Last night we were at the Manchester Evening News (MEN) Arena to see Kylie on her new ‘Aphrodite‘ Tour!
We were seated at one side of the auditorium with a great view of the stage, which consisted of a large area at one side where the musicians and the main stage were (complete with three large staircases) with two long catwalks coming off it leading to a central podium area almost at the centre of the arena. Inside these catwalks and between the two stages was the ‘Splash Zone’, a special standing area where the most committed fans (you’d have to be committed, in more ways than one, to pay £250 a ticket for the privilege!) were.
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| Photos by Alan Stonebridge |
We didn’t bother with the support act as Al said that they weren’t any good (!) so we took a leisurely tram ride over to the stadium to arrive at about 8pm to watch the fun start. With a DJ doing a short stint to warm up the crowd, Kylie soon emerged from the back of the stage nestled in the middle of a huge seashell, as the show starting on a very mythical note. Male dancers in leather gear were hauled up in nets from watery pools set just under the musicians, gyrating and twirling and spraying water everywhere, while female dancers posed as passive muses on the side sets of steps leading down to the main stage and harps magically appeared. The next scene featured shield-bearing Trojan warriors in a dance worshipping the ‘goddess’ Kylie as she descended the steps for her second number.
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| Photos by Alan Stonebridge |
After that there were a dizzying array of costume changes featuring what have to be the most spectacular costumes and dance routines that I’ve seen at a concert – nobody does this like Kylie. Every tour seems to get more and more outrageous and more and more extravagant! To just touch on some of the other highlights, there was a sequence where she mounted the back of a chariot and was led by straining dancers along the catwalks, an amazing routine with the girls dressed in waving feathers rotating around the centre of the stage as it tilted upwards, and even an angel descended from the rafters to carry her to the middle of the auditorium for a unique rendition of the Eurythmics hit, ‘There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)’.
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| Photos By Alan Stonebridge |
Most performers will use the encore to reprise some of the audience’s favourites from the show or include a few more classic numbers but not Kylie, as the show stepped up to an even higher gear for her last outing on the stage. This time the central podium extended into a wedding cake arrangement and water appeared around its base as the dancers launched into a Busby Berkeley-esque watery dance routine while magic fountains played up and down the catwalks, liberally drenching everyone in the standing area. Absolutely breathtaking, and quite a shock to some of the audience I’m sure – I hope no-one got pneumonia going home, as it wasn’t a very warm night!
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| Photos by Alan Stonebridge |
Like all of her previous shows, no doubt there’ll be an expertly crafted DVD due quite soon if you haven’t managed to secure tickets for the remaining shows in the States. You won’t believe your eyes when you see it – I still had my mouth open as we left last night!
About Pete Stean
