intimate & Live Tour (1998)
After several accusations of not being a real singer, Minogue put together this amazing gem late 90’s. Intimate & Live was simple, glittery and incredibly energetic. The low budget that could only cover a band, some simple props and 2 dancers allowed the artist to get focused on her voice and connect to the audience. Minogue knew how to balance her indie and pop styles. The reinvented versions of her major hits are certainly unforgettable. This is also the tour that Kylie introduced one of her most iconic characters, the classic cabaret showgirl.
#8 – Fever2002 Tour (2002)
2002 was definitely her year. The album “Fever” conquered the world and it is her most successful album yet. Minogue had a big responsibility on her hands, develop an A show in terms of production scale that would represent all of the futuristic concept of that era. The “Fever2002 Tour” was a huge technological spectacle that counted with “flying” dancers, 5 screen projections and an incredible entrance. Kylie hit the stage trapped inside of a robot automated suit. Once released from the robotic equipment, the queen was ready to own the party.
#7 – On A Night Like This Tour (2001)
With the commercial success of her pop comeback album “Light Years”, Minogue was ready for a new show. This time the expectation for her live return was purely campy-disco-Kylie, and that was exactly was she delivered during those nights. This low budget tour was super campy, incredibly energetic and fantastically fun! No screen projections, no huge technology but lots of dance numbers, strong choreography, set changes and a big entrance. That was probably the first big entrance she put together for a show. She simply descended from the top of the stage over a crystal anchor at her opening act. Iconic!
#6 – Showgirl Homecoming Tour (2006)
After a career interval dedicated to a cancer treatment, Kylie was back to show to her fans that she was ready for the road again. This was her most sentimental concert yet. The popstar was not scared to show the weight gain, the hair loss or any other consequence of the treatment. “Homecoming” was a reference to her home country, Australia, and her second home, the stage. Feathers, lasers and lots of hits gave to the crowds an unforgettable experience. She was not physically strong for complex dance numbers, but her spirit’s strength and will to do the shows outshined any negative point.
#5 – Kiss Me Once Tour (2014)
It is quite easy to develop a big spectacle when the show supports a successful album, but Kylie proved with “Kiss Me Once Tour” that she doesn’t need a hit to prepare an extravaganza. The album “Kiss Me Once” was one of the biggest flops of her career but the tour was different. Minogue was never seen as sexy as she was in this gig. Prepared by the company Pull the Pin Out, the stage combined a huge screen, a 3 Dimensional led structure and a lighting system that was simply the best that she’s ever got.
#4 – The Golden Tour (2018)
To celebrate her 50 years in this planet and support her country-pop #1 album “Golden”, Minogue went to the road again with the amazing and mature “Golden Tour”. Despite of the gigantic cubicle screens, several disco balls, a fantastic laser show and a stage covered by golden glitter, the focus of this gig was the tiny lady, not the production. Kylie’s vocals were superb and she danced better than she did in years. The atmosphere was a bit intimate despite of the scale of the tour, that was quite big. The “g” shaped stage gave to Kylie the chance to sing closer to her fans whenever she was positioned at the end of the catwalk. There was also a narrative in this show, a storyline. The screen projections and live performance were in perfect synchronism at several moments. It was the tale of a girl that decided to escape from her reality for a day, receiving an awakening call from life and ending up in a celebration in a huge disco party under a rain of glitter (yes, she did make rain glitter!).
#3 – X2008 Tour (2008)
This was without a doubt a huge showcase of modern technology. To support her comeback album “X”, Kylie put together a show that would mesmerize viewers from different angles in the arenas. The whole stage was made of different video systems, which included the floor as well. It was so beautiful seeing the Australian singing and dancing over amazing projections. “X2008” was a creative journey through different places, scenarios, universes, where audiences would find difficult to predict what would come next. The most iconic moments of the show were the opening act, the crystal pyramid in “Come Into My World” and the dark performance of “Like A Drug”, executed over a huge “flying” crystal skull.
#2 – Showgirl – The Greatest Hits Tour (2005)
Before “Homecoming” there was an original “Showgirl Tour”, and unfortunately that gig was cancelled due the fact Kylie discovered a breast cancer that needed immediate attention and treatment. This original show was her first celebration of her career. The setlist was a massive mix of her biggest hits. Besides of Kylie, who was beautiful as a classic cabaret showgirl, what really shined bright on this tour was the stage. That was the moment Kylie topped Madonna or any other pop artist in terms of production. The stage was shaped in different geometric forms supported by a moving lighting structure. All of the beautiful tiny pieces of the lighting system could go up and down and even incline to different positions along the show. Minogue kept singing live throughout the spectacle regardless of the weight of her elaborate costumes. “Showgirl” was remarkable for her career. That was the moment that Kylie claimed her crown as the queen of live concerts.
#1- Aphrodite Les Folies Tour (2011)
The “Aphrodite” album is for a lot of fans her best work yet. The reception to the songs was so positive that Minogue did not think twice on putting her biggest tour on the road to promote the era. This gigantic production costed USD 25 Million Dollars (2 times more expensive than the X2008 Tour), being one of the most expensive music concerts ever made. What makes this tour so rich? Well, “Les Folies” counted with a massive stage, a great lighting system, a special structure for aerial performances, a piece called “the rose” that could spin and elevate Kylie and her dancers to a considerable height, water fountains and a pool, yes a POOL! The show was very minimalistic. Kylie did not save a penny on hiring the best equipments and a huge team of dancers and acrobats. Several different companies worked together to make this tour a reality. The water show was handled by a company that serves many Disney parks; the aerial structure was designed by the same production company that supplied the Spider Man Broadway show and the flooring was produced by a car company. It was made of the same material that tires are made. They did not want Miss Minogue and her crew to slip on the floor.
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