Diana Ross: Lady Supreme was on the bill last night at the Hollywood Bowl. After taking the subway to the Bowl, I walked into a near sold-out audience. The Los Angeles Philharmonic opened with Richard Rodgers’ ballet number “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” from the 1936 Rodgers/Lorenz Hart Broadway show, On Your Toes, and with a strong rendition of Duke Ellington’s “Harlem.”
Afterwards, Diana took the stage with her rock-tinged statement of self-assertion, “I’m Coming Out.” With the extensive backlog, favorite songs were sure to be left out of the routine. Among missing personal favorite tunes: “Endless Love,” “Chain Reaction” and the New Wave-flavored Darryl Hall-composed “Swept Away”. Miss Ross was in fine form, looking splendid in sequins and a yellow dress and performing a nicely paced 90-minute concert with minor vocal cracks.
The medley of Motown hits with the Supremes was a highlight—the band was excellent, especially on the boppy “You Can’t Hurry Love”—and she sang tunes from her movies Mahogany and Lady Sings the Blues. Though “Upside Down” was weak on electric guitar, it rocked the crowd and a smooth, flawless performance of “It’s My House” more than compensated. What a blast (and thanks again to Cynthia for pouring the wine). Cheers, Diana; your house is still built for love.
Diana Ross Official Web Site: http://www.dianaross.com/
