Cher burst onto the stage at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Tuesday night (9 October). And at 72 years of age she proved once and for all that age is not barrier.
Having not toured Australia since her last farewell tour, 13-odd years ago, she joked: “Won’t this bitch ever quit?”
She floated down from the rafters in her opening number ‘Woman’s World’ sporting a fluorescent orange wig and the first of what would be 11 costume changes throughout the show – and what a show!
Before she exited to change her outfit she said full of sass, confidence and experience: “Before I start, let me just ask you one last thing; what’s your Granny doing tonight?”
Of course the performance wouldn’t be complete without a few Sonny and Cher classics – ‘Little Man’, ‘The Beat Goes On’ and finally an emotional story: “I wasn’t sure if I could do this one, I was worried how you would react - actually that isn’t really true, I was worried how I would react.
Click here to read our recent review of Cher's Brisbane concert.
“But then I thought I could be dead in the next 15 minutes, if I don’t do it.” A screen dropped down and Sonny’s face appeared to sing ‘I Got You Babe’ as was traditionally intended, receiving a rapturous applause.
‘Gypsys, Tramps And Thieves’ and ‘Half-Breed’ brought out some mind-blowing costumes. But it was the third act which got the 15-year-old in me screaming with delight when a burlesque favourite, ‘You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me’ came across the back screen followed by a very accurate and energetic version of the saucy track, ‘Welcome To Burlesque’ acted out perfectly by her extremely captivating dancers.
Her new album of Abba covers ‘Dancing Queen’, following the recent release of ‘Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again’, featured midway through her set. ‘Waterloo’ and ‘S.O.S’ got the crowd pumping, before she exited the stage and reappeared on top of the staircase set, for her spine-tingling heart-thumping rendition of ‘Fernando’.
To the backing track of ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, Cher told the story of a defining moment in her life seeing Elvis as a young girl, which influenced her to think outside the box and become a different type of performer. She then performed Marc Cohn's classic ‘Walking In Memphis’ as a tribute to his “blue suede shoes”.
Canons covered the stage backdrop and we all knew we were in for 1989 smash hit ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’; and it definitely didn’t let us down.
She closed the show with an electric finale performance of ‘Believe’.
To quote opening act, DJ Andrew McClelland: “Ladies, Gentlemen and Trans-folk”, and people of all ages had the privilege to witness something spectacular.
The world is a more colourful place with this woman in it. She is an icon. A religion. A queen.
