Diana Heading for London: Will We Get An Accounting From Bluebrock??

[Boogiedown]

Hopefully so!

[midnightman]

For what?

[dickiemint]

2 Nights at the Royal Albert Hall , maybe her farewell shows in the UK ??? Tickets are still available which I feel is either due to the high prices or the terrible performance at Glastonbury

[Ollie9]

2 Nights at the Royal Albert Hall , maybe her farewell shows in the UK ??? Tickets are still available which I feel is either due to the high prices or the terrible performance at Glastonbury

A combination of both i think.

[vgalindo]

2 Nights at the Royal Albert Hall , maybe her farewell shows in the UK ??? Tickets are still available which I feel is either due to the high prices or the terrible performance at Glastonbury

That’s strange. I just read on a Diana Ross fan website that people were trying to buy tickets and they were getting the message none available?

[florence]

I think Ticketmaster, the biggest seller is pretty much sold out but a lot of smaller agencies do seem to have a lot of tickets still for sale.

Sadly, I have to agree that her visit last year didn't go well.

I was happy enough with her concert I saw at the O2 but unfortunately the two performances which most saw on TV - The Jubilee Party and Glastonbury were not on the whole well received.

Frankly Glastonbury was pretty much a disaster probably mostly because as Bluebrock told us she had a throat infection.

But it didn't do her reputation among the younger generation any favours - strange as it may seem because she has been out of the public eye in the UK for so long many weren't aware of her.

It's amazing how things have changed - when she did concerts in the UK in the 70s and 80s the song which brought the house down was I'm Still Waiting when the audience would join in swaying and singing with her and giving her standing ovations.

It was embarrassing at Glastonbury that so many didn't even seem to know it.

I'm Coming Out is now her #1 song in the UK as it is elsewhere and Upside Down and Chain Reaction are on playlists so these plus her signature Mountain are the ones which most now would recognise.

So many of my friends who while they may not be ardent fans but have no axe to grind all thought she was pretty poor at Glasto.

It will certainly be interesting to see just how full the RAH is.

If only she had manged to come in 2014.

[Ollie9]

I think Ticketmaster, the biggest seller is pretty much sold out but a lot of smaller agencies do seem to have a lot of tickets still for sale.

Sadly, I have to agree that her visit last year didn't go well.

I was happy enough with her concert I saw at the O2 but unfortunately the two performances which most saw on TV - The Jubilee Party and Glastonbury were not on the whole well received.

Frankly Glastonbury was pretty much a disaster probably mostly because as Bluebrock told us she had a throat infection.

But it didn't do her reputation among the younger generation any favours - strange as it may seem because she has been out of the public eye in the UK for so long many weren't aware of her.

It's amazing how things have changed - when she did concerts in the UK in the 70s and 80s the song which brought the house down was I'm Still Waiting when the audience would join in swaying and singing with her and giving her standing ovations.

It was embarrassing at Glastonbury that so many didn't even seem to know it.

I'm Coming Out is now her #1 song in the UK as it is elsewhere and Upside Down and Chain Reaction are on playlists so these plus her signature Mountain are the ones which most now would recognise.

So many of my friends who while they may not be ardent fans but have no axe to grind all thought she was pretty poor at Glasto.

It will certainly be interesting to see just how full the RAH is..

The Royal Albert Hall box office has tickets a plenty, though considering where Diana is now they are way overpriced.
Glastonbury was a massive opportunity that went pear shaped. I think allowances would have been made for a raspy voice, but for the most part Diana was totally off key. It might if possible been better had she pulled out altogether as everyone was talking it about it the next day saying how awful she was.
I attended the concert at Longleat with friends who all thought she sounded terrible. I came away feeling really sad, and a little green when hearing how much better she sounded upon returning to the USA for the remaining concerts lol.
It’s remarkable to think she first appeared at the RAH fifty years ago. Now that’s what you call staying power.

[floyjoy678]

She sounded better because she was lip-synching lol.

Am I the only one who thought Diana has sounded poor for years? I remember back when she was promoting RTL, a lot of my family and friends were commenting how bad she sounded and I agreed.

[carlo]

I personally don't think she had a throat infection. Maybe that was what many were speculating but to me, she just sounded tired. Diana was already having some minor vocal issues in 2019 and the inactivity during the pandemic made it worse. At her age, if you aren't working your voice regularly, the strength in the muscle is going to diminish very quickly. That back to back tour schedule that she had overseas last summer was not wise. I think everyone was enticed by the money to be made and didn't think about the proper physical and vocal rest that she would need. She also didn't do herself any favours when she was doing those extended encores and taking requests from the audience, singing more vocally challenging songs like Home and The Boss. It's no wonder her voice was so tired, by the time she got to Glastonbury. I think that tour damaged her voice [not permanently] and it has taken quite some time for it to recover. She's been sounding better lately, on the live performances she's been doing during her recent shows.

Hopefully she is better prepared for this tour, this time around. I hope after this, she takes it much slower, with the scheduling.

[Boogiedown]

Looking forward to Bluebrock providing his insider info !

[Circa 1824]

Looking forward to Bluebrock providing his insider info !

I am not gullible, remain very skeptical, and will leave it that.

[midnightman]

It doesn't seem like Diana rehearses, does she? That definitely can add to vocal problems. I don't think she's really pulled in a good performance in a long while. The Glastonbury show was awful in particular. It was a HUGE stage, probably the hugest she's been in since, what, the RTL tour [[not opening THOSE can of worms again but yeah ) and she comes out sounding like THAT?

I'm Still Waiting has not survived as a favorite in the UK since the new millennium dawned. Chain Reaction does remain very popular there though. But yeah her vocal issues are why she's resorted to lipping so that's maybe why she has "good vocal moments" because they're not live. Definitely with copley here. Diana is getting much older and it's gonna be difficult for her to have a decent vocal performance.

I'm sure she'll come out with great gowns though.

[carlo]

Despite her lipping at times throughout her recent shows, this particular performance of "Do You Know/Ain't No Mountain" from a few weeks ago was not lipped [I have heard/seen her lip these songs at other shows, but this is not the case here]. It's not completely pitch perfect but she has considerably more strength in her voice here, which I haven't heard in quite a while...



https://youtu.be/aG4jXuVehxg?si=HoKStKZ2f7-ZDqMh

[Ollie9]

She sounded better because she was lip-synching lol.

Am I the only one who thought Diana has sounded poor for years? I remember back when she was promoting RTL, a lot of my family and friends were commenting how bad she sounded and I agreed.

Perhaps it was the lip-synching lol.
In fairness, i think Diana’s voice still sounded in pretty good shape during the farewell that never was tour of 2004. It wasn’t until the duet with West Life that i really became aware of her vocal decline as opposed to normal change.
Streisands voice also started to decline in her early 60’s being only natural i guess.
It all seems to depend on the individual singer as Johnny Mathis still sounds vey good at 101.

[carlo]

She messed up the words at the beginning of Do You Know Where You're Going To in that clip, so that wasn't pre-recorded. Yes, we all hear want we want to hear...and perhaps some of the older folks on this forum are just plain hard of hearing, or even hard headed.

[jobeterob]

It's impossible to tell if she's actually singing as the clip sounds like she's in a padded cell - all muffled! People hear what they want to hear so it's just one man's point of view. Meaningless! When you get a large number of people saying she's bad like Glastonbury then you know something is wrong. Some of Diana's more extreme fans would still wet themselves if she sang 'Silent Night' in silence!

Hopefully it’s not pee!

[lucky2012]

She messed up the words at the beginning of Do You Know Where You're Going To in that clip, so that wasn't pre-recorded. Yes, we all hear want we want to hear...and perhaps some of the older folks on this forum are just plain hard of hearing, or even hard headed.

I'm not hard of hearing yet, but I admit to being hardheaded.

[One man's point of view is never meaningless. I know her voice is not what it was. I enjoyed her sold-out Hollywood Bowl performance a year ago August and apparently so did the exiting crowd, young and old.]

[carlo]

Carlo, I'm not hard of hearing, that comment was ageist!

People hear what they want to hear so it's just one man's point of view. Meaningless!

It seemed you had no issue being dismissive earlier, when I was merely stating my own observation, by rudely calling it meaningless. I suppose you could ignore my general comment about some older folks' difficulty with hearing, in the same manner, by also rendering it as meaningless. In the same way, I didn't exactly appreciate the implication that as an extreme fan, I would wet myself, but here we are. Perhaps we can peacefully agree that you have no hearing issues and I have no issues with controlling my bladder, and we can allow one another to express our respective opinions. Cheers!

[copley]

Carlo, gosh you are an extreme fan! How was I supposed to know that. Have a nice day.

[vgalindo]

I'm not hard of hearing yet, but I admit to being hardheaded.

[One man's point of view is never meaningless. I know her voice is not what it was. I enjoyed her sold-out Hollywood Bowl performance a year ago August and apparently so did the exiting crowd, young and old.]

So true. I was at the Hollywood Bowl and her performance and vocals were very good. The crowd loved her. And there was a lot of young people who really enjoyed the show. Including my grandsons. Lol.

[Ollie9]

Despite her lipping at times throughout her recent shows, this particular performance of "Do You Know/Ain't No Mountain" from a few weeks ago was not lipped [I have heard/seen her lip these songs at other shows, but this is not the case here]. It's not completely pitch perfect but she has considerably more strength in her voice here, which I haven't heard in quite a while...



https://youtu.be/aG4jXuVehxg?si=HoKStKZ2f7-ZDqMh

Diana sounds in reasonable form here looking a rather beautiful 50 year old.
Annoyingly, and in the case of Glastonbury heartbreakingly Diana rarely saves her best for the big event. It’s like she tries too hard or is overwhelmed by the huge occasion which hampers her vocals. The same thing happened at Central Park and on X Factor though at least she was singing in key.

[Boogiedown]

I am not gullible, remain very skeptical, and will leave it that.

Well he is missing his chance to shine!!
He ought to be able to shed some light on these teasers from Smooth Radio:

https://www.smoothradio.com/artists/...l-albert-hall/

Diana Ross announces 'once-in-a-lifetime' 2023 shows at London's Royal Albert Hall

....If you weren't there in the flesh, don't worry: the Motown icon has announced that she is heading back to the UK for a pair of incredibly special performances.


???

[Ollie9]

Well he is missing his chance to shine!!
He ought to be able to shed some light on these teasers from Smooth Radio:

https://www.smoothradio.com/artists/...l-albert-hall/

Diana Ross announces 'once-in-a-lifetime' 2023 shows at London's Royal Albert Hall

....If you weren't there in the flesh, don't worry: the Motown icon has announced that she is heading back to the UK for a pair of incredibly special performances.


???

Incredibly special performances probably means she will be performing the same ole songs in a different order or fewer of them lol.

[Boogiedown]

So we're down to just days before this shindig takes place.

Hope Bluebrock is Ok.

[Ollie9]

So we're down to just days before this shindig takes place.

Not too late to board that plane Boog. South Kensington is a lovely area and great if you like visiting museums.

[Boogiedown]

Not too late to board that plane Boog. South Kensington is a lovely area and great if you like visiting museums.

Hey Ollie , if I jumped on a plane would you join me ? Maybe we could score some cheap seats from someone at the gate !!

I have been to The Kensington Gardens and would return in a heartbeat. It's where I saw Himalayan blue poppies, the only time in my life. [I'm a bit of a plant nerd]

[Ollie9]

Hey Ollie , if I jumped on a plane would you join me ? Maybe we could score some cheap seats from someone at the gate !!

I have been to The Kensington Gardens and would return in a heartbeat. It's where I saw Himalayan blue poppies, the only time in my life. [I'm a bit of a plant nerd]

I would be delighted Boog, but already live in the UK. Pretty pic of the poppies, with Kensington Gardens being a really lovely spot. I once lived opposite Battersea Park not a million miles away. I remember seeing Diana and Arne there a couple of times.

[Boogiedown]

Yes I got it , but where are you exactly [more or less] ...I meant join me at the recital. Maybe you already plan to attend??

Suppose bluebrock could get us backstage??

[Ollie9]

Yes I got it , but where are you exactly [more or less] ...I meant join me at the recital. Maybe you already plan to attend??

Suppose bluebrock could get us backstage??

I hadn’t planned to attend, but if you are serious would consider going. Getting backstage passes would be fab. R U in contact with Mr B?.
I now live in sunny Somerset.
P.S Am now off to bed as it’s disgracefully late here in the UK.

[Boogiedown]

Ah Yes Somerset. That's a lovely area. I've been to Bath.

... where I enjoyed witnessing the yellow bleeding hearts growing happily on their own within the crevices of the tall rock walls there! [see, plant nerd]







RE: Regarding Ross, I think I'd rather make the journey to see the blue poppies ... which are out of season now ...


Does anyone [?] have any idea why she's making this trip back there so soon??
The world's a big place ....there's nowhere else on her bucket list??

This was the kind of insight I was hoping for from Bluebrock ....

[Ollie9]

Ah Yes Somerset. That's a lovely area. I've been to Bath.

... where I enjoyed witnessing the yellow bleeding hearts growing happily on their own within the crevices of the tall rock walls there! [see, plant nerd]







RE: Regarding Ross, I think I'd rather make the journey to see the blue poppies ... which are out of season now ...


Does anyone [?] have any idea why she's making this trip back there so soon??
The world's a big place ....there's nowhere else on her bucket list??

This was the kind of insight I was hoping for from Bluebrock ....

Another pretty pic. I also like my plants.
She’s returning because we here in the UK have remained her most loyal and loving subjects through good times and bad.

[Boogiedown]

Maybe she's looking for property .....

[florence]

According to the RAH the run times are:


Doors: 18:30
Diana Ross: 19:30-19:50
Interval: 19:50-20:10
Diana Ross: 20:10-21:25

[Ollie9]

According to the RAH the run times are:


Doors: 18:30
Diana Ross: 19:30-19:50
Interval: 19:50-20:10
Diana Ross: 20:10-21:25

I look forward to reading the reviews. Is she scheduled for any tv interviews?.

[khansperac]

According to the RAH the run times are:


Doors: 18:30
Diana Ross: 19:30-19:50
Interval: 19:50-20:10
Diana Ross: 20:10-21:25

I’ve been trying to make sense of this schedule. I think I figured it out. 19:30-19:50 is the opening act. Rhonda possibly. Then intermission. Then Diana 20:10-21:25. So maybe we will get that full circle moment of Diana and Rhonda singing “I love you/call me” after all.

[after you]

What’s a blue brock blue balls

[sup_fan]

given that Diana is approaching 80 years old, i think everyone in the audience needs to have some expectation that there's a possibility her sound may not be as strong that night as on other nights. it's natural that a woman's voice undergoes signifiable changes as they age. even in pre-menopause years, changes are occurring. then during menopause and after.

there's no way to really know until the day of, just how the voice will be functioning. certainly one needs to take care of themselves, not over do it. and by all accounts, diana seems to be doing that. and has mostly done so throughout her career.

so if an audience buys a ticket, attends the show and her voice is off that night, the patrons just need to understand that's part of the expectation. frankly i find it in very low taste for people to be complaining about it, calling it out, making fun of it. again - you're buying a ticket to hear a 79+ year old woman sing.

as for back in the RTL days, it's somewhat the same thing. I thought Diana's voice was not in top form for the Divas concert. it would sometimes get a raspy-ness. But as we now know, she was in the midst of menopause then and apparently it was a rather challenging experience. for some women, it can be much more problematic and strenuous than others. sounds like hers was more of the extreme.

[Ollie9]

given that Diana is approaching 80 years old, i think everyone in the audience needs to have some expectation that there's a possibility her sound may not be as strong that night as on other nights. it's natural that a woman's voice undergoes signifiable changes as they age. even in pre-menopause years, changes are occurring. then during menopause and after.

there's no way to really know until the day of, just how the voice will be functioning. certainly one needs to take care of themselves, not over do it. and by all accounts, diana seems to be doing that. and has mostly done so throughout her career.

so if an audience buys a ticket, attends the show and her voice is off that night, the patrons just need to understand that's part of the expectation. frankly i find it in very low taste for people to be complaining about it, calling it out, making fun of it. again - you're buying a ticket to hear a 79+ year old woman sing.

as for back in the RTL days, it's somewhat the same thing. I thought Diana's voice was not in top form for the Divas concert. it would sometimes get a raspy-ness. But as we now know, she was in the midst of menopause then and apparently it was a rather challenging experience. for some women, it can be much more problematic and strenuous than others. sounds like hers was more of the extreme.

With the ticket prices being charged, i’d be well pissed if she was dreadful, low taste or no low taste.

[florence]

I look forward to reading the reviews. Is she scheduled for any tv interviews?.

Don't believe so.

[sup_fan]

With the ticket prices being charged, i’d be well pissed if she was dreadful, low taste or no low taste.

i'm not saying everyone needs to attend. if someone feels like "hey - i loved her sound and all back in the 70s and those memories are so precious to me that i don't want to go and see it today" totally fine. people can hold onto those old memories of a performer all they want.

the promoters apparently feel they can charge X for the tickets [[have no idea what they're going for myself) and that they can fill a concert hall sufficiently, why not? it's a business after all. and again, if someone is wanting to go and spend $X to hear a 79 year old woman perform, they shouldn't be surprised if there are vocal issues. odds are the attendee isn't some random person off the street with 0 awareness or familiarity with who or what DIANA ROSS is. my guess is the audience will be mostly made up of those that do want to walk down memory lane and are mostly willing to overlook things if the voice isn't up to 100%.

if they're shocked by her voice then they're just stupid people and frankly deserve to be parted with their money lol

[florence]

We talked long and hard about it and decided that we didn't want the frankly awful Glasto performance to be our defining moment for someone we have loved and admired for years and seen live many times.

Diana herself seems to prefer "smaller" venues but it will be what it is.

It might have been better to just do the one night - sadly there still seem to be many unsold tickets.

We are nine rows back centre so a good view but it was expensive at £426 per ticket [[just over $500).

We'll see.

[Spreadinglove21]

I wonder if Madonna kicking off her Celebration Greatest Hits tour tomorrow night at London's O2 arena has had an impact on Ross' Royal Albert Hall show sales, if indeed ticket sales are sluggish for Ross?

[Ollie9]

i'm not saying everyone needs to attend. if someone feels like "hey - i loved her sound and all back in the 70s and those memories are so precious to me that i don't want to go and see it today" totally fine. people can hold onto those old memories of a performer all they want.

the promoters apparently feel they can charge X for the tickets [[have no idea what they're going for myself) and that they can fill a concert hall sufficiently, why not? it's a business after all. and again, if someone is wanting to go and spend $X to hear a 79 year old woman perform, they shouldn't be surprised if there are vocal issues. odds are the attendee isn't some random person off the street with 0 awareness or familiarity with who or what DIANA ROSS is. my guess is the audience will be mostly made up of those that do want to walk down memory lane and are mostly willing to overlook things if the voice isn't up to 100%.

if they're shocked by her voice then they're just stupid people and frankly deserve to be parted with their money lol

Again, it all comes down to what you call bad. I’m sure nobody attending would expect her to sound as she did forty years ago. Having said that, if she sings as off key as she did at Glastonbury then i I think anyone who has forked out a couple of hundred pounds + for the privilege has every right to feel short changed. I hardly think that makes them stupid.
Here’s hoping she won’t be that bad and most will leave thinking it money well spent.

[Boogiedown]

We talked long and hard about it and decided that we didn't want the frankly awful Glasto performance to be our defining moment for someone we have loved and admired for years and seen live many times.

Diana herself seems to prefer "smaller" venues but it will be what it is.

It might have been better to just do the one night - sadly there still seem to be many unsold tickets.

We are nine rows back centre so a good view but it was expensive at £426 per ticket [[just over $500).

We'll see.

Exciting!! I think you made a great decision, and up close too. Looking forward to your observations.
They may be the only ones we'll be getting ....
Knock 'em dead Diana!!!

[Ollie9]

Yes, look forward to you review Flo….

[dickiemint]

Just got in after watching Ms Ross, I was hoping that as it is a fantastic venue for acoustics we would be in for a treat, and as I have been a lifelong fan,and was hoping for a better performance than Glastonbury, and to be honest she was in good form, here are my thoughts on the night.
Such an iconic venue, in the heart of London, as you enter the Royal Albert Hall and take your seat you know the artist is going to raise their game in a in a place like this.
The evening starts with a video of Diana visiting Detroit, Brewster Projects, and interviews with her family members I think this is from Motown 40
Then I'm coming out, more today than yesterday, and half dozen Supremes songs, Come see about me, Reflections, are fresh ending with Love Child, a great band solo as Diana left for a 20min interval, 2nd half started with the Boss and then endless love, if we hold on together, touch me in the morning, all these added since the last tour, off to change back on with fine and mellow and don't explain from lady sings the blues, home from the wiz,reach out and touch, upside down, love hangover, take me Higher, ease on Down the road, why do fools, snippets of new songs, ain't that the truth, count on me with Rhonnda, if the world just danced, costume change, mahogany/ ain't no mountain, I will Survive, and finale Thank You
Thoroughly enjoyed the night, Diana look good, fit and healthy and happy, her vocals were good when she sang live which was most of the 2nd half, I believe that the opening portion of the show was lip synched, but she did it well while enjoying the love of the crowd, Flo did you enjoy ??

[mindful1]

Thought she sounded pretty damn good on the ballads Endless love and If We Hold On T ogether or was it When you tell me ? lol I forgot already. anyway, there's a full concert posted on You tube already! One review did refer to karaoke like start though

[Ollie9]

Just got in after watching Ms Ross, I was hoping that as it is a fantastic venue for acoustics we would be in for a treat, and as I have been a lifelong fan,and was hoping for a better performance than Glastonbury, and to be honest she was in good form, here are my thoughts on the night.
Such an iconic venue, in the heart of London, as you enter the Royal Albert Hall and take your seat you know the artist is going to raise their game in a in a place like this.
The evening starts with a video of Diana visiting Detroit, Brewster Projects, and interviews with her family members I think this is from Motown 40
Then I'm coming out, more today than yesterday, and half dozen Supremes songs, Come see about me, Reflections, are fresh ending with Love Child, a great band solo as Diana left for a 20min interval, 2nd half started with the Boss and then endless love, if we hold on together, touch me in the morning, all these added since the last tour, off to change back on with fine and mellow and don't explain from lady sings the blues, home from the wiz,reach out and touch, upside down, love hangover, take me Higher, ease on Down the road, why do fools, snippets of new songs, ain't that the truth, count on me with Rhonnda, if the world just danced, costume change, mahogany/ ain't no mountain, I will Survive, and finale Thank You
Thoroughly enjoyed the night, Diana look good, fit and healthy and happy, her vocals were good when she sang live which was most of the 2nd half, I believe that the opening portion of the show was lip synched, but she did it well while enjoying the love of the crowd, Flo did you enjoy ??

Glad you enjoyed your evening dickiemint.

[dickiemint]

Thank you Ollie9, glad I made the effort, hope Sunday evening was as good as Saturday

[Guy]

...Thoroughly enjoyed the night, Diana look good, fit and healthy and happy, her vocals were good when she sang live which was most of the 2nd half, I believe that the opening portion of the show was lip synched, but she did it well while enjoying the love of the crowd, Flo did you enjoy ??

Glad to hear it. This is all I want or need to hear at this stage of her career. She looks wonderful and still seems to derive enjoyment from performing, more than 60 years later. I would see her again in a heartbeat.