Diana Ross @ The Hollywood Bowl

[rod_rick]

Just got home from a fantastic show by Diana Ross @ the Hollywood Bowl. Ms Ross put on a great show. For 72 her voice is in great shape. Most of he songs were performed in he original key. One thing I noticed is that Diana and Mary sing the same Supreme songs in their set [[ Mary perform a few more than Diana). It was her typical set list beginning with I'm Coming Out and ending with I Will Survive. She added Reach Out & Touch as a 2nd encore. She made 4 costume changes [[ nothing new to me) which most were very flattering to her now grown woman figure.
Great concert I am glad I was able to attend. Now I just need to catch Mary this year and then I would have see all the performing Supremes.

[sansradio]

Wonderful to hear, rod_rick! What did you think of Rhonda's set?

[StuBass1]

Didn't attend, but read some reviews and saw some video...She LANDED sitting on a huge swing from high above the stage...Saw her opening number which she apparently opens all of her shows with. Janie Bradford gave a brief review and called for her to garner a place on Mt Rushmore [[at least the entertainers section )lol... Looked like your typical large venue DR performance, audacious costumes, tight backing band, and everything Diana brings to the set...I will say that I've been to several performances at the Hollywood Bowl in recent years [[the last one was Brian Wilsons outstanding Pet Sounds tour last week) and I can't think of a better venue for these types of performances...

[rod_rick]

Wonderful to hear, rod_rick! What did you think of Rhonda's set?
Not sure if Rhonda performed. Natural 7 was performing when I got there so I though they were the opening act.

[Roberta75]

Not sure if Rhonda performed. Natural 7 was performing when I got there so I though they were the opening act.

Rhondas not mention in these here reviews.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ross-722694-diana-night.html

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7439076/diana-ross-hollywood-bowl-los-angeles-hits

[jobeterob]

So is this where she brought Usher up on stage? I saw a video on Facebook.

[Guy]

So is this where she brought Usher up on stage? I saw a video on Facebook.

Yes. Usher was in attendance on Saturday [[7/16/16) at the Hollywood Bowl and she called him to the stage during "Upside Down."

[jobeterob]

Where: The Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
When: July 15
Where most artists tour behind new albums, anniversaries or news pegs of some sort, Diana Ross doesn’t need a reason to draw a crowd.

With Ross headlining the first of two summer nights at the Hollywood Bowl, the venue neared capacity on Friday for a 75-minute set of favorites, the timelessness of Ross’ contributions to popular music both with the Supremes and as a solo artist working as the primary lure for the all-ages audience.

That isn’t to say the night was business as usual. Introducing Ross was her daughter Tracee Ellis Ross, star of the ABC comedy series “Black-ish,” who reminded the crowd of her own recent accolade: an Emmy nomination that was announced Thursday. It wasn’t an attempt to usurp the spotlight but a reminder that Diana Ross’ influence on culture continues even as the Motown legend puts years between the present and her heyday.

Because once the music started, there was no question the night belonged to Ross. Opening with her 1980 solo smash “I’m Coming Out,” the diva soared in on a swing high above the Bowl’s stage. It was an entrance worthy of current pop spectacles from Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, with Ross displaying just how much of an influence she has had on the current crop of music superstars.

The night’s setlist stuck to what Ross has been playing for several years, front-loading the early part of the evening with classics from her original Motown group, the Supremes. This meant “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” and “Can’t Hurry Love” all showed up early, getting the majority of the audience out of their seats to dance and sing along. Dressed in shimmering red sequins, Ross proved spry for her 72 years, as the early upbeat tunes demanded that she move and incite the crowd. She proved up for the task.

Narrowing a storied career to just 20 songs meant not everything could be covered. But with a résumé that includes more than 100 million albums sold, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys, the upside to this is that there was no lull in the performance.

The middle section of evening offered hits from the ’70s [[“Touch Me in the Morning,” “It’s My House”) and ’80s [[the excellent “Upside Down”) that found the singer successfully incorporating the disco and funk of the era. This was a sharp stylistic shift from her Supremes songs, with a costume change and an extended salsa jam on “Love Child” used as a buffer for the two portions of the performance.

Still, Ross worked to make both aspects of her career make sense together within the same show. This is most clear as the performance coasted to its conclusion. Here she offered up her renditions of Frankie Lymon’s “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” All three songs make sense through the lenses of both ’60s soul and disco-fied pop, with her impressive band of multiple percussionists, backing singers, guitars, strings and saxophone selling the genre fusions from across her career.

For her encore, Ross asked the crowd what they wanted to hear, resulting in a barrage of requests. “Reach Out and Touch [[Somebody’s Hand)” was what they got, but it didn’t matter at that point what she was playing. Whether the fans had been with her since the ’60s or were just discovering her now, Diana Ross made sure her presence was reason enough for the night to feel like an event.

[jobeterob]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFAOfcDDRyU

[Ollie9]

It all looks like a really wonderful night. Diana's voice was on the mark and it would appear she was really having fun......Great stuff.

[jobeterob]

http://www.eonline.com/news/780635/evan-ross-makes-date-night-with-ashlee-simpson-a-family-affair-at-diana-ross-hollywood-concert