Kylie Minogue thrills LA fans on first US tour

Los Angeles: Kylie Minogue knows how to make an entrance.

For her first ever Los Angeles show, at the Hollywood Bowl, the pop diva descended from the historic venue`s famed arches standing triumphantly atop a giant metallic human skull. And that was just the beginning of an eye-popping, hits-filled run replete with numerous costume changes, massive digital screens, dazzling laser displays and a hard-working fog machine. The 41-year-old Australian songbird is still something of a pop curiosity in the United States, despite having enormous success everywhere else. In the U.K., she`s notched 12 top-10 albums and 32 top-10 singles -- seven of which reached No. 1. Here in the U.S., she`s netted just seven entries on the Hot 100 singles chart, including the top-10s "The Loco-Motion" and "Can`t Get You Out Of My Head" -- both of which she performed at the Bowl. Thus, when Minogue announced her first-ever North American tour back in May, you could hear the collective gasp from her fans who were absolutely convinced that she would never tour these shores. The brief trek kicked off last week in Oakland, Calif., and wraps next Tuesday after a three-night stand at New York`s Hammerstein Ballroom. Minogue also introduced a brand new song, "Better Than Today," which she said would be on her forthcoming album. The sexy stomper is two parts Minogue pop magic, with one part Donna Summer (circa "Bad Girls") and a dash of the Pussycat Dolls` strut. By the time her male dancers were "showering" onstage in nothing but briefs to introduce the sexed-up "Red Blooded Woman," Minogue had the audience eating out of her petite hands. And let`s be clear -- this is not a lip-syncing showcase. Minogue sang live and was in fine voice throughout her set. The crowd also got a treat in the show`s encore, as her peppy second hit single "I Should Be So Lucky" was added to the setlist in heart-warming ballad version. While the crowd was seemingly mostly made up of men older than twenty-something, there were a good number of women as well. Fans of Minogue who have followed her numerous tours over the years via DVD or YouTube will recognize many of the new shows elements and song arrangements. She has repurposed some of the best moments from her previous globe-trotting outings -- thus giving American concertgoers a taste of what they`ve missed all these years. Bureau Report