Cleveland Living Proof Concert Review

Spanning singer's decades-long career, 'farewell' is dynamic, special-effects fest

06/19/02
Anastasia Pantsios

Special to The Plain Dealer

Cher's farewell concert stop at the Gund Arena last night almost didn't get off the ground - or, more accurately, it almost didn't get on the ground.

Cher, of the legendary showmanship, had planned a spectacular entrance. Following a video and photo montage to taped music, the curtain opened to reveal the band and a drape, which in turn lifted to show a giant chandelier, which was supposed to bring Cher to the stage. Only it didn't. The drape fell, the curtain closed, the band stopped, and the audience waited for almost 10 minutes until Cher walked out in front of the curtain to start the show from the ground.

The technical glitch demonstrated that, as much as her show is a feast of visual marvels and state-of-the-art lighting effects, her gift for spontaneity and self-directed humor are just as significant. She described her feelings trapped up on the ceiling and told the crowd, "You saw something tonight I hope no one ever sees again!" And then she launched into her set opener, her cover of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."

Everything other pop acts do, Cher does with a little more panache. Many acts have video; Cher has a giant screen on which the video Cher, embellished with special effects, frequently dominates the real Cher.

Every pop act has dancers; Cher has a battalion of dancers who perform a series of ballets between songs and surround her with motion. Some of the dance pieces were beyond sumptuous, such as the Indian-influenced intro to "All or Nothing," where the dancers swirling in rainbow-hued costumes to raga-like music before Cher appeared on a life-size prop elephant dressed in a sari-style gown.

Of course, all of Cher's costumes were stunning, whether she was showing off an unbelievable body for a 56-year-old in sheer mesh, donning a scarlet ringmaster's coat and top hat or sporting a headdress resembling a giant Mohawk.

What's even more amazing is to realize that nearly every song Cher performed was a top 40 hit, spanning the 35-plus years of her career.

She paid tribute to her Sonny & Cher years with a video, rather than live, version of "I Got You Babe" and then appeared on stage in bellbottoms and a fur vest to sing "All I Really Want to Do." She was in great voice for her big anthems like "I Found Someone," belting them clearly at the top of her lungs. It's a little hard, seeing how lithe and dynamic she is and how strong her voice sounds, to figure out why this is her farewell tour. But she's certainly going out on top.

What's even harder to figure out is why opening act Cyndi Lauper never enjoyed the long-term success of her far less talented contemporary Madonna. Lauper applied her unique voice, with its girlish tone and infinite power, to ballads like "True Colors," which she performed swathed in a rainbow flag as a tribute to gay pride month, and raise-the-roof rockers like "It's Hard To Be Me" and "Money Changes Everything." She made frequent forays into the crowd and brought it to its feet with her best-known hit, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."