Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour

Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour

Tour by Kylie Minogue
Associated album	Aphrodite
Start date	19 February 2011 (2011-02-19)
End date	14 July 2011 (2011-07-14)
Legs	5
Number of shows	36 in Europe 9 in Asia 17 in North America 10 in Australia 5 in Africa 77 Total
Box office	US $60 million ($63.12 million in 2024 dollars)
Kylie Minogue concert chronology

Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour (also known as Aphrodite Live in America) was the twelfth concert tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. The tour supported her eleventh studio album, Aphrodite (2010). The tour visited Europe, Asia, North America, Australia and Africa. Minogue has stated the tour was highly technical (as far as staging) yet it remained somewhat intimate. Given the nature of the show, the tour was officially acknowledged by two names; Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour (in Europe and Australia) and Aphrodite Live (in Asia, North America and Africa). The tour ranked 6th in Pollstar's "Top 50 Worldwide Tour (Mid-Year)", earning over $52.1 million from 68 shows. At the conclusion of 2011, the tour placed 21st on Billboard's annual, "Top 25 Tours", earning over $32.6 million with 41 shows. The tour earned over $52.8 million from 72 shows, placing 21st on Pollstar's "Top 50 Worldwide Tours". Overall, the tour grossed an estimated $60 million.

Background

Minogue emerging as "Aphrodite" at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

During an interview in June 2010, Minogue was asked if she was going to tour with her latest album. She responded, "Oh yeah! [...] Yes, I have show concepts in mind but I can't tell you yet, because it really is in its infancy [...] But come on, with the name Aphrodite as the launch pad, we're going to have a lot to play with! [...] I would like the tour to be like, you're on that sea... and there are the rushes and the dips, and you're just feeling the love. The vibe that I've put out there with 'All the Lovers', and that I'm getting back, is 'feel love, share love'. That's what I want the show to be." During a gay pride festival in Hamburg, Germany, an advertisement was displayed showing Minogue touring in Hamburg, Mannheim, Berlin, Munich and Oberhausen. During a promotional appearance in Germany to promote her album, Minogue expressed it will be a world tour stating she would like to return to tour the Americas and possibly perform a show in Ibiza. The tour was officially announced via Minogue's website on 6 September 2010. By way of introduction, Minogue stated,

"The reaction to 'Aphrodite' has been absolutely incredible and has inspired me and my creative team to develop a new show that will take all of us on a euphoric journey of joy, excitement and glamour. I can't wait to get on the road and see all my fans in 2011."

Minogue later confirmed she would return to the United States to tour. This became the third time the singer has performed stateside since her breakthrough in 2002. She described her previous feat as one of her best decisions in her career. She further commented, "The last couple of years I've really made the effort to visit a lot of places I'd never toured in before and that was so rewarding, fulfilling and inspiring. I'm a glutton for punishment so I want to do it again and I want to take it even further."

At the beginning of the new year, Minogue stated that the tour would be her biggest to date. The stage is proclaimed to be the most extravagant staging built for any concert tour with several movable parts, seven lifts and nearly 600 light sources. It will also feature water jets created by The Fountain People, known for their work with the Disneyland Resort World of Color. The show will be a homage to Greek mythology and culture, with an aerial act inspired by the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The entire production is valued at over $25 million, and will see Minogue joined on stage by a cast of dancers and aerial performers along with her live band. The show will be moved throughout Europe by a crew of over 100 personnel in a fleet of 25 trucks.

While promoting the tour, Minogue stated the main inspiration of the tour's name was inspired by the MGM film, Ziegfeld Follies. She further commented, "Ziegfeld Folies - I've been crazy about that movie and that period in music dance and film. My show has a bit of that so it became 'Aphrodite Les Folies'." The arena show will feature an elaborate production featuring a water element. As the production moves to Asia and North America, Minogue will play smaller venues, giving the singer a chance to provide an intimate show for these territories. Here the show is known as 'Aphrodite Live 2011'.

Minogue performing "Slow" at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy

Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana (Dolce & Gabbana) spoke of working with Minogue for the costumes of the tour. They stated, "Kylie has always been our Piccola Principessa [Little Princess], not just because of our work together but more so because of our friendship! Working with Kylie has always been very spontaneous and easy. We are given free reign [sic] to create because she trusts that we know exactly what she likes. This will be our third tour with Kylie and this time we have revisited iconic Dolce & Gabbana pieces, adapting them to different themes of the tour. This show definitely cannot be missed!"

In January 2011, Minogue expanded the UK leg of her tour from four to fourteen shows. Further dates were added in Japan (Kylie's first dates there since her Rhythm Of Love Tour some 20 years earlier) and the United States. Minogue remarked, "Rehearsals are well underway and the show is shaping up to be more than I could have wished for. All departments are doing a stellar job and the combined level of expertise is nothing short of mind blowing. My friends, Dolce & Gabbana have designed an amazing wardrobe for me. I'm overwhelmed with the love and talent that is going into this tour and I can't wait for my fans to be part of it."

Furthermore, it was announced the Harmonix game Dance Central would be the official sponsors of the European leg of the tour. According to the press release, booths will be staged in the lobby areas of the arenas giving spectators the opportunity to play the game to Minogue's dance hit "Can't Get You Out of My Head". Additionally, a crew has been assigned to record the audience, as well as, backstage footage for Minogue's official Facebook page.

The tour premiered in Herning, Denmark at the Jyske Bank Boxen to a full house of nearly 12,000 spectators. Minogue posted a video on her official YouTube account thanking the crew for the hard work and dedication during rehearsals along with expressing her excitement for the opening night after "nearly a year of planning". Later, a video was posted showing interviews with the audience as well as the performances of "Aphrodite", "Slow", "Can't Get You Out of My Head", "Better the Devil You Know" and "All the Lovers". Minogue provided various tour updates via her official Twitter account, announcing winners of a "best dressed" contest at every venue.

Critical response

The tour received rave reviews from entertainment critics. Ed Power from The Daily Telegraph gave the concert a four star rating stating that "Kylie Minogue takes retro chic to dizzying extremes on her new tour. Channelling a hitherto unhinted at passion for Ancient Greece and Rome". Power said that "Through a stunning series of set-pieces Kylie proved herself a peerless conjurer of pop spectacle and demonstrated that, when it comes to the classier brand of arena kitsch, she, not Lady Gaga, remains supreme authority." Elisa Bray from The Independent gave the concert four stars (out of five) and said that "Minogue's authenticity and down-to-earth persona has always made her the most likeable pop diva. From her earliest fame days as Charlene in Australian soap Neighbours, girly though she remains, Kylie has made the successful transition to show-woman." Ian Gittins from The Guardian commented that "there is no denying the scale of the production. From the moment Minogue rises from the stage reclining in a golden conch shell in a tableau based on Botticelli's Birth of Venus, it's evident that understatement is not on the menu tonight." He praised her live vocals, describing Minogue's voice as "oddly endearing" and concluded by saying that "it is unfortunate that mainstream America has never taken Minogue to its heart. On this flamboyant evidence, nobody is more ready for a Las Vegas residency."

James Reed from The Boston Globe gave the Aphrodite Live 2011 concert a favourable review by saying that "all eyes were on Minogue, 42, and she was in regal form as both entertainer and singer." Jason Lipshutz from Billboard gave the concert a positive review saying that "Minogue is still an under-appreciated musical force, and one that should not be missed on an all-too-rare U.S. trek." Santiago Felipe from The Village Voice said that "at the center of it all was Kylie, who was by turns bashful and jokingly chiding and absolutely in command, changing dresses as quickly as some people change their mind, flirting with the audience through performances [...] She might be a bit of a cult popstar in the U.S., but she radiated at maximum wattage throughout the evening".

Opening acts

• Frida Gold (Germany)
• Matinée (Barcelona)
• The Ultra Girls (Dublin/United Kingdom)
• Verbal & Mademoiselle Yulia (Chiba)
• Richie LaDue (Boston)
• DJ Randy Bettis (New York City—2 May)
• DJ DeMarko! (New York City—3 May)
• DJ Tracy Young (New York City—4 May)
• DJ Scott Robert (Orlando, Florida)
• DJ Stephan Grondin (Montréal)
• Erik Thoresen (Dallas)
• Kaskade (Los Angeles)
• DJ Morningstar (Las Vegas)
• Gypsy & The Cat (Australia)

File:Kylie Minogue 2011.jpg

Kylie performing Confide In Me on the tour.

Setlist

Act I - The Birth of Aphrodite

1. "Aphrodite"
2. "The One"
3. "Wow" (contains elements of the "Death Metal Disco Scene Mix")

Act II - Pegasus

4. "Illusion"
5. "I Believe in You"

Act III - Gladiator

6. "Cupid Boy"
7. "Spinning Around"
8. "Get Outta My Way"
9. "What Do I Have to Do" (contains elements of the "Movers & Shakers Mix")

Act IV - Celestial Love

10. "Everything Is Beautiful"
11. "Slow" (containing elements of the "Chemical Brothers Mix")

Act V - Holograph

12. "Confide in Me Intro" (video interlude) (contains excerpts of the Brothers In Rhythm mix) (remixed by Steve Anderson)
13. "Confide in Me"
14. "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" (contains elements of the "Soulwax KYLUSS Remix" and "Uprising")
15. "In My Arms"

Act VI - Angel

16. "Looking for an Angel"
17. "Closer"
18. "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)"
19. "Can't Beat The Feeling" / "Love at First Sight"
20. "If You Don't Love Me"

Act VII - Fanfare

21. "Better the Devil You Know" (contains elements of "Fanfarra (Despedida)")
22. "Better Than Today"
23. "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)"

Encore

24. "On a Night Like This" (contains elements of "Heaven")
25. "All the Lovers"

Source:

Notes

• Before performing "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)", Minogue performed a song request from the audience. The most requested songs were: "I Should Be So Lucky", "Locomotion", "Hand on Your Heart", "Breathe" "Your Disco Needs You", "In Your Eyes" and "Come Into My World".
• "Better Than Today" was added to the setlist during concerts in Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Adelaide.
• "Closer" was not performed in North America, Asia and Africa.
• For concerts in Japan, Minogue performed "In Your Eyes", "2 Hearts" and "I Should Be So Lucky"
• "Especially for You" was performed in Manila.

Tour dates

Date	City	Country	Venue
Europe
19 February 2011	Herning	Denmark	Jyske Bank Boxen
22 February 2011	Helsinki	Finland	Hartwall Areena
23 February 2011	Tallinn	Estonia	Saku Suurhall Arena
25 February 2011	Riga	Latvia	Arena Riga
26 February 2011	Vilnius	Lithuania	Siemens Arena
28 February 2011	Hamburg	Germany	O2 Hamburg
1 March 2011	Berlin		O2 World
2 March 2011	Prague	Czech Republic	O2 Arena
4 March 2011	Leipzig	Germany	Arena Leipzig
5 March 2011	Munich		Olympiahalle
6 March 2011	Mannheim		SAP Arena
8 March 2011	Milan	Italy	Mediolanum Forum
9 March 2011	Zurich	Switzerland	Hallenstadion
11 March 2011	Toulouse	France	Zénith de Toulouse
12 March 2011	Barcelona	Spain	Palau Sant Jordi
14 March 2011	Metz	France	Galaxie Amnéville
15 March 2011	Paris		Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
17 March 2011	Amsterdam	Netherlands	Heineken Music Hall
18 March 2011	Oberhausen	Germany	König Pilsener Arena
19 March 2011	Antwerp	Belgium	Sportpaleis
22 March 2011	Dublin	Ireland	The O2
23 March 2011
25 March 2011	Cardiff	United Kingdom	Motorpoint Arena Cardiff
26 March 2011
28 March 2011	Glasgow		Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
29 March 2011
30 March 2011
1 April 2011	Manchester		Manchester Evening News Arena
2 April 2011
4 April 2011
5 April 2011
7 April 2011	London		The O2 Arena
8 April 2011
9 April 2011
11 April 2011
12 April 2011
Asia
23 April 2011	Chiba	Japan	Makuhari Event Hall
24 April 2011
25 April 2011	Osaka		Osaka-jō Hall
North America
28 April 2011	Montreal	Canada	Bell Centre
29 April 2011	Boston	United States	Agganis Arena
30 April 2011	Fairfax		Patriot Center
2 May 2011	New York City		Hammerstein Ballroom
3 May 2011
4 May 2011
6 May 2011	Atlanta		Fox Theatre
7 May 2011	Sunrise		BankAtlantic Center
8 May 2011	Orlando		Hard Rock Live
10 May 2011	Houston		Verizon Wireless Theater
12 May 2011	Mexico City	Mexico	Palacio de los Deportes
14 May 2011	Guadalajara		Auditorio Telmex
16 May 2011	Monterrey		Arena Monterrey
18 May 2011	Grand Prairie	United States	Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
20 May 2011	Los Angeles		Hollywood Bowl
21 May 2011	San Francisco		Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
22 May 2011	Las Vegas		The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Australia
3 June 2011	Brisbane	Australia	Brisbane Entertainment Centre
4 June 2011
7 June 2011	Sydney		Sydney Entertainment Centre
8 June 2011
11 June 2011
14 June 2011	Melbourne		Rod Laver Arena
15 June 2011
16 June 2011
18 June 2011	Adelaide		Adelaide Entertainment Centre
22 June 2011	Perth		Burswood Dome
Asia
25 June 2011	Bangkok	Thailand	IMPACT Arena
27 June 2011	Bogor	Indonesia	SICC Auditorium
29 June 2011	Singapore	Singapore	Singapore Indoor Stadium
1 July 2011	Wan Chai	Hong Kong	HKCEC Hall 5BC
3 July 2011	Taipei	Taiwan	TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall
5 July 2011	Quezon City	Philippines	Araneta Coliseum
Africa
8 July 2011	Johannesburg	South Africa	Sun City Super Bowl
9 July 2011
10 July 2011
13 July 2011	Cape Town		Grand Arena at Grand West Casino
14 July 2011

Cancellations and rescheduled shows

14 March 2011	Nantes, France	Zénith de Nantes Métropole	This concert was moved to Galaxie Amnéville in Metz, France
17 March 2011	Arnhem, Netherlands	GelreDome XS	This concert was moved to the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Box office score data

Venue	City	Tickets Sold / Available	Gross Revenue
O2 World Hamburg	Hamburg	6,786 / 10,249 (66%)	$448,384
O2 World	Berlin	7,771 / 12,204 (63%)	$571,139
Sportpaleis	Antwerp	12,153 / 14,511 (84%)	$756,761
Motorpoint Arena Cardiff	Cardiff	8,420 / 8,800 (96%)	$771,549
Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre	Glasgow	18,500 / 20,250 (92%)	$1,882,260
Manchester Evening News Arena	Manchester	44,578 / 45,000 (99%)	$4,449,280
The O2 Arena	London	70,100 / 70,500 (99%)	$6,754,860
Bell Centre	Montreal	4,891 / 6,114 (80%)	$456,262
Agganis Arena	Boston	2,694 / 3,749 (72%)	$253,987
Patriot Center	Fairfax	3,246 / 4,821 (67%)	$307,722
Hammerstein Ballroom	New York City	7,451 / 9,120 (82%)	$721,161
Fox Theatre	Atlanta	2,838 / 4,515 (63%)	$248,686
BankAtlantic Center	Sunrise	4,000 / 4,441 (90%)	$253,756
Hard Rock Live	Orlando	2,011 / 2,723 (74%)	$155,555
Verizon Wireless Theater	Houston	1,831 / 3,202 (57%)	$156,915
Verizon Theater at Grand Prairie	Grand Prairie	2,239 / 2,989 (75%)	$218,105
Hollywood Bowl	Los Angeles	9,052 / 9,986 (91%)	$809,146
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium	San Francisco	5,670 / 6,074 (93%)	$482,455
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace	Las Vegas	4,062 / 4,062 (100%)	$445,612
Brisbane Entertainment Centre	Brisbane	15,540 / 22,686 (68%)	$2,442,780
Sydney Entertainment Centre	Sydney	26,689 / 30,000 (89%)	$3,730,000
Rod Laver Arena	Melbourne	25,598 / 27,600 (93%)	$3,510,740
Adelaide Entertainment Centre	Adelaide	8,537 / 8,537 (100%)	$1,124,185
Burswood Dome	Perth	12,626 / 15,000 (84%)	$1,608,139
TOTAL		307,144 / 347,133 (88.5%)	$32,559,439

Broadcasts and recordings

Aphrodite Les Folies: Live in London
File:Kylie Aphrodite Les Folies 3D.jpg
Video by Kylie Minogue
Released	19 June 2011
Recorded	11–12 April 2011 (The O2 London, England)
Genre	Pop
Length	120 min (Film version) 90 min (TV version)
Director	William Baker Marcus Viner
Producer	Kylie Minogue William Baker
Kylie Minogue album chronology
Live in New York (2009)Live in New York2009 Aphrodite: Les Folies (2011) Kiss Me Once: Live at the SSE Hydro (2015) Kylie Minogue video chronology KylieX2008 (2008) Aphrodite: Les Folies (2010) Kiss Me Once: Live at the SSE Hydro (2015) Kiss Me Once: Live at the SSE Hydro2015

Aphrodite Les Folies: Live in London is a concert film of its corresponding tour. The show was filmed in 3D over two nights at London's The O₂ Arena and directed by William Baker. A 2-CD LP was released with the film. It aired on Sky 3D as well as in cinemas in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 19 June 2011. It has since been shown in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil and Poland in August 2011. Then in Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Croatia, El Salvador, The Netherlands, Peru, South Africa, Serbia, Bulgaria and Indonesia in September 2011. It was also shown in Belgium and Argentina in October 2011, and debuted in the United States on Palladia in December 2011. A CD/DVD/Blu-ray was released on 28 November 2011. The film was released in three formats. Firstly, as a DVD with bonus two-disc audio recording of the concert. Secondly, as a limited edition box set with a DVD, two-disc audio recording and booklet. Lastly, there was also a Blu-ray release which includes a 2D and 3D recording of the show. All three packages also include the behind-the-scenes tour documentary, Just Add Water.

Critical response

So far the live album and DVD has been met with positive response from critics. Contact Music gave it a positive review, while the UK's The Independent gave the bundle a total of 4/5.

Tracklist

Aphrodite Les Folies: Live in London DVD
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Birth of Aphrodite" (Intro)	2:38
2.	"Aphrodite"	4:39
3.	"The One"	3:56
4.	"Wow"	4:01
5.	"Illusion"	6:49
6.	"I Believe in You"	3:15
7.	"Cupid Boy"	5:35
8.	"Spinning Around"	3:40
9.	"Get Outta My Way"	3:38
10.	"What Do I Have to Do"	5:14
11.	"Everything Is Beautiful"	4:54
12.	"Slow"	6:01
13.	"Confide in Me" (Intro)	2:38
14.	"Confide in Me"	3:35
15.	"Can't Get You Out of My Head"	4:41
16.	"In My Arms"	3:43
17.	"Looking for an Angel"	5:09
18.	"Closer"	3:24
19.	"There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)"	4:37
20.	"Love at First Sight"/"Can't Beat the Feeling"	4:14
21.	"If You Don't Love Me"	3:17
22.	"Better the Devil You Know"	7:18
23.	"Better than Today"	3:20
24.	"Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)"	4:03
25.	"Million Dollar Mermaid" (Intro)	1:52
26.	"On a Night Like This"	4:14
27.	"All the Lovers"	5:30
Total length:		01:55:51

Aphrodite Les Folies: Live in London CD 1
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Birth of Aphrodite" (Intro)	2:38
2.	"Aphrodite"	4:39
3.	"The One"	3:56
4.	"Wow"	4:01
5.	"Illusion"	6:49
6.	"I Believe in You"	3:15
7.	"Cupid Boy"	5:35
8.	"Spinning Around"	3:40
9.	"Get Outta My Way"	3:38
10.	"What Do I Have to Do"	5:14
11.	"Everything Is Beautiful"	4:54
12.	"Slow"	6:01
13.	"Confide in Me" (Intro)	2:38
14.	"Confide in Me"	3:35
15.	"Can't Get You Out of My Head"	4:41
16.	"In My Arms"	3:43
Total length:		68:54

Aphrodite Les Folies: Live in London CD 2
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Looking for an Angel"	5:09
2.	"Closer"	3:24
3.	"There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)"	4:37
4.	"Love at First Sight"/"Can't Beat the Feeling"	4:14
5.	"If You Don't Love Me"	3:17
6.	"Better the Devil You Know"	7:18
7.	"Better Than Today"	3:20
8.	"Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)"	4:03
9.	"Million Dollar Mermaid" (Intro)	1:52
10.	"On a Night Like This"	4:14
11.	"All the Lovers"	5:30
Total length:		46:55

Charts

DVD Chart (2011)	Peak position
Australian DVD Chart	3
Belgian Vlandern Top 10 DVD Chart	8
Belgian Wallonia Top 10 DVD Chart	8
Czech Music DVD Chart	7
Dutch Music DVD Chart	16
French Albums Chart	25
Swedish Music Video Chart	19
Albums Chart (2011)	Peak position
French Albums Chart	94
German Albums Chart	48
Mexican Albums Chart	46
Scottish Albums Chart	71
Spanish Albums Chart	46
UK Albums Chart	72

External links

• Kylie Minogue's official website