Kylie.. she's still golden

POP PRINCESS HITS THE JACKPOT IN LAS VEGAS

- LAURA ARMSTRONG

KYLIE Minogue had fans in tears as she hugged them and danced on tables at her Las Vegas residency on Friday, bursting on to the stage to announce: "Please fasten your seatbelts... my name is Kylie."

The 55-year-old pop princess revelled in the intimate party atmosphere as she opened the run of 20 shows - launching into her lively set at The Venetian's new club, Voltaire, in a fusillade of flashing lasers and starbursts.

In a gold fringed dress with matching boots, she drew cheers from the capacity audience of 1,000 fans as she revealed the spectacular had been a year-and-a-half in the making.

And she took a moment to show her appreciation, telling them: "Thank you for helping with the intimacy of this show, just by being as present as possible. It makes a huge difference."

A show insider said: "Kylie didn't want this residency to feel like any other, hence the name - More Than Just A Residency. She didn't want fans watching from a distance, she wanted to be with them. It was very much her idea to go out into the crowd and dance, to create a real party atmosphere.

"She knew that her fans would really love that."