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4/6/07 |
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Diana Ross I LOVE YOU Concert |
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Madison Square
Garden Theater, NYC |
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By Thomas Todd |
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www.dianaross.com |
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What I Liked About Diana’s I LOVE YOU Concert:
1. She sang only two songs recorded after 1981—which was a
clever way for the diva to comment on everything she's recorded
for the past twenty-five years. In other words, adoring fans:
ignore everything after 1981. Alas, the two recently recorded
songs that she did sing were from her new CD “I LOVE YOU” and
both were eminently forgettable and both occurred at the end of
an overwhelmingly intense concert. So, I snoozed and fell into a
half-sleep: in order to conserve energy for the performance’s
finale—even though, at the time, I had no clue as to just how
THRILLING that finale was going to be.
2. There was no annoying talk or fake-chatter with the audience
to break the concert’s momentum. The show propelled forcefully
forward and stopped only when it was over. The closest she came
to banter was a remark during "It's My House" when, after doing
a few bumps and grinds, she commented to someone in the first
row, "Not bad for an old broad, huh?” a throwaway comment
reminiscent of the Diana Ross from the Seventies. Back then, if
the diva worship threatened to get out of hand, she'd do
something to tone the show down, to bring the audience back to
earth.
And Ross could easily have relied on nostalgia to introduce
"Where Did Our Love Go." Previous to that smash record, the
Supremes had released eight flop 45s, a string of failures
unheard of at Motown—and one that earned the girl-group the
moniker "The No-Hit Supremes." But then, on April 8, 1964, they
recorded "Where Did Our Love Go"—and the rest was history. Not
that sentimental memories were Ross's concern at this concert. If they had been, she might have noted that “Where Did Our Love
Go?” had been recorded almost 43 years ago to the day. She could
have gone all syrupy on us, flicking away a tear or two, as she
recalled the long gone good old days… Instead, she attacked the
sexy but plaintive hit with a new aggressive energy. Lachrymose,
this was not—nor was any part of this show.
3. The musicians—a keyboard, two drums and two guitars—created a
pared-down sound very much like the funk group Chic. The
scratchy guitars galvanized the hits and gave tired duds like
"Ease on Down the Road” and "Love Child" an excitingly new life.
Seriously, the songs sounded newly minted and fresh—and all the
better for knowing that Niles Rodgers was in the audience.
4. The concert's main focus was the estate of Diana Ross's
voice: rich and
thrusting on her defiant (and definitive) "The Boss," and
sensitive and elegant on ballads like "Don't Explain" and "Touch
Me In the Morning." Whenever she sustained a note of
particularly shimmering beauty, the crowd applauded.
5. And yes, folks, she changed gowns—more than a few times. This
is show biz, after all! Ross has always utilized multiple
costume changes. The audience wants it that way. After all, it’s
not as if she were doing a lieder recital. And yes, even that
hair is theatrical—and it looks great onstage.
6. Her voice. Yes, her voice has changed during her more than
forty years of stardom, but she still knows how to work it, and
at this concert, she completely avoided any treacly warbling.
The thin, high-pitched
chirping that she has often resorted to was noticeably absent.
(And also, for the record, Ross never tried to sing like Billie
Holliday. In the film Lady Sings the Blues, her vocalizing is
part of a dramatic performance. Ross suggests Billie Holliday's
voice without ever imitating it. And at this concert, Ross paid
homage to Billie Holliday by singing two signature pieces with a
ravishing beauty of tone that, once again, honored both the
music and the Lady most often associated with it.)
7. The audience ranged in age from about 7 to 77 and was a
delightful composite of Asian, African-American, Caucasian,
male, female, gay, and straight. Her appeal is much broader than
I had previously thought and it was incredible to see teenage
girls dancing (as was everyone else) to her Supremes medley.
8. And then those songs… Ross was not doing your garden-variety
"oldies" concert. Instead, these songs are pop classics, and she
gave them the respect they deserve. Think about it: has there
ever been a time in the past forty years when "Baby Love" has
not been emanating from either a store, a disco, a radio, or a
taxi cab?
9. Her very "becoming" modesty. As we all know, Ross could have
gone on and on and on about the accolades she's received during
her career (for example, that special Tony she was awarded in
1977 for her legendary performances at the Palace Theatre).
Arguably, Ross was the first black female to achieve superstar
status in any
area of show business, and she did it at a time when music made
her
legendary ascent possible. Let’s face it, black women today owe
a lot to the Diana Ross of the Sixties Supremes.
Oh—and also—Ross never mentioned the Supremes—or, for that
matter, any of the original members by name. She sang these
songs as if they were hers and hers alone.
10. Which brings us to: The Finale. In the past, Ross has tried
that old disco chestnut "I Will Survive" but never before has it
had this impact. She tore into the number with full-bodied
voice and made it an electrifying musical commentary on her own
survival. And right when the performance could easily have
ended, the lights changed and the musicians started playing more
excitingly than ever, whereupon Ross pointed at her audience,
giving her another a standing ovation, and shouted with
determination, "YOU WILL!"
And there I was, thinking: Yes, thank you, Diana. I needed to
hear that. We all did. The woman will survive and so shall we
all. Then, waving to her standing audience, she shouted, “Til
next time.”
I’ll be there. We all will.
Thomas
Please welcome guest columnist, Thomas T.V. Todd. One of the
world’s foremost authorities on all matters related to Miss
Diana Ross, both onstage and off-, Todd had the privilege of
witnessing the original Supremes in concert not once, but
twice—and has seen no fewer than six of Miss Diana Ross’s solo
concerts. Needless to say (but we’ll say it anyway), the man
lives and breathes for Her every move—even when wrongheaded, but
particularly when the Diva’s spot on. Comments can be directed
to Todd at: thomastodd2@yahoo.com. |
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