When I think of Kylie Minogue, my mind immediately jumps back to the late 1980s and her ubiquitous version of the “Locomotion” [I realize Kylie Minogue has been famous in the period since, although certainly more so in Europe than in North America]. Aside from this tenuous chronological link, it seemed somewhat odd that Polish organizers of the Solidarity anniversary celebrations decided to throw a free concert featuring none other than the Australian pop diva, outside the famous Gdansk shipyards where the trade union movement that brought about the fall of communism in Poland was born.

The concert held two nights ago featured Kylie in an outfit that reflected the organizers’ bewildering choice: what looked like a tinfoil Phantom of the Opera mask and a black shirt and pants that seemed to have been cut into pieces and pasted back onto her body.  100,000 people lined up for the hour-long free concert (see the first five minutes of the show below).

The move was certainly intended to appeal to Polish youth, many of whom have become disenchanted with Poland’s post-communist achievements. Ironically, the historic shipyards have fallen into disrepair and debt over the last two decades, and are up for sale.