Another New Diana Ross Concert

[jobeterob]

Palace in Stamford announces Diana Ross concert

Written by Jen Powers, Stamford Center for the Arts
Monday, 15 November 2010 14:43

The Stamford Center for the Arts and Premier Concerts are have announced that Motown legend Diana Ross will perform on Friday, March 18, at The Palace Theatre. The legendary icon will perform her greatest hits in a spectacular live show and will be pulling out all the stops with breathtaking costumes and stage designs, along with a live string and horn section.

SCA members may purchase tickets starting Monday, Nov. 15. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, Nov. 19, at 11am. Tickets may be purchased at the SCA website, www.scalive.org or charged by phone with major credit cards by calling the SCA box office at 203-325-4466. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Palace Theatre box office in downtown Stamford. The box office is open Monday-Friday from 10 to 6.

Diana Ross, who lives in Greenwich, has had a profound influence on American popular culture and has become an icon in the entertainment industry. She is an Academy Award-nominated actress for her unforgettable role as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings The Blues, a Tony and Golden Globe winner, a bestselling author, winner of eight American Music Awards and a recipient of The Kennedy Center Honors. Her reputation as a woman of great style and beauty has put her on the covers of hundreds of magazines. Ms. Ross has sold over 100 million records and recorded 18 #1 hits. Her music became the sound of young America in the ‘60s soon after she signed with Motown Records in 1961 with The Supremes. She embarked on her extraordinary solo career in 1970, and has not stopped since.

The Diana Ross concert will be a benefit concert for The Palace Gala on Friday, March 18, which will feature a Gala Cocktail Party prior to the concert. The Gala is made possible by Presenting Sponsors RFR Realty and Purdue Pharma. SCA Trustee Lynn DiMenna of Darien is The Palace Gala Event Chair. Gala Benefit VIP Patron tickets are $300 per ticket. Please call SCA Chief Development Officer Chris Larsen at 203-517-3419 for more information.

All performances are at the Stamford Center for the Arts’ Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic Street.

For additional information [[directions, parking) visit the SCA website at www.scalive.org or call 203-325-4466.

[supreme_lady]

Below the article is a beautiful photo on the right of Diana with an admirer, she truly looks FABULOUSLY SUPREME.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/nov/15/celebrity-recap-whoopi-goldberg-granddaughter-cele/

[supreme_lady]

Fabulous photos/ review of the Supreme Diva herself.

http://www.shulmansays.com/archives/BOSVIEW/Diana-Ross--She-Still-Keeps-Us-Hanging-On/

[supreme_lady]

Another Fab review by a fan.

This is what a Diana Ross concert is suppose to be like! After "touring" with her to different venues in her latest incarnation of a greatest hits tour, I can honestly say that Diana Ross' performance at Cesar's Palace on Saturday was the best one yet. I can only imagine how Friday's was [[I can only live it thru the reviews by other club members)! This was by far, her best vocal performance [[she was "off" on a few notes here and there but overall amazing!), her energy level was high as well. As I mentioned in another e-mail, there is something about Las Vegas that brings out the best in our girl. There wasn't anything new in her song selections [[actually there were a couple of songs that went missing...I may be wrong but I don't recall hearing Ease On Down The Road, Mirror, Mirror, a couple of Supremes song and there was no 'Reach Out & Touch' encore) but the ones she did sing sounded fresh because they was tight. Diana and her current band has create a bond at this point that they all seemed incredibly in sync with one another. I remember one concert in this tour where the drummer jumped into "I Will Survive" AFTER she sang 'You Are Not Alone' and she gave him a look which made him freeze and the rest of the band immediately segued into "I Love You." Most audience members probably didn't catch it but those who knew the sequence did. There was none of that on Saturday Night. Every song fell right into place and it gave Ms. Ross the confidence to concentrate on her vocals and even her dance moves. Although she was personal with the audience, she kept her small talk minimal [[as she has been in this tour). I won't go into the songs she sang because everyone who has been reading the reviews in this club knows the order. As mentioned, the addition of the dancers brought a new dimension to the show - but that's Vegas, baby. Performers don't just have shows - they have spectaculars! Diana Ross is no different. As mentioned, the audience mostly comprised of locals and they eagerly awaited for any attention she was willing to give them. I was sitting in the fourth row so I was able to get some amazing photos and video clips. There is something grand to be said about the view of the stage and watching Ms. Ross perform only a few feet away; but its another to sit in the middle or even the balcony to get an overview of the entire event: sometimes it can be breathtaking to see the entire arena come alive, something you can't enjoy being up close and personal. So for me, the jury is still out as to where it is best to sit in one of her shows. As I said, her vocals were simply amazing and stunning. This is the first time I heard her sing 'It's Hard For Me To Say' comfortably. At the beginning of her tour, I felt she was struggling to reach some notes in this song, but on Saturday Night, the lyrics came out of her naturally. She definitely nailed the song as she did with most of the others. However, toward the end of the show, I noticed a few notes sung off-key but even then, she was able to correct herself. When the show was over and I was heading out the door, I overheard one lady telling her friend that she even though she couldn't be Diana Ross, she wanted to, at least, have her clothes! They're still stunning regardless how many times I've seen them. I have to mention a magical trick, a Las Vegas illusion, that this show successfully staged by having George Wallace open the show for her. He covered one common ailment of Ms. Ross current show...her ability to get on the stage on time! LOL. The majority of shows that I attended, had Ms. Ross on stage 15 to 25 minutes after the printed start time.

The following night, I did go to see Human Nature perform again across the street from Cesar's at the Imperial Palace. And again I was placed at a table directly in front of the stage where I could see the sweat pour from their faces. A couple of them smiled at me because they were acknowledging the fact that I was wearing a Diana Ross T Shirt in tribute to 'the Motown Sound'. I've mentioned that their show was stunning but this time around, I was concentrating more on their intricate dance movements that they've learned from the Four Tops, Temptations and other Motown acts. They're timing was impeccable and down-right haunting. I saw Motown flash before my eyes! When they sung "You Can't Hurry Love", they called it their favorite Motown song because it was fun to sing.

Unfortunately I didn't run into any Diana Ross fans that I knew and I'm too shy to go up and say anything to anyone even though I know all of them came for Diana Ross. To read all these reviews of the different club members that were in attendance made me wish I was more outgoing so that I could have met some of them. Maybe next time. But it was still a magical weekend, when I arrived at my hotel, "I'm Coming Out" was playing in the casino and when I left to check-out today, one of the hotel staffers suddenly broke out into song, singing 'Ease On Down The Road'. Very odd.

But let it be said that Diana Ross should really consider a permanent gig at Las Vegas. I know she was offered it before and last weekend was a testament to her ability to draw in a crowd [[Saturday's show wasn't sold out but it certainly felt that way). However a commitment to bring her show to Vegas permanently may scare her because, IMHO, it will prevent her from traveling across the nation and the world where I feel she likes to bring her talents to. I also think she might be afraid that she may not be able to draw people to her show the way somebody as flamboyant as Bette Midler, Barry Manilow & Cher could [[IMO, her feelings might have stemmed from the Return to Love Tour - which affected her big time). Hopefully, this weekend would put any fear she may have had to rest. She could be the new Queen of Las Vegas entertainment if she put her mind to it. There ain't nothing this lady can't do.

[marybrewster]

Diana is looking GOOD [[not a fan of the cotton candy dress however, and hey, is that a "Jesus Robe" she's wearing, LOL). Miss D is having a spectacular run with this concert tour; proof that "oldies" are still "goodies".

[marybrewster]

Funny; I typed "wearing" only once, yet it's showing twice in my post. Hmmmmm?

[1382hitsville]

Supreme Lady, thanks for this review. October 2009 she was in the Netherlands, performing a stadium, with a big live band. You can youtube "Symphonica In Rosso + Diana Ross" for clips. This was in years she performed with a live band and it seems she really give the best performance with a real band. Like the US tour. Real horns, real strings....

[smark21]

Supreme Lady, thanks for this review. October 2009 she was in the Netherlands, performing a stadium, with a big live band. You can youtube "Symphonica In Rosso + Diana Ross" for clips. This was in years she performed with a live band and it seems she really give the best performance with a real band. Like the US tour. Real horns, real strings....

However for her Vegas show, the real strings that she used in her tour this spring were gone, replaced by synthesizers and dancers on stage.

[topdiva1]

Ole gal is banking them dollars.

[supreme_lady]

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

This clip where she gives the dude the mic, is awesome! There is something different about her now, and in this performance. She’s dancing around more, and she is back to wearing heels! I hated seeing her running around town in flat shoes. I do know that she was doing it because of a knee injury last year. It’s just good to see her back and joyous again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxMSK0svM1Y [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxMSK0svM1Y)

[supreme_lady]

Reviews and photos from Dick's Website.

http://raketler.angelfire.com/dianarosstour2010fanreviews.html

[jobeterob]

Brian Jones/Las Vegas News Bureau

Diana Ross at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace on Nov. 12, 2010.

By Robin Leach [[contact)

Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010 | 5:37 p.m.

For the second consecutive week, I reveled in old time Las Vegas with a simplistic, straightforward concert presentation of magnificent music and sensational songs. Last weekend, it was Rod Stewart in top form. This past weekend, it was the queen, the diva, the superstar Diana Ross that sent the crowds wild.

They danced in their seats. They danced in the aisles. They mobbed her at the front of the stage as she sang while posing for fans’ cameras. Each song brought one more standing ovation. They worshiped and adored her. She was elegant, poised, perfect and in fantastic voice. Another fabulous example of what true Vegas entertainment is meant to be.

Flamingo headliner George Wallace, who has worked with Diana ever since she first hit Vegas back in the mid 1970s, was her guest comedian, and he wound up inviting all 4,100 members of the audience across The Strip to his showroom for more laughs. Two amazing dancers from David Saxe’s Vegas! The Show at Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile also entertained.

Diana delivered exactly what she promised for her two nights at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace: greatest hits. She was as hot and as great, if not better, than ever. From start to finish, she commandeered the stage of what had been her on-and-off home for 20-plus years with a nonstop marathon of hits, taking only five short breaks long enough to change into one more fabulous gown than the one before it.

Six stunning outfits in all: gold, black, blue and pink topped with outrageous oversized boas and wraps. While she slithered out of one and into another, the band played, the dancers danced and her singers sang. There wasn’t one lost moment in the 93 minutes.

Diana is in her mid 60s but looks and sounds as young and as chipper as she was back in the early days of Motown and The Supremes, and there was an abundance of old stills and video clips to show her decades at the top of the pop, R&B and dance charts. If my memory is correct, this was her second time back in Vegas since she was the opening night superstar for the Palazzo’s VIP premiere two years ago and then at CES last year performing at the Paris.

The most poignant moment was when she sang with a video freeze frame behind her of a photo with Michael Jackson. She turned and sang to it, and then walked up the stage staircase to close the show with one final song: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Fan Frank Marino

After many, many years of admiration, Frank Marino finally got the chance to meet his idol, the supreme Miss Diana Ross, after her performance. Frank told Vegas DeLuxe: “I’d been waiting 30 years to meet her. It was a moment I wished would never have ended. I am still in a state of euphoria and can barely remember it all because of the excitement.

“She’s the reason I went into show business. I wanted everything she represented. In fact, I started out impersonating her. That lasted a year, until friends told me not to, and so I switched to Joan Rivers, and that became my trademark. I told her what a big fan I was and said she probably heard that all the time. But she said you can never hear it enough.”

Frank went to Diana’s Friday show as he worked in Laughlin on Saturday and Sunday. On his drive back from the Arizona River for his show at Imperial Palace on Sunday night, he told me: “I came close to meeting her when she opened the Palazzo in 2008, but alas although I was invited backstage by you, Robin, remember she wasn’t doing any meet-and-greets that night. I flew to New York and went to Madison Square Garden to try to meet her, but that didn’t happen, either.

“This time she just picked me out of the audience because of my shirt emblazoned with her name. She genuinely liked that, and I got the backstage invitation. It was the best Diana Ross show I’ve ever seen, and I’ve honestly seen dozens of them. I was so happy to tell her that my own show across The Strip was going really well, too. I invited her to come see it, but there wasn’t time this visit. Hopefully the next time.”

Diana’s son Evan Ross, who stars on 90210, came to Las Vegas for his mom’s two shows. After Friday night’s performance, he hopped over to Tao in The Venetian for dinner with friends before going upstairs to a VIP table for Grey Goose cocktails and Patron tequila shots.

[jillfoster]

Stamford center for the performing arts is a lovely venue. Very well designed and easy to navigate with great acoustics. Mary wilson has performed there twice.

[topdiva1]

Stamford center for the performing arts is a lovely venue. Very well designed and easy to navigate with great acoustics. Mary wilson has performed there twice.

Someone said that Mary Wilson who lives in Vegas was asked not to come to the shows, this I am sure is just bad gossip.

[jonc]

Someone said that Mary Wilson who lives in Vegas was asked not to come to the shows, this I am sure is just bad gossip.

Oh please!!!!

[topdiva1]

Stamford center for the performing arts is a lovely venue. Very well designed and easy to navigate with great acoustics. Mary wilson has performed there twice.

Both of these "former Supremes", have endured the times and have good shows- which showcase their individual beauty, talent, and command of the stage. Bravo to both of them.

[jobeterob]

Well tell us who the "someone" was that said it and we can consider whether it is a bitch from hell, good gossip, bad gossip, idle gossip and we'll see if it was a manager, Rhonda, Evan or Diana.

[jonc]

Miss Ross adds "Good Morning Heartache" to a Florida show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJjWP8bU9AE

[topdiva1]

Well tell us who the "someone" was that said it and we can consider whether it is a bitch from hell, good gossip, bad gossip, idle gossip and we'll see if it was a manager, Rhonda, Evan or Diana.

Listen to how you sound - why would anything have to be from " a bitch from hell" ? More than likely just a statement, ranking either true or false.