KylieX2008 was the tenth concert tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, in support of her tenth studio album, X (2007). The tour began on 6 May 2008 in Paris, France, and concluded on 22 December 2008 in Melbourne, Australia; comprising 74 shows. It was notable for marking Minogue's first concerts in various countries, including the Middle East and South America. In 2009, both Billboard and Pollstar confirmed that KylieX2008 generated an estimated US$70m in ticket sales.
Background After months of speculation it was announced through Kylie's official website that "KylieX2008" would commence in Paris, traveling internationally.
By way of introduction, Minogue stated:
While rehearsing for the tour, Minogue released several behind-the-scenes videos on her website. Concurrently, she released "X" in the United States and filmed two music videos for the third single, "All I See" (including an acoustic rendition).
As the tour began to sell out all over Europe and the UK, many fans speculated that Minogue would bring her tour to Australia and Japan. While promoting her ITV special, The Kylie Show on "Sunrise", she stated: "I just want to have in my head more solidly what the tour will be and if I can manage what I have so far, I would love to come back [to Australia]". It was later revealed that Minogue would bring a limited number of shows to her home country, stating, "The reason I hadn't confirmed dates in Australia is I really didn't know what I was getting into [...] But now I know".
Following KylieX2008, Minogue toured North America for the first time with 2009's For You, For Me Tour.
Concert synopsis
As with the X album, the tour rippled the "new wave" theme, made popular in the '80s. The show was divided into seven acts along with an encore. Throughout the course of the tour the show evolved, with numerous changes and revisions.
The concert consisted of a high-tech three-tier stage. On the left and right, mini-stages were made available for the band and backing singers. The main stage was minimalist, with an illuminated video floor and huge moving video curtains as the backdrop. For performances in amphitheaters, open air venues and small arenas the illuminated floor and the lavish props were removed due to technical limitations.
Minogue described the show as being "a show within a show", stating that each act is dramatically different from one another. Minogue stated she was inspired by Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury. "I'm releasing my inner Freddie Mercury. It's hard to explain but parts of the show are so over the top. When I sing 'Your Disco Needs You', it's a real Freddie moment."
The first act Xlectro Static act opens the show with a futuristic video showing the outline of Minogue's face polarised in neon colours. The huge video curtains slide open to reveal Minogue perched in a giant hoop dressed in a 'spiderwoman' gown (the dress, however, changes as the tour reaches South America). On technically limited shows, the giant stereo speakers move to reveal Minogue. She performs "Speakerphone", "Can't Get You Out of My Head", an unreleased track entitled "Ruffle My Feathers" and "In Your Eyes".
The second act Cheer Squad opens with an homage to the Toni Basil hit "Mickey", with Kylie and her dancers appearing as American cheerleaders. Themed as a high-school pep rally, Minogue performs "Heart Beat Rock", "Wow" and "Shocked", the latter being reduced to a dance interlude at some dates.
The third act Beach Party this act is a rereading of the On a Night Like This tour. This act begins with "Loveboat" and continues with a cover of the Barry Manilow hit "Copacabana". On the opening night, "That's Why They Write Love Songs", a tribute to the many romantic show tunes of the 1940s and 1950s, is also performed. Kylie closes the act with "Spinning Around".
For the fourth act Xposed, Minogue is dressed as an 'erotic bellboy'. She appears on a gigantic skull suspended high above the stage performing "Like a Drug". The skull descends to the stage and Kylie goes on to perform "Slow", with excerpts of "Free" (from Intimate and Live), and "2 Hearts". The skull received a very positive reaction from the fans, and was replaced by a CG reproduction at the concerts it could not be featured due to stage limitations (this additional projection was not present before the South American leg).
The Asian-influenced fifth act Naughty Manga Girl sees Minogue emerging on stage in a pyramid which unfurls to reveal Kylie in an outfit inspired by Japanese manga, performing "Come into My World", "Nu-di-ty" and "Sensitized". This segment, which opens with a video of "Sometime Samurai", was completely cut from the technically limited concerts.
The show progresses to its sixth act Starry Nights, with Minogue appearing in a blue satin gown and premiering another new song, "Flower", she then performs a ballad version of "I Believe in You". The act ended with "Cosmic" on the initial dates, but this song was later dropped.
In the seventh act Black Versus White, Minogue appears as a tsar, performing "On a Night Like This", "Your Disco Needs You", "Kids", "Step Back in Time" and "In My Arms". The act begins with a black and white theme and progresses into colour.
Minogue re-emerges on stage in an evening suit to perform an encore. This began with "No More Rain" at all shows except in South America. There, it was removed from the set after the 1 November show for the remainder of that leg. Many songs were added and swapped around during this act including "The One", "Love at First Sight", "I Should Be So Lucky" and the acoustic rendition of "All I See". Starting during the South American leg, "Better the Devil You Know" was performed. For the first two performances in South America only, "Somewhere" was performed, a song from the musical West Side Story.
Critical reception The tour received excellent reviews from many critics throughout the UK and Europe. Many called it Minogue's best tour to date. The tour generally sold well throughout Europe and has been seen as a major success. Due to large public demand, several additional dates were slowly added since the tour announcement. Tickets for the original eight shows of the UK leg sold-out in just thirty minutes, and Minogue went on to sell tickets for more than twenty-five shows in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The six shows at the Manchester Evening News Arena made Minogue the all-time most-featured artist at the venue. The UK leg of the tour grossed over US$26,000,000, with Minogue performing to around 300,000 spectators in total.
Broadcasts and recordings
KylieX2008 premiered on the launch night of 4Music channel in 15 August 2008. The concert was one of the first broadcast on the new station. It was later shown on Channel 4. In October 2008, it was revealed that FremantleMedia would release a DVD entitled KylieX2008. The disc features the full length concert along with a photo gallery and screen projections. It was released in the United Kingdom and Australia on 1 December 2008. A later release on Blu-ray followed.
Set list This set list represents the 2 August 2008 concert in London, England.
Act 1: Xlectro Static "Speakerphone" "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Greg Kurstin Remix) (contains an excerpt from "Boombox" and elements of "Blue Monday") "Ruffle My Feathers" "In Your Eyes" Act 2: Cheer Squad "Heart Beat Rock" (contains elements of "Mickey") "Wow" "Shocked" (DNA Mix) Act 3: Beach Party "Loveboat" (contains elements of "The Love Boat") "Copacabana" "Spinning Around" (contains elements of "Got to be Real") Act 4: Xposed "Like a Drug" "Slow" (with excerpts from "Free") "2 Hearts" Act 5: Naughty Manga Girl "Sometime Samurai" (Video Interlude) (contains elements of "German Bold Italic") "Come into My World" (Fischerspooner Mix) (contains elements of "Finer Feelings" and "Dreams") "Nu-di-ty" "Sensitized" Act 6: Starry Nights "Flower" "I Believe in You" Act 7: Black Versus White "On a Night Like This" "Your Disco Needs You" "Kids" "Step Back in Time" "In My Arms" Encore "No More Rain" "The One" (Freemasons Remix) "Love at First Sight" (Ruff and Jam U.S. Remix) "I Should Be So Lucky"
Tour dates +List of 2008 concertsDate (2008)CityCountryVenue6 MayParisFrancePalais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy7 MayAntwerpBelgiumSportpaleis9 MayStuttgartGermanyHanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle10 MayFrankfurtFesthalle Frankfurt12 MayPragueCzech RepublicO2 Arena14 MayViennaAustriaWiener Stadthalle15 MayBudapestHungaryLászló Papp Budapest Sports Arena17 MayBucharestRomaniaStadionul Cotroceni18 MaySofiaBulgariaLokomotiv Stadium20 MayIstanbulTurkeyTurkcell Kuruçeşme Arena22 MayAthensGreeceTerra Vibe Park25 MayZürichSwitzerlandHallenstadion27 MayCologneGermanyKölnarena29 MayMunichOlympiahalle30 MayGenevaSwitzerlandSEG Geneva Arena1 JuneLyonFranceHalle Tony Garnier3 JuneMadridSpainPalacio de Deportes5 JuneEsch-sur-AlzetteLuxembourgRockhal7 JuneHamburgGermanyColor Line Arena8 JuneCopenhagenDenmarkForum Copenhagen10 JuneOsloNorwayOslo Spektrum11 JuneStockholmSwedenStockholm Globe Arena13 JuneHelsinkiFinlandHartwall Areena16 JuneMoscowRussiaOlimpiyskiy18 JuneSt. PetersburgIce Palace20 JuneRigaLatviaArena Riga22 JuneBerlinGermanyVelodrom23 JuneRotterdamNetherlandsRotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis26 JuneBelfastNorthern IrelandOdyssey Arena27 June29 June30 June5 JulyGlasgowScotlandSECC Concert Hall 46 July8 July9 July11 JulyManchesterEnglandManchester Evening News Arena12 July14 July15 July17 July18 July20 JulyNewcastleMetro Radio Arena21 July23 July24 July26 JulyLondonThe O2 Arena27 July29 July30 July1 August2 August4 August1 NovemberTocancipáColombiaParque Jaime Duque4 NovemberCaracasVenezuelaPoliedro de Caracas6 NovemberLimaPeruExplanada Del Monumental8 NovemberSão PauloBrazilCredicard Hall13 NovemberSantiagoChilePista Atlética del Estadio Nacional15 NovemberBuenos AiresArgentinaEstadio G.E.B.A.21 NovemberDubaiUnited Arab EmiratesDubai Festival City Concert Area23 NovemberBangkokThailandImpact Arena25 NovemberSingaporeSingapore Indoor Stadium27 NovemberHong KongAsiaWorld–Arena29 NovemberShanghaiChinaHongkou Stadium1 DecemberBeijingBeijing Workers' Gymnasium4 DecemberTaipeiTaiwanZhongshan Soccer Stadium8 DecemberAucklandNew ZealandVector Arena9 December14 DecemberSydneyAustraliaAcer Arena16 December17 December19 DecemberMelbourneRod Laver Arena20 December22 December
Box office score data +List of 2008 concerts showing, venue, city, tickets sold, number of available tickets and gross revenueEuropean box scores:
Paris, Antwerp, Prague and Moscow: Belfast: Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and London: South American box scores:
Bogotá and Caracas: São Paulo: Asian box scores:
Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong: Australasian box scores:
Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne: VenueCityAttendanceRevenuePalais Omnisports de Paris-BercyParis17,008 / 17,008$1,001,035SportpaleisAntwerp15,613 / 15,719$996,383O2 ArenaPrague17,853 / 17,853$877,906OlimpiyskiyMoscow15,900 / 15,900$904,472Odyssey ArenaBelfast37,536 / 37,536$3,549,422SECC Concert Hall 4Glasgow31,080 / 31,080$2,980,262Manchester Evening News ArenaManchester75,972 / 75,972$7,268,153Metro Radio ArenaNewcastle35,812 / 35,812$3,116,320The O2 ArenaLondon116,375 / 116,375$9,881,561Parque Jaime DuqueTocancipá6,023 / 7,870$833,088Poliedro de CaracasCaracas4,226 / 7,000$814,912Credicard HallSão Paulo5,082 / 6,938$258,062Impact ArenaBangkok11,250 / 12,900$1,504,472Singapore Indoor StadiumSingapore7,259 / 10,599$1,043,518AsiaWorld–ArenaHong Kong8,798 / 10,598$1,070,819Vector ArenaAuckland19,800 / 19,800$1,187,399Acer ArenaSydney51,462 / 51,462$4,194,452Rod Laver ArenaMelbourne36,000 / 36,000$2,639,829Total513,049 / 526,422 (97%)$44,122,065
Personnel Adapted from the KylieX2008 credits.
Performers
Sarah deCourcy – keyboards Matt Racher – drums Jenni Tarma – bass Adrian Eccleston – guitar Barnaby Dickinson – brass Graeme Blevins – brass Graeme Flowers – brass Dawn Joseph – backing vocals