The Case for Stepping Back in Time

Normally during the week I head off and see a movie. This week, I did something a wee bit different, heading to Auckland to enjoy a concert, Kylie X.

It was a sold out event at the Vectra arena, the precipitous seating configuration not resulting in any injuries (to my knowledge) though my mastery over vertigo was sorely tested. We had very decent seats (with the ticket price to prove them) where, unfortunately, a stalactitie speaker stack hung directly between us and the stage, and one woman who refused to sit down blocked the giant TV screens that displayed Kylie's close up image.

The show started a bit late, perhaps necessitated by a slow-entering crowd, and got off to a wobbly start with a few less inspiring songs from her new album, and a completely underwhelming attempt at the Manilow classic "Copacabana" (Barry, you were sorely needed), until the more classic Kylie dance tracks were whipped up, remixed and belted out. Then the crowd really got excited.

For some reason, I was expecting a bit more of a floor show. The light and sound were amazing, but the dancers (while good) seemed hampered by the motorcycle helmets they wore for almost every song, and Kylie herself could hardly be expected to dance too much in any of the metre-high boots she wore.

But as her hits came out, albeit in an altered but recognisable form, and the new songs became more interspersed, things got good and poppy. There were one or two dallies back to Stock, Aitken, Waterman territory, though the final "I Should be so Lucky" was the only song to be dragged out of the 80s. But, for me, the simple, dance hits and the early 90s pop were the highlights, and the rearrangements were fun and didn't mess too much with the original flavour of the songs.

Verdict: Kylie provided a great night, with light, frothy songs and a stage show to match. 7 Singing Budgies out of 10.