Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour

Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour

Tour by Kylie Minogue
Promotional poster for tour
Associated album	Ultimate Kylie
Start date	19 March 2005
End date	7 May 2005
Legs	1
No. of shows	37 in Europe
Box office	US$19.97 million
Kylie Minogue concert chronology

Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour was the eighth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. The tour was launched in support of her ninth greatest hits compilation, Ultimate Kylie. Beginning March 2005, over 30 concerts were performed in Europe.

Performances in the United Kingdom grossed nearly $20 million^[1] and at the conclusion of 2005, it placed 46th on Pollstar's 2005 "Top 100 Worldwide Tours" having sold 339,105 tickets throughout the year.^[2]

Minogue was originally scheduled to perform in Australia and Asia during the tour, but she was forced to cancel the tour when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.^[3] She resumed the tour – renamed Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour – on 11 November 2006, performing at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, with a revised set list and new costumes.^[4]

Background

On 24 October 2004, it was announced that Minogue would go on tour to promote her compilation album Ultimate Kylie.^[5] Minogue described the tour as "a celebration of pop songs and my career, but also a long-term relationship with my audience".^[6]

The tour was set to visit both Australia and Asia in May and June of 2005, with a further 35 shows scheduled for performance; once the European leg had finished, Minogue made the journey to Australia where she was diagnosed with breast cancer just two days before the first show; henceforth, the shows were cancelled. The shows in Australia were rescheduled for November in the following year under the new title of "Homecoming" and the Asian dates never came to fruition.

Minogue was also scheduled to be the first female to headline Glastonbury Festival since 1999 in June of 2005 but was subsequently forced to withdraw; her slot was filled by Basement Jaxx, who performed "Can't Get You Out of My Head" in honour of Minogue.

There were originally plans to record the show on Minogue's birthday at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena but plans had to be cancelled after her breast cancer diagnosis. The show was later released on DVD by using a recording at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre that was meant to be used for UK TV broadcast only.

Concert synopsis

The show was split into seven acts, being them Showgirl, Smiley Kylie, Denial, What Kylie Wants, Kylie Gets, Dreams, Kyliesque, Minx in Space, with the addition of an encore. The show opens with an instrumental introduction that features writing on the video screen introducing Minogue. She then rises out of the stage on a platform dressed in a blue showgirl outfit. She begins singing "Better the Devil You Know", which is quickly followed by performances of "In Your Eyes" and "Giving You Up". Minogue then performs "On a Night Like This", which begins in the style of a ballad, before resuming with the original after the first chorus. The ending is in the same style as the beginning of the song, where Minogue is taken below the stage, closing the section. The second section begins with a dance interlude, that uses excerpts of "Shocked" and "Do You Dare?", before Minogue rises out of the centre of the stage as the DNA intro of "Shocked" is heard. She sings up to the middle eight, before a short segue is played using excerpts of "It's No Secret", "Keep on Pumpin' It", "Give Me Just a Little More Time" and "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)", which leads into a two-verse-two-chorus performance of "What Do I Have to Do", which is succeeded by another segue using an excerpt of "Over Dreaming (Over You)" and then a performance of "Spinning Around" (sampling the instrumentation of "Finally"), which is followed by a dance interlude after the middle eight using excerpts of "Step Back in Time" and "Such a Good Feeling". The third section begins with a performance of "In Denial", a virtual duet with Neil Tennant. This is followed by a performance of "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi", before Minogue closes the act with a performance of "Confide in Me".

The fourth act begins with a spraying sound effect during which fake showers and gym equipment rises onto the stage, before Minogue appears on a box singing "Red Blooded Woman" which features a chorus of "Where the Wild Roses Grow" before the middle eight. Minogue then performs "Slow" which is followed by a small flamenco interlude which precedes a performance of "Please Stay". The fifth section begins with a cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" where Minogue rises from behind the stage on a sequined moon. This is then followed by a torch version of "Come into My World". Minogue then performs "Chocolate" on the stage, which morphs at the end of the catwalk to form a "cake", from which Minogue performs "I Believe in You". The act closes with a performance of "Dreams". The sixth section opens with a performance of "Hand on Your Heart", where Minogue emerges on stage in front of a big heart. She then goes on to perform a jazz version of "The Locomotion" which is followed by a performance of "I Should Be So Lucky". Minogue then closes the act with a performance of "Your Disco Needs You". The penultimate section opens with a performance version of "Put Yourself in My Place", and a performance of "Can't Get You Out of My Head" closes the main body of the show. Minogue then performed a two-song encore, talking to the audience before performing a sing-a-long version of "Especially for You", with the audience invited to sing Jason Donovan's part. Minogue then closed the show with a performance of "Love at First Sight", with a video montage of her career shown on the video screens behind her.

Opening act

• Melody Club^[7]

Setlist

Act 1: Showgirl

1. "Overture" / "Better the Devil You Know"
2. "In Your Eyes"
3. "Giving You Up"
4. "On a Night Like This"

Act 2: Smiley Kylie

5. "Shocked" (contains excerpts from: "Do You Dare?", "It's No Secret", "Give Me Just A Little More Time", "Keep on Pumpin' It" and "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)")
6. "What Do I Have to Do" (contains excerpt from "I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)")
7. "Spinning Around" (contains excerpts from "Step Back in Time" along with elements of "Finally", and "Such a Good Feeling")

Act 3: Denial

8. "In Denial" (virtual duet with Neil Tennant)
9. "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi"
10. "Confide in Me"

Act 4: What Kylie Wants, Kylie Gets

11. "Red Blooded Woman" / "Where the Wild Roses Grow"
12. "Slow"
13. "Please Stay"

Act 5: Dreams

14. "Over the Rainbow" / "Come into My World"
15. "Chocolate"
16. "I Believe in You"
17. "Dreams"

Act 6: Kylesque

18. "Hand on Your Heart"
19. "The Loco-Motion"
20. "I Should Be So Lucky"
21. "Your Disco Needs You"

Act 7: Minx in Space

22. "Put Yourself in My Place"
23. "Can't Get You Out of My Head"

Encore

24. "Especially for You"
25. "Love at First Sight"

Tour dates

Cancelled shows

Broadcasts and recordings

Minogue performance in London, England on 6 May 2005 was filmed for TV broadcast and DVD release. The performance was released on DVD and Universal Media Disc on 28 November 2005. The DVD also featured "Behind the Feathers", a documentary, screensavers and exclusive photographs.^[10]

The DVD reached number twenty-six on Australia's End of the Year Music DVD Chart in 2005.^[11] It was certified platinum in the UK in 2005 and four times platinum in Australia in 2006.^[12][13] Kylie Showgirl was nominated for "Best Music DVD" at the 2006 ARIA Music Awards, losing to Eskimo Joe.^[14]

On 12 December 2005, Minogue released a digital EP featuring eight songs recorded in London, England during the Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour.^[15]

Personnel

• Russel Thomas – director
• Bill Lord – executive producer
• Kylie Minogue – executive producer
• Terry Blamey – executive producer
• William Baker – creative director
• Alan MacDonald – creative director
• Steve Anderson – musical producer
• Sean Fitzpatrick – tour manager
• Michael Rooney – choreography
• Rafael Bonachela – choreography
• John Galliano – costume design
• Karl Lagerfeld – costume design
• Julien Macdonald – costume design
• Ed Meadham – costume design
• Gareth Pugh – costume design
• Manolo Blahnik – shoes
• Bvlgari – jewelry
• Stephen Jones – millinery
• Karen Alder – hair stylist

See also

• "2005 Showgirl – The Greatest Hits Tour"
• SHOWGIRL 2005
• Kylie Minogue SHOW GIRL the Greatest Hits tour – 2005

External links

• Kylie's Official Site

References