- Last night, I arrived at Berghain at 9:05 PM to find it completely dead outside. I'd anticipated a big queue of people clad in sequins and cowboy hats, but apparently tonight's headliner, Kylie Minogue, had already started. As I hurried in, the door staff, security and cloakroom attendants were all in noticeably good spirits. Knowing you had a ticket in your hand made a massive difference—there was no having to hide your excitement until you were inside.
That same positive energy translated to the rest of the night. When I reached the top of the stairs, Minogue was already belting out her second song, "One Last Kiss," a country pop cut from her forthcoming album, Golden. It was surprising how much smaller the club looked. The stage jutted out into the dance floor and people were everywhere, backed right up to the railings, all along the sides and snaking up the stairs that lead to Panorama Bar. Minogue had transformed the space with the help of a few essentials—behind her and her band was a large red curtain with sashes across the top, while just in front sat a heart lit up with lightbulbs. In the middle of the heart was a huge letter K.
Minogue and her band were dressed in country and western attire. She looked incredible, petite as ever with her hair worn down. Her stage presence was charming and energetic, and she had the crowd totally under her spell. After "One Last Kiss," she told us how amazing it was that there were no phones allowed—even she wasn't allowed to take photos—before scolding three people she had spotted snapping away. Then, after commenting on how much glitter she could see in the room, she launched into another new track, "Raining Glitter." Several confetti canons popped and the air filled with colour.
"I like the double denim that's going on in the front!" said Minogue. She said it was her first time in Berghain and that it lived up to expectations, which went down well. The crowd seemed fairly typical of the club, albeit with a few more shiny gold jackets and cowboy hats. Musically, Minogue stuck mostly to the new record, which balanced slower tracks with more pumping, four-to-the-floor numbers. There was "Shelby 68," a song about her dad's car, and, in honour of a recent visit to Nashville, a cute cover of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' "Islands In The Stream." It wasn't all new material, either—"Breathe," "All The Lovers" and "Wow" were met with squeals and hands in the air—though the crowd would have absolutely lapped up one or two of her smash hits. (Notable omissions were "Can't Get You Out Of My Head," "I Should Be So Lucky" and Panorama Bar favourite, "Slow.") Even so, Minogue showed she's still totally deserving of her icon status.