Intimate and Live (concert tour)
Intimate and Live was Kylie Minogue’s fifth concert tour, held in 1998 to promote her sixth album, Impossible Princess. It marked her return to touring after seven years away from the road. The show ran from June 2 to July 31, 1998, visiting Oceania and Europe with 23 performances. Tickets sold out quickly, and promoters added extra dates, including three UK shows in London after high demand.
The tour was designed to feel personal. Minogue and her team staged the concerts in smaller venues (around 2,000 seats) to create a close, intimate atmosphere. The set drew on Impossible Princess and was divided into four parts: a segment inspired by the album, a Showgirl section, a Cowgirl portion, and an encore. Visuals and props tied to the album’s artwork, including a multicolored cone and the “K” symbol, and costumes ranged from showgirl to cowgirl to a final showgirl-devil look for the encore.
Creative direction came from William Baker and Steve Anderson. Although they initially planned not to tour the United Kingdom, the demand led them to add three UK dates at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London. Rehearsals took place in Melbourne, where the team developed a stage concept meant to take fans on a journey through Minogue’s evolving artistic vision. The show incorporated elements from Impossible Princess, along with a mix of hits and cover songs performed live.
Impossible Princess was released in October 1997 and gave Minogue more creative control over her music and image. The album received mixed reviews but was praised for its experimental direction. It charted well in Australia and the UK, signaling a new artistic phase for the pop star.
The setlist blended material from Impossible Princess with Minogue’s earlier tracks, including a few cover performances such as The Clash’s Should I Stay or Should I Go? and ABBA’s Dancing Queen. The concert opened with Too Far in the cone motif, moved through a glittering Showgirl segment with I Should Be So Lucky, then a Cowboy-themed section featuring Cowboy Style, and continued with songs like Did It Again, Limbo, and more, before an encore of Better the Devil You Know.
Intimate and Live received positive reviews in Australia, with critics praising Minogue’s vocal performance and the show’s energy. In the UK, opinions were more mixed at first, though London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire date earned enthusiastic notes from several critics.
A live album was released in November 1998, followed by a DVD release in July 2003 to capture the tour on film. The Sydney performance at the Capitol Theatre was filmed for the release, with artwork by Andrew Murabito and Baker contributing as creative designer. A VHS version circulated in Australia as well.
Intimate and Live is remembered as a turning point for Kylie Minogue—an intimate, theatrical show that highlighted her growth as an artist and helped reconnect her with fans around the world.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 04:22 (CET).