Well, Readers. A hell of a lot has happened since we last spoke (?) and I have an awful lot to blog about. Hurrah! But the first bit of business that we need to discuss is something - or someone - absolutely fabulous. Someone who is the epitomy of camp. Someone who could be described as...divine.
It's no secret that I adore anyone who can be considered a gay icon and my friends have often said they're convinved I'm a 50 year old gay man, so when I saw Bette Midler was touring the UK on her Divine Intervention tour, I absolutely jumped at the chance to go. I managed to snatch early release tickets (thanks, 02 priorities!) for me and my sister and then began the long 6 month wait.
Now, I know Bette Midler is wonderful. She's a bundle of energy and is showing no signs of slowing down despite being 69. It's safe to say we had pretty big expectations. Read: HUGE.
She exceeded them.
Coming out on the stage in a flirty pink baby doll dress, Bette is still looking amazing. And so it begins.
Throughout the night, she switches from energetic numbers (complete with high kicks) to belting out emotional ballads at a rate of knots. I knew that Bette had a pair of lungs on her but ...wow. On albums she's amazing. In person, she's breathtaking.
She sings a couple of songs from her new album, It's The Girls and some songs that neither my sister or I know, but as each one starts we look at eachother and nod. They're bloody good. Particularly noteworthy for me here is a cover of Leonard Cohens' Everybody Knows which, as far as I can see, she has never recorded but I wish she would. It was so beautiful, Readers. I adored it.
Between songs she talks to the audience, cracking perfectly timed jokes with language that could, as they say, make a sailor blush.
And then, much to everyone's delight (especially mine) she comes out in full Winifred Sanderson costume and performs I Put A Spell On You from Hocus Pocus. It's no secret she's keen to do Hocus Pocus 2 and by the reaction, it would be extremely well received. Come on, Disney! Get on it!
Her extremely crude character, Soph, made an appearance dressed in a fabulous feathered number. Here, Bette waltzed across the stage telling jokes that are as old as the hills about 'her boyfriend Earnie' that are absolutely filthy. It's divine. She's been telling these jokes for 30 years or so, but they still crack the audience up and she clearly delights in their laughter.
Another costume change brings a sequinned (hurrah!!) hot pink floor length gown and some of her biggest ballads. The Rose, From A Distance and, of course, Wind Beneath My Wings. All I can say is they were all beautiful. One that especially stood out to me was Stay which I hadn't actually heard before but has since been played on a loop. Take a listen if you have a moment.
So to close here, I was expecting a lot from Bette. I've loved her since I was a little girl and saw her in Big Business (an absolutely cracking film. Go and watch it if you haven't already). I was hoping that I wouldn't be disappointed and I definitely was not. She stayed on stage for nearly 2 hours without any supporting act (except a fantastic band and three backing dancers - The Staggering Harlots) and she sang her freaking heart out. She's said before that she loves touring and performing and that can be seen from a mile away. She thrives on stage and it's no wonder she became so famous all those years ago; she has that thing that makes you want to watch her. She's Vaudevillian, Diva and a whole lotta Heart.
I've always looked up to Bette because, much like Cher, she's someone who is completely herself and if you don't like it, you can lump it - they don't care. She's colour in a black and white world and she knows it. It's what she's built her career on. One doesn't name themself The Divine Miss M without believing they are, in fact, Divine.
Personally, I think if you're still selling out world tours 40 years after starting out, there has to be a reason. Dedicated fans are only going to get you so far. Bette isn't only a singer who can belt a song out, she's an actress who can add emotion without seeming insincere - my sister and I are still unsure if she was actually getting emotional towards the end of the show or if she was acting. She can bring an audience through a show of non-stop Bette - jokes, stories, songs, dancing - and still leave them wanting more, more, more.
It was a phenomenal show that I was glad I could share with my sister. And, in the words of Soph...
I'll nevah forget it, ya know.
M x
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