Kylie Minogue

Respiratory infection causes cancellation of Kylie Minogue concerts

Just when breast cancer survivor Kylie Minogue was gearing up to resume her singing career after the surgery, a respiratory tract infection forced her on Saturday to cancel two concerts in the United Kingdom.

The Australian singer was also forced to end her concert at the Manchester Evening News (MEN) Arena after an hour of performing due to the nasty cold. The two cancelled 'Showgirl Homecoming Tour' concerts were to be held on January 15 and 16, but organizers said they might be rescheduled depending on Minogue's health.

“She is not going to perform tomorrow or on Tuesday,” a spokesman for the arena said on Sunday. The 38-year-old singer's publicist confirmed the development to BBC. “Kylie has been diagnosed by doctors as having a moderately severe respiratory tract infection and doctors have insisted that she not perform in the immediate future,” the publicist said.

Minogue's latest illness might not affect the concerts scheduled for Thursday and Friday, but an official confirmation is yet to come. The organizers have asked ticket buyers to keep their tickets, which will be refunded if the cancelled concerts are not rescheduled. “The MEN Arena is advising anyone with tickets for tonight or tomorrow night's performance to hold onto them until a decision has been made whether the above concerts can be rescheduled as tickets will remain valid for any new Manchester dates,” a statement posted on the arena's Web site said.

Ever since she was diagnosed with breast cancer early 2005, Minogue's health has been in a fragile state. The Can't Get You out of My Head singer underwent surgery in May the same year and took small steps towards resuming her career early 2006. In November 2006 in Sydney, she took over from where she left off her 'Showgirl Homecoming Tour', beginning the UK leg of the tour on December 31 night at the Wembley Arena in London. She has given several performances since then. Minogue's hasty return to her showbiz career has sparked concern among her fans. Medical experts are also of the opinion that she should take it easy till she regains her health completely.

Besides concerts, the singer is also working on her albums and recently unveiled her perfume 'Darling' and a children's book The Showgirl Princess. Bloggers present at the Saturday concert said that Minogue did not seem to be keeping well and was struggling with the performance, which are usually energetic and elaborate. Many felt she should have cancelled the weekend show altogether.

“Kylie went on stage in Manchester tonight and did half of her show and then unfortunately could not go back on just before the interval. She didn't want to let anyone down. She wanted to try to get through the show, but had to cut it short,” her publicist said in response. The singer might have caught the infection from other members of her troupe suffering from the flu. “We are still waiting to see what is going to happen for the rest of the tour. There are four dates left in Manchester. Kylie is suffering (from) flu, as are other members of the tour group, including her manager. It is not linked to her breast cancer,” the publicist added.

Noted for her singles The Loco-Motion, I Believe In You, Can't Get You out of My Head, and Slow, among others, Minogue won a Grammy Award in 2004 for Come Into My World. Her new album is scheduled for release sometime this year.

Kylie Minogue, Showgirl Homecoming Live (Parlophone/emi) ****

The anticipation for Kylie's triumphant return was at fever pitch. The show promised to be emotional. It promised to be Locomotional. But on Saturday night, 12,000 fans stood saw a shadow of the Impossible Princess, dressed up to the nines, pose her way through the opening numbers of her Showgirl Homecoming production in Manchester. Gone was the high-energy performance. Gone the sparkle of exuberant optimism. Gone that lovely voice. Kylie apologised for her failing health, but tortuously continued to deliver only three eighths of her show, before ending the performance. Despite protests that she was suffering from a severe cold, most of the audience sensed Kylie was either pushing or being pushed too far, too early. A small consolation to her loyal fans is the soundtrack to her Australian shows recorded in November. Although basically the same as the aborted Showgirl production of 2005, the show has been re-jigged and now includes a Middle Eastern showcase and a cover of Madonna's Vogue.

Illness forces Kylie Minogue to cancel 2 concerts during comeback tour

LONDON (AP) -- A respiratory infection has forced Kylie Minogue to cancel two concerts on her comeback tour following treatment for breast cancer. The Australian singer only managed to perform half of a scheduled 2.5-hour concert Saturday in Manchester, northern England, because of the infection, spokesman John Bills said. On Sunday, a spokesman for the Manchester Evening News arena, where Kylie was performing her Showgirl Homecoming tour, said doctors had advised her to cancel shows Monday and Tuesday. Bills said there was no connection to Minogue's recovery from treatment for breast cancer, which led to a year-and-a-half hiatus before a comeback tour that began in Sydney, Australia, in November. Minogue, 38, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005. She underwent successful surgery in her hometown of Melbourne, Australia, that month, followed by five months of chemotherapy in Paris.

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