Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour

Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour was the ninth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. Minogue was originally scheduled to perform in Australia and Asia during Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour in 2005, but she was forced to cancel the tour when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.^[2]

Minogue resumed the tour on 11 November 2006, performing at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, with a new set list and costumes. The dance routines from Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour were reworked to accommodate her medical condition and longer breaks were also introduced between sections of the show to conserve her strength.^[3]

Critical reception

Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour received positive reviews from critics. Christine Sams in a review for The Sydney Morning Herald described the show as an "extravaganza" and wrote that it was "nothing less than a triumph".^[3] The Age's Patrick Donovan wrote that Minogue "looked fit and healthy and was in good voice". He also wrote that she was "at her best prowling the stage in a catsuit, playing up to the crowd".^[4] CBBC Newsround described the tour as the "perfect comeback" due to its "range of songs, excellent dancers, stage lighting and Kylie's love of performing".^[5]

Broadcasts and recordings

Minogue performance in Melbourne, Australia on 11 December 2006 was filmed for television and DVD release. The concert premiered on 13 January 2007 in the United Kingdom on Channel 4.^[6] On 4 March 2007, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation broadcast the performance without commercial interruptions.^[7] The concert was released to DVD on 10 December 2007 as a double disc set with Minogue's documentary film White Diamond.^[8]

Minogue's second Australian concert in Sydney on 12 November 2006 was recorded and released as a live album in January 2007. Showgirl Homecoming Live featured a guest appearance by U2 lead singer Bono on the song "Kids". The album reached number seven on the UK Albums Chart and was certified silver.^[9][10]

Concert Synopsis

Across the tour, each show was split into seven acts with the addition of an encore.

The show opens with an instrumental introduction, dubbed the "Showgirl Theme Song" that features writing on the video screen introducing Kylie. Kylie then rises out of the stage on a platform dressed in a pink showgirl outfit. She opens the show with "Better the Devil You Know", which is quickly followed by a performance of "In Your Eyes". After addressing the audience, Minogue introduced and sang previously unreleased song "White Diamond". Minogue then performed "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, Everything Taboo, 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 one-verse-one-chorus performance of "What Do I Have to Do", which is followed by another segue using an excerpt of "Over Dreaming (Over You)" and then a performance of "Spinning Around" (sampling the instrumentatal 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, "Samsara" begins with a dance interlude dubbed the "Temple Prequel", followed by a performance of "Confide in Me", where the dancers treat Minogue as if she were a puppet. This is quickly followed by a performance of "Cowboy Style", which is followeed by a small interlude of "Finer Feelings", where the backing vocalists sing whilst Minogue performs a dance; this is then followed by a performance of "Too Far".

The fourth act, Athletica begins with a dance interlude of the Sandstorm Dub of "Butterfly", where acrobat Terry Kvasnik dances round the stage; after this, the same version of "Red Blooded Woman" is performed, still using the excerpt of "Where the Wild Roses Grow", Minogue this time rising atop a pommel horse in a leopard onesie. Minogue then performed her 2003 single "Slow", which was followed by a performance of "Kids". On one occasion, Minogue performed with "U2" front man "Bono", and on another, with her sister "Dannii"

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 performed a shortened version "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".

Pop Paradiso opens with an interlude of Minogue's song "Burning Up", mashed with Madonna's "Vogue". She then goes on to perform a jazz version of "The Locomotion" which is followed by a performance of "I Should Be So Lucky", which samples "The Only Way Is Up". Minogue closed the section with a remix of "Hand on Your Heart"

The penultimate section, "Dance of the Cybermen" opens with a remix of "Can't Get You Out Of My Head", leading into the countdown of "Light Years"; this version of the song is mashed up with Minogue's PWL song "Turn It into Love".

Minogue then performed a two-song encore, performing a sing-a-long version of "Especially For You", inviting the audience 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.

Set list

Act 1: Homecoming

1. "Showgirl Theme" (Instrumental Introduction)
2. "Better the Devil You Know"
3. "In Your Eyes"
4. "White Diamond"
5. "On a Night Like This"

Act 2: Everything Taboo

6. "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)")
7. "What Do I Have to Do?" (contains excerpt from "I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)")
8. "Spinning Around" (contains excerpts from "Step Back in Time" along with elements of "Finally", and "Such a Good Feeling")

Act 3: Samsara

9. "Temple Prequel" (Video and Dance Interlude)
10. "Confide in Me"
11. "Cowboy Style"
12. "Finer Feelings" (performed by backing vocalists)
13. "Too Far"

Act 4: Athletica

14. "Butterfly" (Sandstorm Dub Interlude) (Dance Interlude)
15. "Red Blooded Woman" (contains excerpts from "Where the Wild Roses Grow")
16. "Slow"
17. "Kids"

Act 5: Dreams

18. "Rainbow Prequel" (Video Interlude)
19. "Over the Rainbow"
20. "Come into My World"
21. "Chocolate"
22. "I Believe in You"
23. "Dreams" (contains excerpts from "When You Wish upon a Star")

Act 6: Pop Paradiso

24. "Burning Up" / "Vogue"
25. "The Locomotion"
26. "I Should Be So Lucky" (contains excerpts from "The Only Way Is Up")
27. "Hand on Your Heart"

Act 7: Dance of the Cybermen

28. "Space Prequel" (Instrumental Interlude)
29. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (contains excerpts from "Rise of the Cybermen" along with elements of the "Doctor Who Theme")
30. "Light Years"(contains excerpts from "Turn It Into Love" along with elements of the TARDIS dematerializing)

Encore

31. "Especially For You"
32. "Love at First Sight"

Tour dates

Show cancellations

On 13 January 2007 at the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England, Minogue was forced to end her concert after performing for an hour due to illness. Minogue's spokesman later confirmed that she had been diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection.^[13] Two additional scheduled performances at the Manchester Evening News Arena were postponed and rescheduled at the end of January 2007.^[14]

Box office score data

Personnel

References

External links

• Kylie's Official Site
• "2006/2007 Showgirl – Homecoming Tour"