Minogue performing in Scotland at the SSE Hydro during the Golden Tour (2018–19)
Concert tours
19
Residencies
1
Since 1989, Australian singer Kylie Minogue has embarked on nineteen concert tours and held one Las Vegas concert residency. Minogue's first official live performance was in 1988 at Canton, a nightclub in Hong Kong.[1] The following year, she embarked on her first tour, which included performing in front of 38,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.[2]
Minogue's debut concert tour, where she joined other artists from the Pete Waterman Limited and sang a collection of eight songs to pre-recorded (live-over-audio) backing tracks, and was supported by four dancers. The costumes were designed by her mother.[6] The tour began with four shows in Japan, including one night at the Tokyo Dome, where she performed in front of 38,000 fans.[7][2] The ten dates UK were re-titled as The Hitman Roadshow.[6][8] Sponsored by Coca-Cola and local radio stations,[6][2] the free-entrance theatre tour attracted 170,000 fans.[6][9]
Enjoy Yourself Tour
3 February-26 May 1990
Enjoy Yourself
Australia, Asia and Europe
24
Minogue performed three shows in her native Australia in February 1990, grossing $3 million from 10,000 tickets per-show.[10] The tour was later extended to Europe and Southeast Asia in April and May.[10][11] Her performance in Birmingham, the first city of the European leg, attracted 12,700 fans at the Resorts World Arena.[2]
The Let's Get to It Tour visited Europe in October and November 1991.[14] It was an updated version of her Rhythm of Love Tour, featuring a new wardrobe by fashion designer John Galliano.[15]
Minogue's creative directors, William Baker and Steve Anderson, who were inexperienced with touring, decided to direct and promote this tour,[16] which played in multiple cities in Australia, in June and July 1998;[17] despite initial negotiations on not touring the UK, Minogue ultimately played three shows at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire, due to high demand.[16][18] The shows in Australia attracted over 10,000 fans.[19] Minogue intended to perform at smaller theatres in order to create a "personal" atmosphere between herself, the crew, and the fans.[20][21]
This tour was inspired by the glamour of Broadway and the musical films of the 20th century.[22] Minogue performed in Europe during March 2001, before she finished in Australia in April and May.[23] In the UK, the tour sold 140,000 tickets in one weekend.[24] In Australia, the tour was extended from 6 to 22 shows, including a record-breaking nine concerts at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.[25] It was the biggest tour by a solo artist in the country, at the time, grossing US$5 million from 200,000 tickets.[25]
Also called "The Fever Tour", this tour visited Europe and the UK from late April to June 2002[26][27]—it was Minogue's most theatrical production yet, with numerous elaborate sets, modern-style dancers, and costume changes.[28] In one song near the encore, "Burning Up", the singer appeared in a giant dress (standing on stilts), hiding her troupe of dancers whom eventually emerged. The costumes were designed exclusively for the singer by Dolce & Gabbana.[26] In her native Australia, Minogue performed limited shows in August, and only in Melbourne and Sydney.[26][29]
Minogue embarked on the Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour in March 2005.[30][31] The tour visited Europe before returning to the UK in April,[32] where the singer performed 23 sold-out shows at just four venues.[33][34] It featured an Art Deco-inspired stage (that cost US$2.5 million), with costumes inspired by Moulin Rouge and Vegas showgirls.[35] It was her most successful tour yet, at the time,[36] grossing nearly $20 million from 339,105 tickets.[37][34][38] In May 2005, Minogue cancelled the remaining shows, including the Australian and Asian legs, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.[39][a]
In November 2006, Minogue resumed Showgirl whilst receiving treatment for breast cancer.[43] It used the Greatest Hits Tour as the basis for a completely revamped show,[44] including simplified dance routines, and longer breaks between songs, to accommodate her delicate condition.[45][46] Twenty shows took place in Australia in November and December to compensate for those cancelled from the previous tour.[44][47] In January 2007, fourteen shows were scheduled in the UK[48][49]—her first show at Wembley Arena attracted 12,000 fans, with tickets for two initial shows sold-out in just six minutes.[48][50]
With sales of over US$70 million, in over 20 countries, KylieX2008 marked the singer's first-ever performances in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dubai and Istanbul, among other new markets.[51][52]
For You, for Me was Minogue's first concert tour in North America.[53] She performed nine shows in the United States and Canada—the tour ended at the Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, on 13 October 2009.[52][54] The tour grossed $3.1 million and attracted 37,172 people.[55]
^Minogue was originally scheduled to headline the 2005 Glastonbury Festival on 26 June, which also serve as the final show of the Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour.[33] When diagnosed with breast cancer, she was forced to pull out of the show, just a month before she was due to appear.[40]Basement Jaxx were announced as her replacement on 6 June.[41]Coldplay and Basement Jaxx later performed a cover of "Can't Get You Out of My Head" in honour of Minogue during their Glastonbury concerts.[42]