jobeterob
04-25-2012, 03:06 PM
Ross takes audience on journey of hits in her Indy concert
Star of Motown, disco eras adds moving Billie Holiday tribute to night's mix of hits
Apr. 25, 2012 | 2 Comments
AA Diana Ross performs during her Spring Tour stop at the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre Tuesday April 24, 2012. Joe Vitti / The StarShow Caption
Written by
David Lindquist
Where: Murat Theatre in Old National Centre.
Bottom line: A star in two eras plus one that came before.
Did you attend this concert? Post your own review or comments at IndyStar.com. See a gallery at IndyStar.com/photos.
Photo gallery: Diana Ross performs during her Spring Tour stop
It’s second nature for Diana Ross to turn a concert into a master class on the topics of Motown and disco. She recorded 16 No. 1 singles during the 1960s and ’70s, so any performance can be a dazzling parade of hits.
Tuesday’s show at the Murat Theatre in Old National Centre made good on this concept, but Ross was at her best when paying tribute to Billie Holiday — the jazz singer who died before Ross signed her first recording contract.
In 1972, Ross portrayed Holiday in the film “Lady Sings the Blues.” Two songs from the soundtrack, “Fine and Mellow” and “Don’t Explain,” are featured on Ross’ current tour, billed as “More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits.”
Now 68, Ross delivered perfectly nuanced vocals during “Don’t Explain,” a heart-wrenching message to an unfaithful man who represents both “joy and pain.”
For her nine-member band, the Holiday segment provided a chance to pass around solos and emphasize musical versatility. Elsewhere, the Motown pace proved frantic and the disco groove allowed slightly more room to breathe.
Across the 80-minute show, Ross wore five gowns [[a white-with-gold-accents opener followed by red, blue, pink and gold). The Murat performance lacked an encore rendition of “Reach Out and Touch [[Somebody’s Hand)” that’s been heard on other tour stops.
Ross didn’t invest a wealth of emotion in songs she popularized, and she missed an opportunity to remember Michael Jackson in his home state. She’s credited with helping Michael and his brothers ascend from Gary to stardom, but the night’s only King of Pop reference arrived with a guitar-riff quote of “Billie Jean” inside a cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”
Early in the program, the Motown hits were an enjoyable romp. Audience members filled in for absent Supremes by singing with enthusiasm, and Ross cycled through “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “You Can’t Hurry Love.” It’s worth noting that these four songs reached the top of Billboard magazine’s chart in 1964-66, a time when the Beatles seemed to have a stranglehold on every pop-culture achievement.
Ross segued easily to disco anthems “Love Hangover,” “It’s My House” and “Upside Down.” It’s intriguing that Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” earns an endorsement from Ross. Perhaps she isn’t territorial about chart battles of the late ’70s and she simply likes the song.
In contrast, girl-group dominance doesn’t appear to be something Ross would yield — even nearly 50 years after the fact.
Star of Motown, disco eras adds moving Billie Holiday tribute to night's mix of hits
Apr. 25, 2012 | 2 Comments
AA Diana Ross performs during her Spring Tour stop at the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre Tuesday April 24, 2012. Joe Vitti / The StarShow Caption
Written by
David Lindquist
Where: Murat Theatre in Old National Centre.
Bottom line: A star in two eras plus one that came before.
Did you attend this concert? Post your own review or comments at IndyStar.com. See a gallery at IndyStar.com/photos.
Photo gallery: Diana Ross performs during her Spring Tour stop
It’s second nature for Diana Ross to turn a concert into a master class on the topics of Motown and disco. She recorded 16 No. 1 singles during the 1960s and ’70s, so any performance can be a dazzling parade of hits.
Tuesday’s show at the Murat Theatre in Old National Centre made good on this concept, but Ross was at her best when paying tribute to Billie Holiday — the jazz singer who died before Ross signed her first recording contract.
In 1972, Ross portrayed Holiday in the film “Lady Sings the Blues.” Two songs from the soundtrack, “Fine and Mellow” and “Don’t Explain,” are featured on Ross’ current tour, billed as “More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits.”
Now 68, Ross delivered perfectly nuanced vocals during “Don’t Explain,” a heart-wrenching message to an unfaithful man who represents both “joy and pain.”
For her nine-member band, the Holiday segment provided a chance to pass around solos and emphasize musical versatility. Elsewhere, the Motown pace proved frantic and the disco groove allowed slightly more room to breathe.
Across the 80-minute show, Ross wore five gowns [[a white-with-gold-accents opener followed by red, blue, pink and gold). The Murat performance lacked an encore rendition of “Reach Out and Touch [[Somebody’s Hand)” that’s been heard on other tour stops.
Ross didn’t invest a wealth of emotion in songs she popularized, and she missed an opportunity to remember Michael Jackson in his home state. She’s credited with helping Michael and his brothers ascend from Gary to stardom, but the night’s only King of Pop reference arrived with a guitar-riff quote of “Billie Jean” inside a cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”
Early in the program, the Motown hits were an enjoyable romp. Audience members filled in for absent Supremes by singing with enthusiasm, and Ross cycled through “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Baby Love,” “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “You Can’t Hurry Love.” It’s worth noting that these four songs reached the top of Billboard magazine’s chart in 1964-66, a time when the Beatles seemed to have a stranglehold on every pop-culture achievement.
Ross segued easily to disco anthems “Love Hangover,” “It’s My House” and “Upside Down.” It’s intriguing that Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” earns an endorsement from Ross. Perhaps she isn’t territorial about chart battles of the late ’70s and she simply likes the song.
In contrast, girl-group dominance doesn’t appear to be something Ross would yield — even nearly 50 years after the fact.