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Beautiful as ever, Donna launched into “Could It Be Magic,” singing the words “ah, sweet dreamer, angel of my lifetime,” where the original version had “sweet Peter.” I found it devilishly ironic that the stanza that contains the lyrics “high up where the stallion meets the sun” was met with her hand and body motions of pulling as if on reins and a riding back and forth motion. It was oddly reminiscent of 1976-era “Love to Love You Baby” gyrations. I wonder if she realizes that. It was great, nonetheless.
The band kept toying with Donna by the bassist starting the hook to LTLYB several times throughout the show, to which Donna would protest “you know I don’t do that anymore,” or “you are always trying to start trouble,” always met with cheers of glee from the audience.
Lots of talking and banter made for a much more relaxed Donna than we have seen since her live 1979 Hollywood Bowl concert that was used for portions of her 1980 TV Special. Donna heard the audience and was participative in a way that she normally is not. She mentioned several times that she’s just an ordinary girl who can sing, told us what is going on with her family, and replaced the Diva skit with one about her fantasy of being raised in Europe as royalty as a child.
I wonder if she reads this column based on her remarks that she was born “a poor Black girl in Boston.” She is not taking herself too seriously, as she mused that “it’s not easy doing this when you’re 75,” and “it ain’t over until the fat black lady sings. As the stock market went up, so did I. I just got so tired of starving myself for all of those years that I was hungry!” At one point when bending over to talk to the audience, she turned to the band behind her and said, “Sorry about that, I mean I hope I’m not stunting anyone’s growth or anything back there.”
One touching moment of the show was the song “Smile.” Donna mentioned that her father had been dreadfully ill and in the hospital. She considered canceling the tour. Ironically, I considered canceling attending because of the death of Joe’s father. She said that she knew she had to go on and that the song guided her through. I’ve often sung this song to myself through some of the tougher parts of my life. “Smile, though your heart is breaking…” It really rang true for me.
An interesting turn of unplanned events during the show was both interesting, and supports my belief that Donna is a reader. Someone shouted out that it was her own birthday. Well, in an audience of 2,000, on any given day, the odds are that there are about seven people with a birthday on that day. Donna feigned mock surprise and asked the young woman to come on up, to which about 50 people responded that it was their birthday. Well, OK, I conceded that nine months prior to November 15 is coincidentally Valentine’s Day, but I cannot believe that there was that high of a percentage of people there with a birthday on that specific day! Donna invited all of them up, much to the panic and chagrin of Security. There were at least seven Security officers (according to my count) around the stage and on stage.
After the announcement, one exuberant young man with spiked hair jumped straight from the floor up onto the stage, only to be met with a serious-looking security man in his face and another behind him on the floor. “Get down, now!” could be heard without a mic as Donna continued to ask the throng if it was really his/her birthday off to stage right. The poor guy was petrified, and with his back to the audience, was lifted down by both security guys. How embarrassing! Good thing it wasn’t the T’s birthday is all I can say. They were both cute so I would have had to work something out.
So, some whispering and scuffle and oohs and ohs from the audience, later, Donna explained that Security would only allow three people up on stage. Once they were there, Donna sang “Happy Birthday” to them and then used them as backup singers to “On the Radio.” The guy in the center, Garrett, was much too comfortable and much too natural. I think that Donna’s wish of having been raised in Buckingham Palace with the Queen came close to being a reality. The reason I say that it’s ironic and she may be reading this was her reference to their practice dance moves. She said they “might have some color.” She also said that she had some “Caucasian people up here last time who couldn’t get it.” I’ve never seen Donna focused on color before. It was innocent, it was fun, and it was appreciated by the audience. As Donna dismissed all the birthday-wannabes from the stage, some chick held up her 45 RPM of something and asked Donna to autograph it. “Not right now, honey,” was the polite response. As if!
A standout high point of the show was Donna’s rendition of “Georgia,” the Ray Charles standard, which she sang in tribute to Ray. I got the idea that “A Donna Summer Tribute to Ray Charles” would be a perfect album for her. Her delivery was flawless. In fact, her delivery on every song was flawless as it has been in every other live concert. It was obvious that rehearsals have been regular and frequent.
Given all the hubbub about Ashley Simpson and the lead vocal track, we wondered if Donna was employing a similar technique. At one point, it appeared so, but it was really just Mary Ellen carrying a note in the background. Mary Ellen has a voice so similar to Donna’s that it’s hard to tell the two apart sometimes. And speaking of Mary Ellen, girlfriend had lost some weight, has a new straight do, and was looking good! For the duet of “Enough is Enough,” Bruce chivalrously stepped aside and a pin spot focused on Mary Ellen singing the duet with Donna, to uproarious applause. If we can’t get Donna to do an album, maybe we could get Mary Ellen. I bet the price is right.
Another unexpected gem was the crowd shouting out a Donna for requests, completely unsolicited. Someone yelled “Andrea Bocelli” and Donna joked that he was asking for the song about jelly. Then she launched into an a capella version of “Con Te Partiro” in Italian. Totally unplanned and unrehearsed. Magnificent.
But, I have to say that what got me up a dancing and the surprise to end all surprises, was yes, my children, yes indeed, Donna, for her first curtain call, sang “Love to Love You Baby” after a costume change (her only one) into a faux-leather floor length coat with bejeweled crosses and chains hanging from the pockets. The backup trio carried the aahs, and Donna sang, not rapped the song, the full song, and turned it into that she loves to love the audience, rather than a sex-a-thon. She even cooed along in falsetto to the bridge. Amazing after all these years, and the final sign that Donna is not taking herself so seriously these days.
The complete line-up was (according to my memory, because contrary to what we’d all like to think, I did not take my pad or laptop to the concert, and I’m over 40 now so the memory ain’t all what it used to be):
Overture
Could It Be Magic
This Time I Know It’s for Real
MacArthur Park
Smile
She Works Hard for the Money
My Man Medley: The Man I Love/I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good/One of These Days
No More Tears (Enough is Enough)
Happy Birthday
On the Radio
Georgia
Con Te Partiro
Cold Love
Try Me/I Feel Love Medley
Bad Girls
Hot Stuff
Love to Love You Baby
Last Dance
Donna said last night that her goal was to win a Grammy in every category and that she had already won across six. Maybe she meant had been nominated across six, as I only counted five awards in four categories. This all was a preamble to her singing “Cold Love,” which she said “entitled her to be able to sing rock ‘n roll.” Again, I wonder if Donna reads T-Box, since that was mentioned in the last two-part series.
Nonetheless, I’m ready to cheer, support, and buy. Donna if you’re reading this, I will always love you, and I will always support you. Once again, you rocked my world and brought some love and happiness to me. God bless you and whatever you record or release. You can believe that I’ll tell the world to go out and buy it, even if it’s written on toilet paper. And coincidentally, there was an article this morning about how men apologize 50% more frequently than women based on a recent survey do. The second most frequent thing for which they apologize? Not replacing the empty toilet paper.
So off into the blackness of the San Diego wilderness we trotted. No breakdowns and that much happier. Today, though, I can’t help hearing Paul Revere and the Raiders in my head…”they took the whole Cherokee nation, and put us on this reservation.”
David
Thornton is a regular collaborator of FOREVER DONNA website.
He has a column here called T-BOX. Check
it out.
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