Tuesday, June 30, 2015

She B Divine

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I wasn't going to go see Bette Midler in concert at all. I was planning on breaking Ten-Year-Old-Me's heart, stomping my Beaches videocassette to dust beneath my palms like some hand-walking queer. All because it was too much money, and I'm finding myself needing to be frugal as of late. But I checked StubHub a week ago and I found a ticket for 20 bucks way up in the rafters of Barclays Center in Brooklyn and I said fuck it, even though I'm half a mile from the stage...

... it's better than not going. And it was better than not going! (That's a picture I took of the Hocus Pocus number, by the way.) Besides a spastic queen flailing around in his seat beside me as if he thought he was filming an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race and all the cameras were on him (I am so not your audience, dude) the show was super - Bette turns 70 in December but you'd never know it watching her run around stage (well more like "prance" than run) and belt it out like she's been belting it out for fifty years, bless her. I don't go to many big production shows like this, with sets and wardrobe changes and whole bits interspersed between the singing (what the fuck, Dancing Egg) but I had a blast doing it this one time, and given how emotional she got at the end of the show I think it's best I grabbed this opportunity - who knows if she'll ever tour like this again? 
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I took that video of Bette introducing "Wind Beneath My Wings" and then singing a couple of minutes of the song... until my phone died. I haven't even bothered to watch the video, but hey, there it is, in case any of you would like to pretend you're in my size-13 shoes for a moment. My guess is you can probably hear my spastic queen seat-mate singing along at some point too, so you'll get the whole enchilada experience!
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3 comments:

FoxVerde said...

awesome.

p said...

I saw her earlier this month in St. Paul, and it was my first time seeing her since 1973, when she played the PAC in Milwaukee. Melissa Manchester was one of the Harlettes and Barry Manilow was at the Piano. She has slowed down a bit -- you're right, she prances now instead of running -- but she's still one of the most dazzling, gay positive performers of our time and a genuine entertainer! Since the concert I've watched Isn't She Great? which is a better movie than it gets credit for being, and Drowning Mona, which is just plain fun. Also tried to watch Jinxed, which I saw in the theater. It's unmemorable at best. I'm waiting for Continental to be available on Netflix. Hope there's footage of her in it. Thanks for reminding me what a great time this was!

DancerInDC said...

100% agreed with all you said - it was such a fun concert! Caught her here in DC and I'm so glad I went. (Well, maybe I wish I'd only paid $20, too, but still.)