Money Can't Buy#Body Language Live

{{Short description|2003 one-off concert by Kylie Minogue supporting her album Body Language}}

{{Infobox concert

| image = Kylie-Hammersmith-Apollo-Croped.jpg

| image_caption = Minogue performing "Slow" during the show

| artist = Kylie Minogue

| venue = {{ubl|Carling Apollo|London, England}}

| date = 15 November 2003

| type = Promotional

| album = Body Language

| duration = 75 minutes

}}

Money Can't Buy was a one-off, 75-minute concert show held on 15 November 2003 at the Carling Apollo in London to promote Australian singer Kylie Minogue's ninth studio album Body Language (2003). Its title alludes to the fact that tickets were not for sale and limited to invited guests and competition winners. The total cost of staging the concert was £1 million. William Baker and Alan MacDonald served as creative and art directors, respectively, while Michael Rooney and Steve Anderson worked on the choreography and musical arrangements.

Minogue primarily performed tracks from Body Language during the show, although previously released singles were also included in the setlist. The concert was streamed live on AOL.com and broadcast on television channels ITV1 and Network Ten a few days later. It was released as a DVD, entitled Body Language Live, on 12 July 2004.

Background and development

File:Auditorium showing stage.jpg, where Minogue performed]]

Following the global success of her eighth studio album Fever, Minogue began working on her ninth studio album Body Language.{{cite web|last=True|first=Chris|title=Kylie Minogue – Biography|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/kylie-minogue-mn0000776093/biography|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=26 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420213747/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kylie-minogue-mn0000776093/biography|archive-date=20 April 2019|url-status=live}} Aiming to create a dance-pop album inspired by electronic music from the 1980s,{{cite web|last=Ives|first=Brian|title=Kylie Minogue: Disco's Thin White Dame|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1485255/disco-down-under.jhtml|publisher=MTV|access-date=26 October 2013|author2=Bottomley, C.|date=24 February 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030132118/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1485255/disco-down-under.jhtml|archive-date=30 October 2013}} Minogue enlisted collaborators such as Cathy Dennis, Dan Carey, Emiliana Torrini, Johnny Douglas and Mantronix.{{cite web|title=Body Language|url=http://www.kylie.com/discography/albums/body-language/|work=Kylie.com|access-date=26 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227143829/http://stage.kylie.com/discography/albums/body-language/|archive-date=27 February 2014}} To promote Body Language, a one-off concert show was organised to be held at entertainment venue Carling Apollo, London, on 15 November 2003 – two days before the release of the album.{{cite web|title=Kylie to treat fans to free concert|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/20/1066502115490.html?from=storyrhs|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=3 July 2014|date=20 October 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091217212856/https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/20/1066502115490.html?from=storyrhs|archive-date=17 December 2009|url-status=dead}}

For the show, Minogue collaborated with creative director William Baker and art director Alan MacDonald. Baker and MacDonald had previously worked with the singer on her KylieFever2002 tour. The musical arrangements were handled by Steve Anderson, while the dance routines were choreographed by Michael Rooney.{{cite web|title=Kylie – Money Can't Buy|url=http://steveandersonproductions.com/kylie-money-cant-buy-body-language-live/|publisher=Steve Anderson Productions|access-date=30 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630092900/http://steveandersonproductions.com/kylie-money-cant-buy-body-language-live/|archive-date=30 June 2014}} Display hardware manufacturer Barco was hired to provide 100 square metres large LED displays, which were set up on the stage behind Minogue. They were used to show animations and high resolution graphics.{{cite press release|last1=Govaerts|first1=Inge|title=Barco MiPIX and LED displays chosen for exclusive Kylie concert.|url=http://www2.barco.com/en/corporate/pressrelease/1003/|publisher=Barco|access-date=3 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206164608/http://www2.barco.com/en/corporate/pressrelease/1003/|archive-date=6 February 2012|url-status=dead|date=15 November 2003}} Minogue wore five different costumes during the 75-minute-long show. Fashion houses like Balenciaga, Chanel, and Helmut Lang designed these costumes. Minogue was backed by 12 dancers and a full-piece band. The seating capacity of the show was restricted to 4000 spectators and the entire staging of the show cost £1 million.

The concert was entitled "Money Can't Buy" as no tickets were made available for purchase publicly; only competition winners and guests with invitations were allowed to attend the show. Additionally, Minogue donated two tickets to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). These tickets were auctioned at a charity ball for the society's "Full Stop" campaign.{{cite web|title=Joe Calzaghe pays £8,000 to see Kylie|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/joe-calzaghe-pays-xa38000-see-2468050|website=Western Mail|access-date=25 January 2015|date=29 October 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616125926/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/joe-calzaghe-pays-xa38000-see-2468050|archive-date=16 June 2018|url-status=live}} The Sydney Morning Herald found it surprising that Minogue chose to perform in an "intimate" setting as she had chiefly embarked on large arena tours in the past. The newspaper felt it was similar to Madonna's decision to perform at a small show at Brixton Academy, London, in 2000. Before the show, Minogue held a media press conference and discussed the development of Money Can't Buy, saying: "It's been pretty intense. I'm trying to look pretty calm but it has been an intense few weeks leading up to this. There's going to be a few old [songs in the set list], but they're not-very-oldies. We're stepping marginally back in time. It's always difficult choosing which songs to play from the new album and then what's going to work. There's a couple of surprises in store and there's a couple of real 'train spotter' surprises."{{cite web|title=Kylie Makes Live Return|url=http://www.nme.com/news/kylie-minogue/15539|website=NME|access-date=4 July 2014|date=15 November 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413043749/http://www.nme.com/news/music/kylie-minogue-88-1377717|archive-date=13 April 2018|url-status=live}}

Concert synopsis

File:Kylie @ Hammersmith Apollo (870810220).jpg", the closing song of the event]]

The concert was divided into four segments (in chronological order): "Paris By Night", "Bardello", "Electro", and "On Yer Bike."{{cite web|last1=Battaglia|first1=Andy|title=Kylie Minogue: Body Language Live|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/kylie-minogue-embody-language-liveem-11110|website=The A.V. Club|access-date=3 July 2014|date=27 December 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724032154/https://music.avclub.com/kylie-minogue-body-language-live-1798200262|archive-date=24 July 2018|url-status=live}} "Paris By Night" opened with the Body Language-track "Still Standing", which Minogue sang from atop an eight-metre long black beam suspended in the air. She continued singing as the beam slowly descended to the stage.{{cite web|title=Kylie's Bardot show|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/17/1069027022220.html?from=storyrhs|website=The Age|access-date=3 July 2014|date=17 November 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413124739/https://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/17/1069027022220.html?from=storyrhs|archive-date=13 April 2018|url-status=live}} The performance of "Still Standing" was followed by "Red Blooded Woman", another track from Body Language, and "On a Night Like This". The latter's performance was inspired by the 1952 musical Singin' in the Rain and featured "dancers spinning iridescent red umbrellas against LCD displays of digital drizzle." During this segment, Minogue donned a Brigitte Bardot-inspired look and was dressed in a black and white striped jersey, black corset and trousers. Images of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame de Paris were displayed on the LED screens as backdrops to the segment.{{cite web|last1=McLean|first1=Craig|title=A real tour de force|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3606754/A-real-tour-de-force.html|website=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=3 July 2014|date=17 November 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331042741/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3606754/A-real-tour-de-force.html|archive-date=31 March 2019|url-status=live}}

The "Bardello" act commenced with a mashup of Minogue's 1998 single "Breathe" and "Je t'aime... moi non-plus", a 1969 French duet between Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. Craig MacLean from the Daily Telegraph described the backup dancers during this segment as "Tour de France cyclists moonlighting as Moulin Rouge hostesses." Performances of "After Dark" and "Chocolate", two songs from Body Language, followed.

"Quasi-Japanese symbols", illuminated on the LED displays, served as backdrops for the performance of "Can't Get You Out of My Head", which was the first song of the "Electro" segment. Back-up dancers dressed in bondage-inspired costumes performed "robotic push-ups" as part of the dance routine. Minogue then again performed two Body Language-tracks, "Slow" (the lead single) and "Obsession", before closing the segment with "In Your Eyes".

As the "On Yer Bike" act commenced, Minogue appeared reclining on a motorbike wearing a complete white ensemble. She proceeded to sing "Secret (Take You Home)" and "Spinning Around". After a final costume-change, Minogue closed the set with the "cheery disco stomper" "Love at First Sight".{{cite AV media notes|year=2004|title=Body Language Live|location=London|publisher=Parlophone|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dvd-kylie-minogue-body-language-live-kylie-minogue/8931849|via=Barnes & Noble|id=7243 599676 9 1|asin=B000249FNC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705011827/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dvd-kylie-minogue-body-language-live-kylie-minogue/8931849|archive-date=5 July 2019|access-date=5 July 2019|url-status=live}}

Critical reception

File:Kylie Minogue Money Can't Buy 2003.jpg

In their review of the show, The Age commented that Minogue was able to emulate Bardot's appearance well and wrote: "[Minogue] looked the spitting image of Brigitte Bardot as she turned a corner of west London into Paris for the evening." Andy Battaglia from the A.V. Club complimented the staging and performances as "sharp and kinetic", although he also felt that the "little bits of stage banter deflate[d] an aesthetic otherwise set on air-lock." Billboard critic Keith Caulfield praised the concert show as "extravagant" and opined that it should have been a part of a "mammoth" arena tour.{{cite magazine|last1=Caulfield|first1=Keith|title=Billboard Picks – DVD – Kylie Minogue, Body Language Live|magazine=Billboard|date=18 September 2004|volume=116|issue=38|page=47|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IhMEAAAAMBAJ&q=kylie+minogue+body+language+live&pg=PA47|access-date=3 July 2014|issn=0006-2510|via=Google Books}} Writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, Greg Hassall gave a favourable review of Money Can't Buy and summarised it as "lots of '80s-influenced electro-pop, with a few oldies thrown in for good measure."{{cite web|last1=Hassall|first1=Greg|title=Kylie Minogue Live at the Apollo|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/23/1069522463740.html|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=4 July 2014|date=24 November 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413125244/https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/23/1069522463740.html|archive-date=13 April 2018|url-status=live}} People magazine complimented the visuals but felt Minogue's vocals were "electronically enhanced."{{cite web|last1=Novak|first1=Ralph|last2=Arnold|first2=Chuck|title=Picks and Pans Review: New on DVD|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20145449,00.html|website=People|access-date=4 July 2014|date=20 September 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412212036/http://people.com/archive/picks-and-pans-review-new-on-dvd-vol-62-no-12/|archive-date=12 April 2018|url-status=live}} Craig MacLean from the Daily Telegraph called Money Can't Buy a "real tour de force" and noticed that the tracks from Body Language were more low-key than songs from her previous albums, describing them as "sedate and immaculate dancefloor rhythm" and "All very stylish and considerably more affecting than the similarly nostalgic Sophie Ellis-Bextor." Mclean praised the incorporation of the past songs as they provided "the huge choruses for which the nation loves her so", and concluded of the show: "No slinky back-arching or pristine choreography here: just the giddy joy of pop music at play."

Broadcasts and live recording

{{Infobox album

| italic_title = no

| name = Body Language Live

| type = video

| artist = Kylie Minogue

| cover = BLL_DVD_CVR.png

| border = yes

| alt =

| released = 12 July 2004

| recorded = 15 November 2003

| venue = {{ubl|Carling Apollo|London, England}}

| studio =

| genre = Pop

| length = 110 minutes

| label = Parlophone

| producer =

| prev_title = Greatest Hits: 87–99

| prev_year = 2003

| next_title = Artist Collection

| next_year = 2004

}}

The show was streamed live on AOL on 15 November 2003. On 22 November, it was broadcast on ITV1, in the United Kingdom. In Australia, it was aired on Network Ten on 24 November.

The concert show was filmed and released as a DVD, titled Body Language Live: Album Launch Live at the London Apollo, on 12 July 2004 in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|title=Body Language Live|url=http://stage.kylie.com/discography/dvdvideo/body-language-live/|work=Kylie.com|access-date=4 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227144230/http://stage.kylie.com/discography/dvdvideo/body-language-live/|archive-date=27 February 2014 }} In the United States, the DVD was released on 7 September. In addition to videos of the live performances, the DVD contains behind-the-scenes footage, music videos of "Slow", "Red Blooded Woman", and "Chocolate", screen visuals for the performances of "Chocolate" and "Slow", wallpapers, and a picture gallery.

In Australia, Body Language Live achieved shipments of 15,000 units and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In the United Kingdom, it was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in March 2005 for completing shipments of 25,000 units. The DVD also charted on the German Albums Chart, peaking at number 64.{{cite web|title=Album – Kylie Minogue Body Language Live [DVD]|url=http://www.officialcharts.de/album.asp?artist=Kylie+Minogue&title=Body+Language+Live+%5BDVD%5D&cat=a&country=de|publisher=Charts.de. GfK|access-date=4 July 2014|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229153813/http://www.officialcharts.de/album.asp?artist=Kylie+Minogue&title=Body+Language+Live+%5BDVD%5D&cat=a&country=de|archive-date=29 December 2014|url-status=dead}}

= Track listing =

{{Tracklist

| title1 = Still Standing

| title2 = Red Blooded Woman

| title3 = On a Night Like This

| title4 = Breathe" / "Je t'aime

| title5 = After Dark

| title6 = Chocolate

| title7 = Can't Get You Out of My Head

| title8 = Slow

| title9 = Obsession

| title10 = In Your Eyes

| title11 = Secret (Take You Home)

| title12 = Spinning Around

| title13 = Love at First Sight

| title14 = Behind the scenes: Body Language live documentary

| title15 = Slow

| note15 = promo video

| title16 = Red Blooded Woman

| note16 = promo video

| title17 = Chocolate

| note17 = promo video

| title18 = Photo Gallery

}}

= Certifications =

{{certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=video|title=Body Language Live|artist=Kylie Minogue|award=Platinum|relyear=2004|certyear=2004|refname="dvdaustcert"|access-date=7 May 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Body Language Live|artist=Kylie Minogue|type=video|award=Gold|relyear=2004|access-date=1 July 2019|refname=dvdukcert|id=983-3313-5}}