White Diamond / Show Girl Homecoming [DVD] [2009]

Barcode: 5099951302597

Kylie Minogue sure knows how to treat her fans. Not only do we get the DVD of the brilliant Showgirl Homecoming Tour that got its CD release earlier in 2007, but we also have amazing documentary film, White Diamond that i luckily got to see on its premiere night at the cinema. That night remains to this day one of my finest memories of being a Kylie fan, the film illustrating just why she is one of the world's favourite popstars.

But let's take a quick look at the live show DVD first. Showgirl Homecoming represents one of the finest examples of a modern pop concert, the filming and imagery is of the highest class and captures the night in perfect quality. Fantastic costumes and amazing dance moves galore are to be found here and at the heart of it, Kylie really does shine like a White Diamond.

All era's of Kylie's amazing career are represented here from the glossy pop of her SAW days, through her adventurous days in the mid 90s and all her modern classics like Can't Get You Out Of My Head and In Your Eyes. Stand-out tracks include an amazing updating of the aforementioned 'CGYOOMH', a version of 'Light Years' that flows seamlessly into the beautiful early album track 'Turn It Into Love' and a rave-esque medley of 'Shocked', 'What Do I Have To Do' and 'Spinning Around'. And who could forget 'Dreams' or Kylie's version of 'Over The Rainbow', two songs that truly showcase her incredible voice.

Also, one of the things i like best about Homecoming is that as a whole it presents a more intimate concert than the original Showgirl. Kylie appears more open, talks to the audience at length and is all charming smiles throughout. All round, a truly awesome concert.

But what about White Diamond itself. As William Baker, the director and amongst many other things Kylie's long time friend, puts it - this is an attempt to show the wider public the 'real' Kylie. Many people only know her as a result of I Should Be So Lucky, Michael Hutchence, the gold hotpants, CGYOOMH and cancer. For them, those things = Kylie. White Diamond tries to show to these people that there is more depth to her and presents an extremely intimate look at Kylie's life and to those who say this film isn't gritty, revealing enough, Kylie really is this nice, charming all the time!

Following her on her Homecoming tour, like Madonna's 'I'm Going To Tell You A Secret' this goes to show just what it takes to put on a massive concert like this. Amongst all the fun and hard work, we get some charming moments with Dannii and Bono who come to sing with her. The film is truly inspiring in the way Kylie caries on through everything, determined to give her fans the best experience possible - i was close to tears at the part where she was too ill to carry on with the show but couldn't bare to just leave the audience. Kylie's strength of character is truly admirable.

I also love the way we see that in many ways Kylie is just like us, she gets tired, she laughs, and she plays on her computer. I love it! And with loads of bonus extras, this DVD is well worth getting. A true joy to watch!

It's not clear whether the show or the warts-and-all documentary is the main draw for this release. The two-hour show itself is fantastic - filmed on a single night at Melbourne's Rod Laver arena in front of an ecstatic hometown crowd, it showcases a plainly radiant performer who sounds and looks much happier and healthier than she did on the 2005 live DVD, which was filmed at London's Earl's Court just before her diagnosis. Although some dates on the new tour had to be cancelled when Minogue went down with a nasty throat bug, her voice too is generally much improved here - stronger and less nasal than it was before her illness. The contrast is made plain from the disc's extra features, which include re-edited versions of some of the Earl's Court songs ("In Denial", "Your Disco Needs You") which have been dropped from the new version of the show.

The accompanying "White Diamond" documentary is a personal portrait of the singer by her stylist/director/"gay husband" William Baker. Unlike David Furnish's portrait of his partner Elton John "Tantrums and Tiaras", or the infamous "In Bed With Madonna", it's not a controversial exposé - more an affectionate look at the rigours of touring and the ups and downs of being a working creative. There's not much of on/off lover Olivier Martinez, but there's a glimpse of Bono's guest appearance at the Sydney show, some great backstage banter and a moving sequence with sister Dannii. We don't learn much about Kylie that we didn't already know, but the film is always watchable and she does emerge with her dignity - and much of her privacy - deservedly intact.

WHITE DIAMOND

**As seen at selected cinemas and on TV**

Ultimately, I found WHITE DIAMOND to be a feature length `Behind The Scenes' for the SHOWGIRL: HOMECOMING tour. We meet the backing singers, dancers, wardrobe assistants, Kylie's manager, vocal trainer & 'friend' Bono (U2). Despite this impressive entourage, there's nothing really exciting going on most of the time, unless you count the edge-of-your-seat thrill of a late dancer.

Kylie - the reason this documentary exists - comes of as little more then a giggly, smiley character in a children's TV program. She automatically puts on an act whenever she sees a camera. her speeches are practiced and there's rarely any real emotion shown. You have to wonder what got cut out. We see her turning off the camera when she's had enough, and the only hard(ish) hitting question she is asked; "Do you feel trapped [by fame]" goes unanswered. To put it bluntly; The Saintly image she works so hard to perfect is boring. I used to be a massive fan, but her image obsession has put me right off.

The only gritty parts are when we see a tired Kylie sleeping on her dressing room floor. Seeing the hundreds of people in WHITE DIAMOND, and then considering the fact that her sister is the only person to voice concerns over Kylie's health, is very sad. Is everyone milking Kylie, or is she - a well known workaholic - pushing them? Either way, here's WHITE DIAMONDS message; Money over health and wellbeing.

Something that really grated on me is the `Director'. I'm not a fanatic who hates everyone who is close to and/or is competition to Saint Kylie i.e. William Baker, Dannii, Madonna etc, but really. I thought directors mainly worked behind the camera, but Will is in nearly every frame. He drapes himself over Kylie constantly, cries over her performance with her sister & generally annoys everyone. Kylie is indeed a Saint, for putting up with him.

If you are interested in the behind the scenes workings that go into a tour, you'll love this. If you love Kylie or William Baker you'll really love this.

Wanting to keep her private life private is absolutely fine; just don't promise something you have no intention of delivering.

As we've already seen the documentary before, there is bonus material in the form of one of Kylie's `Kids' duets, with sister Dannii (The performance is edited differently to Dannii's DVD).
This is one of the highlights; no fancy backdrops, no dancers, just the two of them giving a cool performance together for the first time in 20 years.

SHOWGIRL: THE HOMECOMING

** Warning: I will be discussing parts of the play list. So if you don't want to know, please don't read this review. **

Well, it's here. Kylie's comeback tour (did she ever go away?) is here & no doubt will fly off the shelves. The SHOWGIRL: HOMECOMEING tour is pure entertainment, with fabulous dancers, set pieces & costumes, as well as Ms Minogue herself.

I can't help to compare HOMECOMING to the lofty standards of the original SHOWGIRL tour, and I'm afraid it just falls short of the mark. Not that second place is so bad.

My biggest bugbears are with `Somewhere Over The Rainbow' and the encore. Having a classic song by another artist is great, but did Kylie really have to have `Rainbow' again? It shows of the fact that Kylie has a decent set of lungs on her, but something new would have been appreciated.
It's the same with the encore, which is also the same as the original SHOWGIRL. I'd avoided all gossip of the tour & the reviews before I went to see HOMECOMING, so when the same songs were sung I felt a bit let down after all the excitement & suspense beforehand.

And I know the set list was going to be changed in some places, after all Kylie is making a fresh start in her career. I didn't miss `Please Stay' (it wasn't a great single) and `In Denial' is a great song, but as it's a duet it didn't really work last time, so I can see why it was dropped this time.
But on the other hand `Put Yourself In My Place' is a classic song, nearly as good as `Confide In Me' in my opinion, so I really missed it. I also really missed non-single track `Your Disco Needs You`, which is pure fun, and was a real crowd pleaser last time.

Speaking of changed set lists, I must admit that I found the `temple' section a bit dull. I've already mentioned that `Confide In Me' is a real classic, so it pains me to say that it was a bit lacklustre here. The other 3 songs in this section are `Cowboy Style' (I think this was an Oz only single), I don't rate this song, and the lyrics are a nonsensical jumble. I would have liked to have had `Breathe' in its place. Then the backing singers perform `Finer Feelings' a superb but sadly underrated Kylie single. The final song in this section is `Too Far'. Having a non-single from her least successful album (IMPOSSIBLE PRINCESS) must be a personal choice, but it's boring & the audience will be distanced in my opinion. I'll be skipping this section on the DVD.

'Kids' is sung with her backing singers, not with Bono as stated on Amazon. (This was also on the EMI website. Tut tut)

But now my gripes are out of the way lets discuss the best bits!!

The opener `Better The Devil You Know' is a classic and never fails to put a smile on my face.

Non album track `White Diamond' (wrote by Scissor Scissors) is something a little more personal, yet it's still nice and upbeat.

FEVER non single `Burning Up' is mashed up with the Madonna classic `Vogue', acknowledging the people who call her a copycat. It worked surprisingly well. Kylie is not best known for attitude, but she's certainly capable of giving it!!

Two more non singles are mashed up for her closing song. `Light Years' (same named album) is lovingly performed with `Turn It Into Love' (KYLIE), making this song personal for the audience who continue to support her.

The costumes may not be pretty, but they are bold. The most interesting choices for a Kylie concert, ever.

I've already mentioned the sadly missing songs, but we do get them as a bonus. `In Denial', Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi', `Please Stay' and `Your Disco Needs You' are all here, edited differently to the original SHOWGIRL DVD.

This DVD set may be mis-titled as a 'Personal Portrait' when it clearly isn't, but the documentary is still a must have for any devoted Kylie fan. Everyone else; Go straight to the concert disc & leave the documentary alone.