¡viva la graham!

Everyone who knows me — and the handful of you who read this blog — is aware that I absolutely adore pop princess Kylie Minogue. I finally got the chance to catch her in concert this past Sunday. She performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and I had the pleasure of enjoying it with my best friend Amber, the superfan responsible for our shared obsession. We had 5th row tickets, so we were merely 10 feet away from our Australian idol, and the experience was surreal yet unforgettable.

Kylie has never toured the U.S. before — a point of frustration among her fanbase here — but she made up for it and then some by touring more intimitate venues (she sells out stadiums elsewhere around the globe) and still providing the biggest, sexiest spectacle I’ve ever seen on stage. The glorious, provocative 2-hour set was packed full of hits new and old, but I’ll spare the details so as not to spoil it for those who plan to catch her performances in Chicago and NYC in the next few days. If you really want to ruin the surprises, there are countless clips on YouTube!

I will, however, share some of the photos we took at the concert. Click the thumbnails below for larger images…

Besides what was happening on stage, I think my favorite bit was the crowd’s response. Obviously everyone sang along to “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head,” but especially up front, the audience knew the words to singles never released in the States like “Step Back In Time” and “Shocked.” It definitely put a smile on Kylie’s face. She said it had been worth the wait, and I hope she’ll come back soon!

My favorite pint-sized popstar, Kylie Minogue, announced today that she is coming to North America in the autumn for a six-city tour. On such a dreary day, I couldn’t have received a more welcome pick-me-up!

As an added bonus, Kylie will be performing this Friday, May 8, on the Today show to help promote the event (already? Hmmm…), which promises to be a “greatest hits” affair instead of a continuation of her successful KylieX2008 worldwide jaunt. I’m already planning on heading up to NYC for the Oct. 11 finale performance at Hammerstein Ballroom. The tour kicks off Sept. 30 in Oakland, California, with other stops planned for Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago and Toronto.

Fans in the U.S. and Canada have long speculated about Kylie’s live prospects in a market that hasn’t quite warmed up to the global music icon like the U.K., Europe and her native Australia. After waiting 20 years, I’d say it’s about time.

Thanks KG for the heads up!!

Last month, Kylie Minogue quietly released Boombox, a hits collection featuring 16 remixes from the past nine years. The disc includes the mind-blowing unreleased title track, funked up by LA Riots, plus her legendary New Order mash-up, “Can’t Get Blue Monday Out of My Head.”

I threw a party this past weekend and one track from Boombox ended up being a surprising floor-filler — the Death Metal Disco Scene mix of the otherwise cheesetastic “Wow.” Honestly, I always loved this version, so I suppose I should have trusted my ears, but somehow I didn’t anticipate the requests to play it again.

Check it out here (it’s too large a file to stream here, sorry!). It’ll definitely liven up your next soiree.

After releasing three different singles to various markets around the globe, Kylie’s U.S. record label, Capitol, decided to go with a completely new track for the North American market.

With its laid-back R&B flavor, “All I See” is tailor-made for U.S. radio, and if the song’s early success in Canada is any indication, Kylie could have another hit on her hands. “All I See” doesn’t have a video yet, and as far as I know one hasn’t been shot, but hopefully that will change. You can, however, download the single from the U.S. iTunes store here — and request it at your local station now!

The fact that 4 tracks have hit radio should tell you something about Kylie’s diverse new album, X (due in the U.S. April 1) — it’s fucking fantastic!