Diana Ross at the Radio City Music Hall '84

[Albator]

POP: DIANA ROSS SHOW
By Stephen Holden
Sept. 21, 1984


GLAMOUR, the aura of sanctified narcissism exalted by 1950's movie magazines, has made a big comeback of late thanks to performers such as Diana Ross. The star, who opened an 11- show engagement at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday, distills that elusive mixture of beauty and cultivated charm in its most concentrated form. In her new show, which features several stunning costume changes, music plays second fiddle to images of the star modeling various glittering gowns and jump suits.


Even before it opened, Miss Ross's show had become the Music Hall's top-grossing concert attraction ever, surpassing Liberace's record-breaking engagement last April. Where Liberace's 14-show engagement carried a top ticket price of $25, the best tickets for Diana Ross went for $30. And at the end of an opening-night performance that began with two variety acts and continued with the star singing for just an hour and 10 minutes, a sizable portion of the audience felt it had not gotten its money's worth and vociferously demanded ''more.'' Having prepared no second encore, the star offered a reprise of her newest hit, ''Swept Away.''


Miss Ross opened her set with a selection of songs [[''My Man,'' ''New York State of Mind,'' ''It's My Turn'') arranged cabaret-style for just voice and piano. Then, joined by 12 musicians and two backup singers, she continued with such old hits as ''Ain't No Mountain High Enough'' and ''Upside Down'' and the recent ''I'm Missing You,'' a new Lionel Richie ballad written in memory of of Marvin Gaye. The singer acknowledged her 50's doo-wop roots with a spirited ''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' and commemorated her early Motown years with a three-song medley of Supremes hits. She performed ''Swept Away'' with a video of the song and ended her set with Bob Dylan's ''Forever Young,'' arranged as a saccharine gospel hymn.


Compared with the similarly priced Jacksons' show with its ''Star Wars'' pyrotechnics at Madison Square Garden and Liberace's Music Hall show, in which the pianist played in synch with dancing and rainbow-colored fountains, Miss Ross's show was skimpy, not only in length but in show-biz razzmatazz. At $30 ticket prices, 50's-style glamour is no substitute for 80's showmanship.

[monicarivers]

POP: DIANA ROSS SHOW
By Stephen Holden
Sept. 21, 1984


GLAMOUR, the aura of sanctified narcissism exalted by 1950's movie magazines, has made a big comeback of late thanks to performers such as Diana Ross. The star, who opened an 11- show engagement at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday, distills that elusive mixture of beauty and cultivated charm in its most concentrated form. In her new show, which features several stunning costume changes, music plays second fiddle to images of the star modeling various glittering gowns and jump suits.


Even before it opened, Miss Ross's show had become the Music Hall's top-grossing concert attraction ever, surpassing Liberace's record-breaking engagement last April. Where Liberace's 14-show engagement carried a top ticket price of $25, the best tickets for Diana Ross went for $30. And at the end of an opening-night performance that began with two variety acts and continued with the star singing for just an hour and 10 minutes, a sizable portion of the audience felt it had not gotten its money's worth and vociferously demanded ''more.'' Having prepared no second encore, the star offered a reprise of her newest hit, ''Swept Away.''


Miss Ross opened her set with a selection of songs [[''My Man,'' ''New York State of Mind,'' ''It's My Turn'') arranged cabaret-style for just voice and piano. Then, joined by 12 musicians and two backup singers, she continued with such old hits as ''Ain't No Mountain High Enough'' and ''Upside Down'' and the recent ''I'm Missing You,'' a new Lionel Richie ballad written in memory of of Marvin Gaye. The singer acknowledged her 50's doo-wop roots with a spirited ''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' and commemorated her early Motown years with a three-song medley of Supremes hits. She performed ''Swept Away'' with a video of the song and ended her set with Bob Dylan's ''Forever Young,'' arranged as a saccharine gospel hymn.


Compared with the similarly priced Jacksons' show with its ''Star Wars'' pyrotechnics at Madison Square Garden and Liberace's Music Hall show, in which the pianist played in synch with dancing and rainbow-colored fountains, Miss Ross's show was skimpy, not only in length but in show-biz razzmatazz. At $30 ticket prices, 50's-style glamour is no substitute for 80's showmanship.

$30! Those were the days!