How does one even begin to write about the best gig that has ever been, or will ever be? I may be prone to hyperbole (and might be slightly biased as a Kylie superfan) but that’s exactly how I feel right now. I feel like spending the day shaking and crying in a darkened room as surely nothing could reach those dizzying heights ever again?
Excitement had been building at fever pitch for me since tickets went on sale a couple of months back. I had my outfit sorted, the pinnacle of which was a custom made t shirt that actually featuring myself and the Queen of Everything on my left shoulder
*Correction* An as approved by Dannii Minogue designed t shirt.
Queen Minogue started her set in a festive fashion, with a selection of tracks from her new album Kylie Christmas; I have to say one of the highlights for me personally was her (w)rapping her way through a cover of The Waitresses Christmas Wrapping. I love it when Kylie raps! (see any live version of Shocked)
She also included her cover of Winter Wonderland which I like to think is a Minogue family favourite. A couple of years back on meeting Danielle Jane I informed her my ambition was to sing with a Minogue which she happily obliged. Despite it being mid November her song of choice was Winter Wonderland. Anyway *spoiler alert* more about baby sis Dannii later…
The first special guest appeared towards the end of Act One, when Chrissie Hynde joined Ms Minogue on stage for a duet 2000 Miles exclaiming “This is a dream come true!” Fun fact. When I was a child and I’d see Chrissie Hynde on the telly I thought she was my Mum as they have the same name (and hair do). Anyway, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t my Mum duetting with La Minogue last night.
Act Two kicked off with Kylie reemerging on the stage wearing a floor length gold sequin cape. I’ve seen enough pop spectaculars to know that cape wasn’t staying on for long… The song ended and, as suspected, Kylie whipped the cape off to reveal a sequinned red disco gown reminiscent of the one she recently wore for her performance of 100 Degrees on Australian X Factor. Could it be…. Could Dannii have trolled us all with her recent Twitter posts and could she have snuck on a Melbourne to London long haul flight… Sure enough the beats of the modern Christmas disco classic echoed around the Royal Albert Hall and before we knew it THERE SHE WAS! The siblings reunited live on stage. I don’t think I’ve ever heard an audience reaction that loud (except for perhaps Kylie’s first post cancer UK concert appearance which I was in attendance at); I personally felt like I burst a blood vessel by screeching so loudly.
When the song ended Kylie revealed that her very special guest had even been kept a secret from her parents and brother who were in the audience chuckling “It’s hard enough keeping one Minogue a secret, but imagine two of us!”.
Keeping the disco spirit alive Kylie trilled her way through some of her most popular uptempo hits Spinning Around and Your Disco Needs You before slowing things back down with Santa Baby (which has never been a favourite of mine – sorry Kylie!). However, all was redeemed when Queen Minogue showed JUST how magical she is by actually making it snow within the Royal Albert Hall. Strangely the song she chose to show off this feat was Let It Snow – move over Jesus!!
The next MAJOR highlight for me was the ballad version of I Believe In You which is in my top five Kylie songs ever. It’s normally magical enough but to hear it in such an illustrious setting with amazing acoustics and live orchestra is something that’ll stay with me for a long time. As if this wasn’t ethereal enough she wore an actual crown and long flowing white robes whilst mist circled around her perfectly formed ankles.
For her encore she sang Especially For You with the audience taking Jason’s part (I guess she didn’t want to parade Jason Donovan in front of new love Joshua Sasse); followed by a rousing rendition of I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday for which her younger sis bounced back on stage.
As if both singing Minogues on one stage wasn’t exciting enough, not content with making it snow Kylie Ann also made it rain balloons. Call the Met Office, our glorious leader has managed to invent a new form of weather!
Everything about this show was perfect. The setlist, the costumes, the dancing, the arrangements, the special guests (and lack of them *cough* James Corden), the audience reaction completely blew me away – it was truely faultless and something I won’t forget in a hurry. Kylie entered the stage as a princess, and left it (arm in arm with her new love) as the true Queen we know her be.
I wish it could be Kylie Christmas everyday (or year – PLEASE!!)
SETLIST
ACT 1
1. Itâs the Most Wonderful Time of The Year
2. Itâs Gonna Be Warm This Christmas
3. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
4. Oh Santa
5. Christmas Wrapping
6. Wow
7. Winter Wonderland
8. Everydayâs Like Christmas
9. Canât Get You Out Of My Head
10. 2000 Miles (ft Chrissie Hynde)
11. Christmas Isnât Christmas âTil You Get Here
ACT 2
12. On a Night Like This
13. 100 Degrees (ft Dannii Minogue)
14. Spinning Around
15. Your Disco Needs You
16. Santa Baby
17. Let It Snow
18. Jingle Bell Rock
19. 12 Days of Christmas (Acapella)
19. Locomotion (Abbey Road Version)
20. I Believe in You (Ballad Version)
21. Only You
22. Love at First Sight
23. All the Lovers
24. Celebration
ENCORE
25. Especially for You
26. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day (ft Dannii)
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