is it time to call it a day?

[mowsville]

As I posted on here a few weeks ago I was fortunate to see Diana on the first date of her U.K tour....she looked amazing and sounded pretty damn good for a lady of her years but ive just seen The Glastonbury performance on tv and I must say she was struggling...at one point she looked visibly exhausted...its hard to watch somebody as legendary as Diana try and be what she was say 20/30yrs ago...there has to be a point where you watch your last performance back and think maybe this where I bow out..this has been the summer of Diana here in the U.K and maybe now its time to go out on a kind of high note and finally accept that the voice has finally diminished..Diana has had a damn good run and earned her title as a legend..go out on a high and let people remember you as that legend not a shadow of what you used to be.

[jack020]

Watching the BBC now and its not good, maybe the concerts in the UK have done too much damage to her voice as she is terribly out of tune. Very sad

[Boogiedown]

sounds like a fake performance



I suppose we'd rather Diana stoop to crap like this ....?

[florence]

Sadly, much as I love Diana I have to agree with mowsville.

Ollie called this a few days ago - on the big ocassion she sometimes blows it and I'm afraid it looks like the strain of the last few weeks have caught up with her.

Right from the start she was struggling - her voice was off-key and strained - it was like I was seeing a different person from Friday night.

I do have many wonderful memories from the past 50 years, she is the ultimate entertainer - let's just say this was not one of her better performances and I hope some here will be honest enough to admit it.

[milven]

Diana Ross fans couldn’t care less about legend’s ‘out of tune’ vocals as she draws jaw-dropping Glastonbury crowd

Too bad this event was cancelled two years ago. She was still in top form. I am glad that she was still able to do the event two years later. Her fans on the other side of the pond have not seen her in years. The crowd was huge. I think she tried to do much in too little time while she is there

https://metro.co.uk/2022/06/26/glast...cals-16894279/

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...-b2109739.html

[florence]

Astonishingly apart from The Independent all the other newspaper reviews are extremely positive!

And yes - the size of the crowd!!

[Boogiedown]

these are lovely people . maybe Diana should perform more low brow like this:



and they draw a large crowd if that's the barometer.

[mowsville]

Jack020 thats exactly what I was thinking....too much at her age....she sounded pretty damn good when I saw her first gig here but obviously its taken its toll...and now its being televised...the press are going to have a field day here

[smallworld]

The audience was in its element. There's little for the press to complain about. How has "Theme From Mahogany" sounded at other gigs?

[Boogiedown]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ExbthP9ehB8

[1382hitsville]

Sadly, much as I love Diana I have to agree with mowsville.

Ollie called this a few days ago - on the big ocassion she sometimes blows it and I'm afraid it looks like the strain of the last few weeks have caught up with her.

Right from the start she was struggling - her voice was off-key and strained - it was like I was seeing a different person from Friday night.

I do have many wonderful memories from the past 50 years, she is the ultimate entertainer - let's just say this was not one of her better performances and I hope some here will be honest enough to admit it.

I have to agree, this was the worst live performance of her I ever saw.

She sounded hoarse and off key a lot of the time. She sang 3 songs of her new album. Finally some promotion....

I thought, lets have some ballads and her voice will be okay for that.

No...

Did she do a soundcheck? Did she rehearse? Her breathing was off.

Worst performance ever.

The talent that was still there was to connect with the huge crowd and they seem pleased. She can still channel her energy towards the audience.

I wish she lip synced.

[Circa 1824]

She bombs at almost every important television performance and can soar at less important gigs. Sadly, she has done this for years.

Nothing, I hope, can be as bad as her voice at the big birthday bash a couple years ago. She made sure those tapes were “lost.”

She looked lifeless at Glastonbury. The young vibrant Diana Ross is but a memory.

[mowsville]

Totally agree with you Circa...a lot of her important performances are below par for some reason..I dont get it.

[mowsville]

The gig I saw her at a couple of weeks ago was a relatively small festival compared to Glastonbury and she was magnificent..my 25yr old son goes to many many live gigs and he said it was one of if not the best he had ever seen..everyone was just amazed at how good she was.

[Circa 1824]

A professional singer of any age who chooses to perform is expected to hit the notes. Period. This is just common sense. When Ross started having problems doing this, she should either work hard to train her older voice or retire. As a huge fan, I can live with the greatness of her past work. And, she is spoiling it for me by continuing.

[copley]

She was wonderfully awful but the crowd did not seem to be bothered. Of course they had not just come to see Diana, she was just part of the bill. I hope that she enjoyed herself but I'm sure that she'll be disappointed to leave the UK on such a poor performance. She was flat on every song! At 78 I think that she expected too much from herself and was simply worn out. At one point I thought that she was going to lose her voice completely. Anyway she sang 'Tomorrow', possibly for the first time, which is my fav track from 'Thank You' which is where I will take my leave.

[jack020]

I hope she will be in better condition for her Northsea Jazz concert in Holland

[mysterysinger]

End of a gruelling tour, on an open air stage [[can get very dry), not to mention aged 78, her vocal chords are hardly likely to be in tip-top condition. Similar thing yesterday with Paul McCartney who I thought struggled a lot but was at least in tune [[and did the best part of 3 hours). Sad to read the criticism of Diana's performance but folks are only expressing an honest opinion. Maybe the TV coverage was the problem because those actually there seemed to enjoy it a lot.

[mowsville]

Spot on Circa..im also a huge fan and its spoiling it for me too.

[Circa 1824]

Seriously, why didn’t someone mercifully turn down her mic and turn up the band and backup singers? None of her family choose to help their mother by running to the control booth? Her own sound people allowed this to continue? Wow

[theboyfromxtown]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...bury-hits.html

[RanRan79]

But I've been reading over and over about how well most of her shows have gone in the UK this time around. One awful performance and she should hang it up? Pish tosh!

She's had horrible vocal moments over the last 20 years. Somehow she's always able to find her voice, eventually. I'm not willing to bet against Diana Ross at any stage of the game. That being said, my fingers are still crossed that Diana will "reinvent" her stage show, at least once she comes back to the States. Much of her popular catalog is out of her range at this point. Either restructure or...

I just don't like the idea of a retired Diana Ross. She has said she'll hang it up when the voice stops cooperating. If she feels like that time has come, and these aren't just bumps in the road, like the ones she's had before, I guess she'll make that announcement.

She may reduce her stage life to residencies and one off performances every now and then. She's too much of a performer. She may never hang it up until there's no more breath left.

[Circa 1824]

The full concert was just uploaded on YouTube and she sounds great. All flat notes are gone.

[smallworld]

The full concert was just uploaded on YouTube and she sounds great. All flat notes are gone.

Do you have a link?

[Circa 1824]

On YouTube, search Diana Ross, then click “today.” It is one hour 14 mins, full show. Sorry I don’t hv the link.

[after you]

She sounded great the only ones complaining are the haters on here the Mary and ::: fans The pans that the concert didn’t seem to mind they loved it hypocrites as soon as she does good the praising her she had problems with the mike , get Oh yourself haters she was fabulous and you know it

[lakeside]

On YouTube, search Diana Ross, then click “today.” It is one hour 14 mins, full show. Sorry I don’t hv the link.

Has anyone else found this?

[Circa 1824]

She was completely off tune until the show was auto-tuned. Now she does sound great. You can hear short clips of Baby Love on you tube that are vvvvvery different from the auto tuned mix.

maybe the entire show was to be auto tuned, but someone forgot to flip the switch for the live audience and only the recorded version was adjusted. ????

[Circa 1824]

It looks like it has been deleted. It was 1 hour and 14 mins

[lakeside]

Diana Ross, Glastonbury 2022, review: This limp Legends slot did not reign supreme [[inews.co.uk)

[Spreadinglove21]

Sounds like I'm still waiting may not have been a good choice for Glastonbury. I know it's a beloved song but it was a hit 50 years ago but the people at Glastonbury skews younger and the size of the venue would be best served if she just did a set of party songs. At least based on review above, she redeemed herself with Ain't No Mountain High enough and I will Survive.

[blackguy69]

Let it go. It is possible to like Diana Ross and be critical if her performance wasn’t on par.

She sounded great the only ones complaining are the haters on here the Mary and ::: fans The pans that the concert didn’t seem to mind they loved it hypocrites as soon as she does good the praising her she had problems with the mike , get Oh yourself haters she was fabulous and you know it

[kenneth]

This is beyond sad to read about. I never heard that Diana Ross didn’t perform well when sometimes it was a big show with the most exposure. I mean her early TV specials were fantastic. I’m not a concert goer, so I’ve never sent her perform live. Can someone fill me in on how this came about?

Of course she’s certainly proven herself long ago and after a year in which she had an album come out of left field which really pleased most of her fans, it certainly would be a time to graciously retire from touring. Anyway, she can always come back again. Look at how many times Frank Sinatra and even Cher did it!

[TomatoTom123]

I went to see Diana at the O2 on Friday. I thought she was bloody great. Not perfect, but she is 78. It was a great show

The highlights for me were "Upside Down", "You Cant Hurry Love" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". "Love Child" was also excellently done [essentially turning into an extended Latin-esque jam as she went into a costume change]

"I Will Survive" was thoroughly enjoyable and went down very well [despite its regular slating here ]. I know it’s a cover, but the performance really leaned more towards Diana's 1995 version, which was actually a hit itself here in the UK. And all of the band and singers got a solo in it, which was bloody fantastic, as did Rhonda who was in the front row!!

The other highlight [] for me was "If The World Just Danced", which was just amazing to hear as my favourite from Thank You. "Chain Reaction" went down really well, as did "I'm Still Waiting", both of them were pretty excellently done. The encore was "Thank You", which was very nice and fitting!

I caught some of her performance at Glastonbury, and I agree, it wasn’t as good. I also agree that it’s probably the wrong crowd for anything like "I'm Still Waiting", "Do You Know Where You're Going To" and [if she performed it] "If We Hold On Together". Even at the O2 the last two were nice but not the best IMO.

I think it may just be a case of Diana having overworked herself, because we have all seen that she is still capable of delivering some absolutely great performances.

[TomatoTom123]

The audience was in its element. There's little for the press to complain about. How has "Theme From Mahogany" sounded at other gigs?

Probably my least favourite performance of all the songs she did at the O2. It just doesn’t work without the strings

[after you]

https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...r2b8&fs=e&s=cl
Diana Ross at Glastonbury review – disco diva detonates explosion of joy
















Pyramid stage
Confidently filling the traditional Sunday ‘legends’ slot at the festival, the fabulously attired Motown and disco star treated the vast crowd to hit after hit It’s funny all the reviews I seen where great

[after you]

Ross attracted a huge crowd at Worthy Farm, with many viewers taking to Twitter to comment on the size of the crowd.
“Can’t even see where it ends!” wrote one person. Another added: “LOOK AT THE CROWD FOR DIANA ROSS WOW!”

[after you]

Flat, sharp or whatever, you can tell EVERYBODY watching Diana Ross is having the best time,” said one person.
Another added: “People need to f*** off with their high expectations from a 78-year-old woman or an 80-year-old man [Paul McCartney] singing live at Glastonbury. Seriously f*** off and go watch your heavily autotuned ‘singers.’”
A third person wrote: “I don’t care that her vocals are not on point… it’s Diana Ross mate… LEGEND!”

[florence]

Sounds like I'm still waiting may not have been a good choice for Glastonbury. I know it's a beloved song but it was a hit 50 years ago but the people at Glastonbury skews younger and the size of the venue would be best served if she just did a set of party songs. At least based on review above, she redeemed herself with Ain't No Mountain High enough and I will Survive.

That amazed me too - it was almost as if the crowd didn't recognise the song.

I can remember concerts back in the 70s when Waiting brought the house down - the whole audience joined in and the theatre rocked.

Perhaps the ballads from Force Behind The Power would have been a better choice - probably better known now.

[florence]

Cant' wait to hear Ollie's take - especially on some of the comments here.

[florence]

A little reaction on UK iTunes

Singles

14 Thank You
49 If The World Just Danced
95 I'm Still Waiting

Albums

2 The Greatest
4 Thank You

[after you]

Another said: "The size of that crowd for Diana Ross is f*cking ridiculous."
And a third tweeted: "The crowd gathered to see Diana Ross is something else. #Glastonbury2022."

[after you]

A fourth person commented: "This crowd for Diana Ross is nuts," while another added: "Goodness me the crowd for Diana Ross is EPIC." She may of had a record crowd

[after you]

Diana Ross pulls in epic crowd as she stuns in white for Glastonbury performance


US singer Diana Ross looked incredible as she took to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2022 on Sunday afternoon to perform hits such as Baby Love and I'm Coming Out

[simon.millar]

My son and his friends were there - it was absolutely rammed and they didn't care too much about her voice being past its best! Its kinda expected for this slot! TBH TV coverage is never kind, the same applied to McCartney, his voice didn't sound great on the TV, but again the crowd there had a much better experience than the armchair viewers.

[simon.millar]

Also, interestingly I saw her in 1989 promoting Working Overtime, I think her new material went down better yesterday than it did 33 years ago. Not making any excuses because I do think [[unfortunately) her voice has gone, but festivals are notorious for poor sound, as sound-checks are very limited due to the time between acts. I usually go to Glastonbury and for some reason the Pyramid Stage seems the worst!

[westgrandboulevard]

I cannot say that I have never been critical of Diana.

Or even an avid fan, but who can then quickly feel very critical through any personal disappointment with her.....

As with many others, I was somewhat concerned with what I heard yesterday...but what I saw yesterday on television was an appearance by what many would say was one of the greatest performers, male or female, of the second half of the twentieth century.

And still a major star [superstar, legend, etc...], right up to date in this twenty-first century.

Diana still looked exactly like the enduring star many have loved for decades, and she conducted herself as a star for the crowd at Glastonbury.

Yes, it is becoming increasingly evident that her singing voice is now variable. There is a noticeable strain, and some notes are not easily reached [understandably, partly due to age] and probably also through fatigue from too many recent shows. And, possibly, also some technical difficulties which may not have been immediately obvious.

But Diana's fans surely do not attend her concerts simply to hear her replicate her recordings, and to sound exactly as she did. She has become a part of their personal lives, and they attend an appearance just to be with her in person. It is part of the definition of 'star'.

Most of the huge crowd at Glastonbury cannot have been among the greatest fans of Diana Ross, but they did seem to enjoy the experience very much.

Technically it may not have been one of Diana's greatest performances, but it was still a very significant performance in her career. A major event, and it represented real life. In performance, and both for her, and that estimated crowd of 200,000 people, many of whom who can now say they have 'seen Diana Ross'.

So maybe we could afford to relax, let it all go, and just enjoy Diana while we still have her.

And if, as time passes, Diana's singing voice indeed becomes even more unpredictable, she can still feel confident in having such a HOT band and singers on stage with her, don't you think?

Those musicians are so accomplished, it won't matter what key Diana starts any song; they will certainly track her down before the end..smile...

[lakedistrictlad1]

I'm amazed at the Nellie negatives on here. The Lady is 78 years old! Of course she won't put on a show to match the 70's and 80's. All I saw was thousands of people having an amazing time singing and dancing to her performance. Glastonbury is the biggest show on earth and I think Diana carried it off in style. And today's National press in Britain agrees.

[Boogiedown]

If I hear Diana’s age mentioned even one more time I’m surely going to

scream !!

[lakeside]

If I hear Diana’s age mentioned even one more time I’m surely going to

scream !!

I think I hear someone screaming!!!