Diana in Minneapolis

[marybrewster]

It was almost a decade ago that Diana played the Twin Cities [[her last concert here was 2004 at Mystic Lake Casino). To me, the decade was well worth the wait.

Diana's performance at the Orpheum Theater was, well, supreme. Today's "divas" take note: the concert was scheduled to start at 8pm and at 8pm, the concert started. And for the next 75 minutes, Diana served it.

From the opening chords of "I'm Coming Out", the audience was on it's feet and Miss Ross had us eating out of the palm of her hand. 4 costume changes [[well, 8 if you want to include the "dusters" over each gown); a red sequinned number, a blue sequinned number with [[almost) batwings, a black and sheer sequinned number [[sheer on top and all the was down both sides.....was the Boss wearing panties?) and an orange sequinned number. She gave us all the hits: "Upside Down", "Touch Me", "Love Hangover", "The Boss", Love Child", Supremes Medley [["Baby Love/Stop!"), "Do You Know" and Ain't No Mountain"; she gave us a few new favorites "More Today" and "The Look of Love"; and of course, she gave us a few "oddities": "Ease on Down the Road". "Take Me Higher" and "Don't Explain". Naturally, she closed with "I Will Survive". No real surprises, just Diana doing Diana.

We had great tickets; 7th row. I snapped a few pictures [[and got yelled at because of the flash....oops!) and afterwards, treated myself to a tour program. Nothing new, but a nice collectible at $25.00. She also had t-shirts [[$35.00) and her autobio "Secrets" for sale at $30.00.

A couple of sides:

In the FRONT ROW was a so-so Diana impersonator. I say so-so because it was only because of the Diana hair that made "her" look like Diana. The REAL Diana paid this girl no mind, LOL. And quite honestly, so did the crowd. They came to see the REAL DEAL. Being "in the business", I actually saw THREE other associates of mine, all that make fabulous Diana's; all of them were incognito. I asked one why she didn't dress; she said out of respect. She didn't want any distractions for the legend. I thought that was nice.

About mid-way through the show, while Diana was singing "Ease" she spotted a young man [[if you read the article, it mentions the 7 year-old boy); she called for "the baby" to come onstage; he was lifted up and busted out some Michael Jackson-esque dance moves. As he was starting to steal the show, LOL. Diana had him promptly taken off stage, not without a hug and kiss before he was sent back to the audience.

The only "downer" of the evening were the people sitting behind us; we pretty much stood for the whole concert; these people were [[RUDELY) yelling for us to "SIT DOWN". Who the hell pays $100.00 for a ticket to see Diana to sit down? I was there to party; to dance; to sing along. And so I did. :) I suppose another "down" was that the show was only 75 minutes. But what an amazing 75 minutes.

I don't know if Diana will ever make it back to the Cities again; I am so fortunate and so lucky to have seen her once again. I dare say she was better than ever. I certainly say she was worth every penny.

[marybrewster]

7173

Here's a pic.....:)

8-28-13

[jobeterob]

Happy ladies, nice to read.

[Roberta75]

Real nice review marybrewster. Diane always deliver a great show. I try to see her at the Hollywood Bowl last month but all the tickets was sold. I will definitely catch her next time.

Thanks again.

Yours, with every good wish.

Roberta

[Penny]

Marybrewster, thank you for the great review. You always post the most interesting things and you are always so polite. One is mean here but you seem to handle it pretty well when it rears its ugly head. Keep up the good work and I am so happy that you got to see Miss Ross perform. I know you had a wonderful time. Thank you, again, for sharing it with us. You are a doll.

Your AVON friend;
Penny:cool:

[Methuselah2]

Mary - Your review surprised me because you usually seem to see things pretty clearly from what I can tell. But your musings about standing up during the concert strike me as very off-base. If the venue has seats, then the intent is to have people seated, and that's what they've purchased. The occasional standing ovation is fine and to be expected. But the continual standing up throughout a show that often goes on seems so wrong-headed to me, so inconsiderate to those who remain seated. 'Rude', you say? Do you truly not see where the rudeness is? I understand that standing and dancing enhances your enjoyment of the show--but at the expense of others not being able to enjoy the show at all, let alone not being able to see it.

Theatres would do well to reserve an entire side or side section of the theatre for those who want to stand and dance--and sell tickets under that stipulation. Or set aside a number of back rows for standers so as not to block the view.

I guess you could piss in the aisle if you wanted to. You certainly pissed on the person seated behind you.

[marybrewster]

Mary - Your review surprised me because you usually seem to see things pretty clearly from what I can tell. But your musings about standing up during the concert strike me as very off-base. If the venue has seats, then the intent is to have people seated, and that's what they've purchased. The occasional standing ovation is fine and to be expected. But the continual standing up throughout a show that often goes on seems so wrong-headed to me, so inconsiderate to those who remain seated. 'Rude', you say? Do you truly not see where the rudeness is? I understand that standing and dancing enhances your enjoyment of the show--but at the expense of others not being able to enjoy the show at all, let alone not being able to see it.

Theatres would do well to reserve an entire side or side section of the theatre for those who want to stand and dance--and sell tickets under that stipulation. Or set aside a number of back rows for standers so as not to block the view.

I guess you could piss in the aisle if you wanted to. You certainly pissed on the person seated behind you.

Methuselah2-

I appreciate your comments and I can definitely see your point of view [[it wasn't you sitting behind me, was it?). I jest.

I suppose I should have gone into more detail; for those not familiar with the Orpheum, it is an old theatre, one of three or four theatres in the area that have partnered together to make the "Hennepin Theatre Trust". It's usually difficult to obtain seats at an of the venues, simply because of the costly annual membership or sponsorship. For the most part, these venues do not hold concerts, more operas or off-Broadway shows. Most of the members, or sponsors, are older, rich, and white.

The night of the Diana Ross concert, the was a large majority of white women, gussied up in their finest, off on a "girls night out" to see Diana Ross. A lot of the people in my section, particularly in the seats behind me, clearly had never been to a Diana concert. Maybe not to a concert ever. I did not see one singing along, I did not see one dancing along. I am not sure what they thought they were going to see.

MANY times throughout the concert, Diana herself made mention of dancing along; singing along. That she could see us. She could see our smiling faces. I'm sure she saw mine.

With that said, there were many times throughout the evening that I did sit, when sitting was appropriate. Let's face it, "Touch Me in the Morning" isn't really a song you let loose to. And so, I did sit. But there were several sections that stood for the whole concert. Clearly these are my type of people; the people that came to have a good time. I wish I would have been with them.

And so while I'm sure I did piss a few people off, at the end of all of this, I am not a dog. I am a human being. I don't respond well to someone YELLING at me to "SIT DOWN". In fact, I don't respond AT ALL. You want respect? You give respect. Had ANY ONE OF THEM tapped me on the shoulder and asked me politely to sit, I would have. Well, I would have. Because to me "Upside Down" and "I Will Survive" are DANCE numbers. So that's exactly what I did. I mean, assuming you've seen Diana, have you stood and danced at any point? I'm not talking about during numbers like "Don't Explain" or "The Look of Love" [[OBVIOUS ballads), but during numbers like "Take Me Higher" or "Love Hangover"?

[Methuselah2]

Mary - I last saw Ross perform in 2011, basically the same show that you saw. And you are right--throughout the evening, she encouraged the audience to have a good time, to sing along. I can't say she encouraged dancing when I saw her but people got up to do so throughout the evening, and Ross didn't say anything to stop it. That was one error I think she made the night I saw her. And from what you've said and also from recent video clips of her current tour that I've seen, she is continuing her show in that vein. She has definitely blurred the lines of a concert in this respect and, if she thinks it helps some people have a better time, she's right. But she's also having some people have a much worse time than they might have ever imagined. Regardless of race, gender, age, and individual cost of any seat, the price of a ticket should ensure that--at very least--the show will be seen. The entire show, not merely a number here, a number there.

How those sitting behind you handled their part of the situation certainly sounds unpleasant and not the best of all possible ways. They reacted probably because of being frustrated over not getting the one aspect of the show that they had expected--and that's seeing it. They were obviously angry and should have tried a more personable manner of letting you know. Or they should have sought an usher for assistance--all of which is no doubt difficult to do in the midst of Ross' performance.

But even so, I personally feel that no one should interfere with someone else's simply being able to see the show. Unless it's promoted as a sing-along, dance-along. But some people got a whole lot more than they had reason to expect and ended up getting a whole lot less than they paid for. For me, having someone standing up in front of me during a performance goes beyond the pale. And I would hope any performer and theatre management give the situation some studied attention.

I'm glad you responded, Mary. Thank you.

[marv2]

and then she goes and does something like this.........Big Hypocrite!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMj0xdA74Sg

[supremester]

Sorry, Marveena - as usual, your zeal to discredit Miss Ross leaves you with 69 year-old Diva Egg on your face! I was at BOTH shows mentioned in this thread, Miss Thang. Dancing was NOT allowed [[as in NO DANCING - ZERO STANDING) in Atlantic City - I don't know why. NO ONE was dancing during the Diana Ross & The Supremes segment. The people she chastised [[AND got a huge ovation for doing so, I might add - thank-you-very-much) were receiving Supreme Wrath for being tardy to the party while inebriated and crawling all over people in the wrong row and insisting they were in the correct row, then, when finally sitting in the correct row, they realized they had spilled their cocktails in the melee and went back out to get fresh drinks and CRAWLED ALL OVER those same peeps again - then returned a minute later to repeat the process. People had been complaining about them and Her Most Supreme Highness, The Diva Supreme Herself had done had enough, girlfriend! And THAT'S exactly how it happened. I was in Row 3 Left, center aisle and saw and heard it all. On a side note, I would like to thank you for sharing the FACTS that you do - your body of knowledge enhances our lives here at Motown Forum, as all contributors do. I better go before my bf sees me writing to you - he gets mighty jealous!

[vgalindo]

Mary - Your review surprised me because you usually seem to see things pretty clearly from what I can tell. But your musings about standing up during the concert strike me as very off-base. If the venue has seats, then the intent is to have people seated, and that's what they've purchased. The occasional standing ovation is fine and to be expected. But the continual standing up throughout a show that often goes on seems so wrong-headed to me, so inconsiderate to those who remain seated. 'Rude', you say? Do you truly not see where the rudeness is? I understand that standing and dancing enhances your enjoyment of the show--but at the expense of others not being able to enjoy the show at all, let alone not being able to see it.

Theatres would do well to reserve an entire side or side section of the theatre for those who want to stand and dance--and sell tickets under that stipulation. Or set aside a number of back rows for standers so as not to block the view.

I guess you could piss in the aisle if you wanted to. You certainly pissed on the person seated behind you. I sure do agree with what you are saying. I was at the Hollywood Bowl last month and I felt sorry for so many fans next to me that had the people in front of them standing and dancing to almost the whole show. It seemed very rude because the fans behind them could not see anything. It was very irritating to say the least.

[jobeterob]

Marv's video reminded him of when Diana had him removed for bad behaviour!;)

[marybrewster]

I sure do agree with what you are saying. I was at the Hollywood Bowl last month and I felt sorry for so many fans next to me that had the people in front of them standing and dancing to almost the whole show. It seemed very rude because the fans behind them could not see anything. It was very irritating to say the least.

Why would you feel sorry for so many people? If they didn't think to ask the security guard to politely ask those dancing to sit down, maybe they didn't mind it? I certainly hope they weren't screaming for them to sit down. Clearly that tactic doesn't work, LOLz.

[vgalindo]

Why would you feel sorry for so many people? If they didn't think to ask the security guard to politely ask those dancing to sit down, maybe they didn't mind it? I certainly hope they weren't screaming for them to sit down. Clearly that tactic doesn't work, LOLz. Believe me they were complaining. There was no security near by. Don't get me wrong. I love it when fans dance and sing along with Diana but not through the whole show at the expense of others not being able to see.

[skooldem1]

Here is the thing about Diana Ross. She has a larger than life persona. Her mere presence often brings people to their feet. On stage, even as old as she is, she has that rock star quality about her. People rush the stage and stand up for most of the show.

[skooldem1]

If you watch any of the music award shows, or any televised concerts that come on now, most of them have the front section devoted to people who will stand for the entire show. This is the society we live in now.

[marybrewster]

Here is the thing about Diana Ross. She has a larger than life persona. Her mere presence often brings people to their feet. On stage, even as old as she is, she has that rock star quality about her. People rush the stage and stand up for most of the show.

Ey! Yes! Thank you for putting into words EXACTLY what I've been trying to say. I have seen GROWN MEN WEEP at a Diana concert. It's fair to say that I always get teary-eyed. Because she's THAT fabulous.

As I've mentioned to the firing squad, I DID sit during approriate times during the concert. But when she's encouranging the audience to "party", well, that's what I'm going to do.

The bottom line is: if you want to sit while watching Diana Ross, go rent "Lady Sings the Blues".

[marybrewster]

If you watch any of the music award shows, or any televised concerts that come on now, most of them have the front section devoted to people who will stand for the entire show. This is the society we live in now.

Yes. Maybe Diana needs a "pit" for her more enthused audience.

[milven]

I saw her a few weeks ago and pulled the below quote from my review. I am one who would prefer not to stand up for the entire show. But from the seats we had, it was like watching two shows at once. The superb Diana on stage, and then we could see the entire orchrestra section audience too and most of them were standing, rocking, and enjoying the concert. It was a joy to watch them. Everyone was busy recording Diana and Gloria duet Survive, but it would have nice if someone from where we were seated recorded the audience below, because it was a show in itself.

MB. if someone told one of those people to sit down, even if they did, there were rows and rows of others that were standing. They still wouldn't see the show unless they stood too.


...We usually sit in front orchrestra for concerts and plays but got the tickets a little late and had to settle for box seats. But they turned out to be better seats because we could see Diana up close and the entire audience too. So we got two shows in one. Diana continually turned up the lights to see the faces of the audience.....

[marybrewster]

I saw her a few weeks ago and pulled the below quote from my review. I am one who would prefer not to stand up for the entire show. But from the seats we had, it was like watching two shows at once. The superb Diana on stage, and then we could see the entire orchrestra section audience too and most of them were standing, rocking, and enjoying the concert. It was a joy to watch them. Everyone was busy recording Diana and Gloria duet Survive, but it would have nice if someone from where we were seated recorded the audience below, because it was a show in itself.

MB. if someone told one of those people to sit down, even if they did, there were rows and rows of others that were standing. They still wouldn't see the show unless they stood too.

Hi milven; yes, she turned up the house lights in Minneapolis; pretty much after every song. She made mention later in the show how she wanted to see our smiling faces. I thought it was a nice touch.

[vgalindo]

Here is the thing about Diana Ross. She has a larger than life persona. Her mere presence often brings people to their feet. On stage, even as old as she is, she has that rock star quality about her. People rush the stage and stand up for most of the show. I know what you mean. I have seen Diana Ross live in concert more times than I can count. The fun part of the show for me now is to watch the response from the audience. I love to see so many people giving Diana all the love. However there are times you should take your seat and times when Diana wants you to stand and dance. A little consideration for others in the back of you would be nice.