Diana Ross is both a diva and a legend. Don't you ever forget it.
April 16, 2007 (Press Release) --
In a short, hour-and-20-minute concert Saturday night at the Chicago Theatre, Ross, who recently celebrated her 63rd birthday, proved to the crowd that neither her talent nor her beauty have diminished. She still reigns supreme.
The night had all the energy of a Southern Baptist revival, only perhaps with more sequins, feathers and tulle -- certainly the singer's dress and accessories of choice.
It all began with Ross teasing the audience by singing the opening strains of "I'm Coming Out" unseen offstage, which succeeded in whipping the sold-out crowd into a frenzy. When she finally appeared between the drum kit and percussion stand, the crowd roared. So mesmerized were they, she could have sung nursery rhymes the rest of the night and they probably wouldn't have cared.
"Tonight, I want you to sing along with me. Join in, all right," she told the crowd as she began a medley of what she called hits from the "old days of the super-duper Supremes." The medley included "My World Is Empty Without You," "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love" and "Stop! In the Name of Love."
Through it all, she seemed to take a bit of devilish delight in poking fun at some of the more iconic poses and stage movements from her days in Motown's No. 1 girl group.
The iconic imagery she created after she left that group was another story. Her movements were treated with the seriousness of a religious ceremony and contained their own instructions:
At one moment, it even looked like a religious ceremony, as a procession of fans lined up to approach the stage and shower their diva with flowers (a white box of long-stemmed roses was graciously accepted, as was a less pricey mixed bouquet from Jewel), a teddy bear and even a black feather boa (which Ross politely refused, saying, "You need to wear your feathers, girl").
While her upper register isn't as powerful as it once was, singers half her age would still envy her range and vocal control. She left little doubt as to her continued greatness as she asserted herself in tunes such as Ashford and Simpson's "It's My House" and a funky arrangement of "Ease on Down the Road" (from "The Wiz").
Even with four costume changes -- one every 20 minutes, like clockwork -- the lady found time to sing the blues with a Billie Holiday medley, including "Fine and Mellow," "Don't Explain" and "Love Is Like a Faucet." While even she might admit her voice is best suited for pop, she still gave a valiant blues performance. The crowd was too busy to notice anyway, drowning out her singing by shouting praises that included "You rock!"
Though the concert is in support of her new album, "I Love You," it was an evening long on hits and virtually absent of songs from that new disc.
Source: http://www.msn.com
The night had all the energy of a Southern Baptist revival, only perhaps with more sequins, feathers and tulle -- certainly the singer's dress and accessories of choice.
It all began with Ross teasing the audience by singing the opening strains of "I'm Coming Out" unseen offstage, which succeeded in whipping the sold-out crowd into a frenzy. When she finally appeared between the drum kit and percussion stand, the crowd roared. So mesmerized were they, she could have sung nursery rhymes the rest of the night and they probably wouldn't have cared.
"Tonight, I want you to sing along with me. Join in, all right," she told the crowd as she began a medley of what she called hits from the "old days of the super-duper Supremes." The medley included "My World Is Empty Without You," "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love" and "Stop! In the Name of Love."
Through it all, she seemed to take a bit of devilish delight in poking fun at some of the more iconic poses and stage movements from her days in Motown's No. 1 girl group.
The iconic imagery she created after she left that group was another story. Her movements were treated with the seriousness of a religious ceremony and contained their own instructions:
At one moment, it even looked like a religious ceremony, as a procession of fans lined up to approach the stage and shower their diva with flowers (a white box of long-stemmed roses was graciously accepted, as was a less pricey mixed bouquet from Jewel), a teddy bear and even a black feather boa (which Ross politely refused, saying, "You need to wear your feathers, girl").
While her upper register isn't as powerful as it once was, singers half her age would still envy her range and vocal control. She left little doubt as to her continued greatness as she asserted herself in tunes such as Ashford and Simpson's "It's My House" and a funky arrangement of "Ease on Down the Road" (from "The Wiz").
Even with four costume changes -- one every 20 minutes, like clockwork -- the lady found time to sing the blues with a Billie Holiday medley, including "Fine and Mellow," "Don't Explain" and "Love Is Like a Faucet." While even she might admit her voice is best suited for pop, she still gave a valiant blues performance. The crowd was too busy to notice anyway, drowning out her singing by shouting praises that included "You rock!"
Though the concert is in support of her new album, "I Love You," it was an evening long on hits and virtually absent of songs from that new disc.
Source: http://www.msn.com
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