Post by BostonQ on May 4, 2004 13:24:36 GMT -5
from the May 2, 2004 edition of the "Belfast Telegraph" newspaper:
BAREFACED DIVA BOWS OUT!
by John McGurk
It's difficult to 'Believe' that the long reigning Queen Of Risqué Business, Cher, is ready to hang up her skimpy body stockings, and call it quits on the live front.
For the woman whose big, bold and brassy voice, is only matched by her outrageous stage gear, is set to bid Belfast and her Irish fans adieu, at two lavish showbiz style spectacles, later this month.
Cher - among a select group of stars instantly recognisable by their first name - has been racking up hit after hit for close to 40 years.
In the Sixties, she was the young girl with the deep, almost masculine voice, who serenaded the hippy generation with a series of songs, epitomised by the world-wide smash, I Got You Babe.
In the Seventies, she was one part of middle America's favourite married couple on The Sonny And Cher Hour TV show.
And, in the Eighties, chameleon Cher reinvented herself as a serious actress, and enjoyed a revived chart career with major hits, such as If I Could Turn Back Time and I Found Someone.
In the early Nineties, a combination of chronic fatigue, illness, and some poor choices - including a decision to pass on a role in the hit film, Thelma And Louise - saw her star fading yet again.
But, just when it seemed that Cher was forever consigned to appearing in home shopping TV ads and gossip columns, one record saved her career in one fell swoop.
Of course, that single was Believe - ironically a song that the singer herself had little faith in.
Thanks to that single, Cher spent seven weeks at the top of the UK charts in late 1998, sold close to two million copies, and made history as the oldest woman to ever score a Number One - at the age of 52!
But, just four years after that stunning comeback success, Cher announced that she was retiring from regular live shows, after a final farewell tour, which kicked off in Toronto, in June 2002.
However, massive public demand expanded an original 50 show US itinerary to an astonishing 200 dates, which grossed over $150 million - in spite a Cher imposed maximum ticket price of $75 - and made her a megastar all over again.
Now, her apparent last goodbye has been extended yet again to include another 28 dates in Europe, kicking off with shows in Dublin and Belfast.
Although both dates, north and south, are virtually sold out, it's worth noting that the ticket prices - Dublin's £40 to £47 and Belfast's £35 to £60 - are possibly the most expensive of any of her concerts in Europe.
A spot check shows that seeing Cher in concert in Stockholm costs between £23 and £45, with her Rotterdam dates, a positive snip by comparison - at prices of only £26 to £32!
Justifiable grumbles aside, the Cher extravaganza should still provide value for money, with the sort of Las Vegas style spectacle rarely, if ever, experienced by local concert goers.
There's Cher descending onto the stage on top of a giant chandelier; Cher astride a mechanical elephant, and Cher donning a multitude of costumes - from barbarian queen to futuristic space babe and much, much more.
But, ironically, for a woman who has never rated her own voice, it will her performance of classic songs like If I Could Turn Back Time; Gypsies, Tramps And Thieves and Believe, which should make this one of Belfast's most famous musical Nights To Remember.
Cher is in concert at the Point Theatre, Dublin this Saturday, and the Odyssey Arena, Belfast, on Sunday, May 9. The Dublin show is sold out. Some Belfast tickets, priced at £38, are still available from usual Ticketmaster outlets.
BAREFACED DIVA BOWS OUT!
by John McGurk
It's difficult to 'Believe' that the long reigning Queen Of Risqué Business, Cher, is ready to hang up her skimpy body stockings, and call it quits on the live front.
For the woman whose big, bold and brassy voice, is only matched by her outrageous stage gear, is set to bid Belfast and her Irish fans adieu, at two lavish showbiz style spectacles, later this month.
Cher - among a select group of stars instantly recognisable by their first name - has been racking up hit after hit for close to 40 years.
In the Sixties, she was the young girl with the deep, almost masculine voice, who serenaded the hippy generation with a series of songs, epitomised by the world-wide smash, I Got You Babe.
In the Seventies, she was one part of middle America's favourite married couple on The Sonny And Cher Hour TV show.
And, in the Eighties, chameleon Cher reinvented herself as a serious actress, and enjoyed a revived chart career with major hits, such as If I Could Turn Back Time and I Found Someone.
In the early Nineties, a combination of chronic fatigue, illness, and some poor choices - including a decision to pass on a role in the hit film, Thelma And Louise - saw her star fading yet again.
But, just when it seemed that Cher was forever consigned to appearing in home shopping TV ads and gossip columns, one record saved her career in one fell swoop.
Of course, that single was Believe - ironically a song that the singer herself had little faith in.
Thanks to that single, Cher spent seven weeks at the top of the UK charts in late 1998, sold close to two million copies, and made history as the oldest woman to ever score a Number One - at the age of 52!
But, just four years after that stunning comeback success, Cher announced that she was retiring from regular live shows, after a final farewell tour, which kicked off in Toronto, in June 2002.
However, massive public demand expanded an original 50 show US itinerary to an astonishing 200 dates, which grossed over $150 million - in spite a Cher imposed maximum ticket price of $75 - and made her a megastar all over again.
Now, her apparent last goodbye has been extended yet again to include another 28 dates in Europe, kicking off with shows in Dublin and Belfast.
Although both dates, north and south, are virtually sold out, it's worth noting that the ticket prices - Dublin's £40 to £47 and Belfast's £35 to £60 - are possibly the most expensive of any of her concerts in Europe.
A spot check shows that seeing Cher in concert in Stockholm costs between £23 and £45, with her Rotterdam dates, a positive snip by comparison - at prices of only £26 to £32!
Justifiable grumbles aside, the Cher extravaganza should still provide value for money, with the sort of Las Vegas style spectacle rarely, if ever, experienced by local concert goers.
There's Cher descending onto the stage on top of a giant chandelier; Cher astride a mechanical elephant, and Cher donning a multitude of costumes - from barbarian queen to futuristic space babe and much, much more.
But, ironically, for a woman who has never rated her own voice, it will her performance of classic songs like If I Could Turn Back Time; Gypsies, Tramps And Thieves and Believe, which should make this one of Belfast's most famous musical Nights To Remember.
Cher is in concert at the Point Theatre, Dublin this Saturday, and the Odyssey Arena, Belfast, on Sunday, May 9. The Dublin show is sold out. Some Belfast tickets, priced at £38, are still available from usual Ticketmaster outlets.