Music legends Blondie are back, with their first album in seven years Panic of Girls, and the lead single "Mother".
The video for the the fun poppy New Wave track find Blondie literally raising the dead in a dive bar. Of course, the results are not good.
Major points for zombie Andy Warhol looking good. And freaky zombie Debbie Harry at the end. Eek!
(photos by Brian Lloyd)
As an out gay man for over 10 years, I've seen a lot of gay things in my time. But, none have ever been as gay as Kylie Minogue's current world tour "Aphrodite Live: Les Folies", which made a stop in Montreal last Thursday.
Since the Aussie princess was avoiding Toronto this time, this meant one thing. Gay road trip. Dave, Nuno, Kevin and I piled into a car and trekked to La Belle Province for our pop icon.
Before the show even started, I was mesmerized by this guy, who was rocking out to the pre-show DJs:
He was the definition of "waving your hands like you just don't care"... and he wasn't even waving his hands! I know that's going to be me in 20 years.
Anyway, back to the concert...
True to the Aphrodite album's theme, the concert was one big Greek motif. The set was modeled after an ancient Parthenon, which also served as the show's three big screens. The dancers were dressed in their finest Greek togas and barely there leather gladiator outfits. And, Kylie herself rose to the stage on a golden shell. A disco Venus de Milo, if you will.
On top of it all, there were Cirque-du-Soleil style trapeze routines for some of the numbers, which really was something I'd never seen before in a concert. It was all so excessive, yet some how necessary. Especially when you consider that in Europe, there was also a water fountain catwalk that extended from the stage.
But, at the center of it all was Kylie, the tiny singer with the surprisingly competent voice who sang live, busted out a few moves, and generally looked like she was having the best time of her life from start to end.
To say that Kylie knows her audience (that is, mostly gay men), is an understatement. Her costumes were elaborate, the male dancers were pretty much topless the whole time, and the setlist was one dance hit after the other.
Obviously, she focused on songs from her latest album, but it was well balanced with her big hits from the 90s-onward, including "Better The Devil You Know", "On A Night Like This", a blues take on "Slow" and an amazing rock version of "Can't Get You Outta My Head".
My only complaint is that, other than the Aphrodite tracks, I heard all these songs before on her last tour, which was a bit of a Greatest Hits package. Right down to the requested song "Your Disco Needs You." But, other than that, it was an extravagant over the top night that I just can't get out of my head.
1. Aphrodite
2. The One
3. Wow
4. Illusion
5. I Believe In You
6. Cupid Boy
7. Spinning Around
8. Get Outta My Way
9. What Do I Have To Do?
10. Everything Is Beautiful
11. Slow
12. Confide In Me
13. Can’t Get You Out of My Head
14. In My Arms
15. Looking For an Angel
16. There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)
17. Love At First Sight/ Can’t Beat the Feeling
18. If You Don’t Love Me
19. Better the Devil You Know
20. Your Disco Needs You
21. Better Than Today
22. Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)
23. On a Night Like This
24. All the Lovers
