Concert review: Cher at Amway Center
By the time Cher delivered “If I Could Turn Back Time,” late in her Friday concert at Center, she had already demonstrated that she could.
Nostalgia fueled a glittering, fun and feather-laden 90-plus minutes by the enduring and endearing pop diva. When it comes to memories, Cher, who turns 68 next week, has a vault filled with fond ones:
Video clips of Sonny & Cher doing songs and comedy in the 1960s and 1970s accompanied the flower-power choreography of “ Goes On,” featuring Cher in a groovy red mini-skirt. Sonny’s video cameo in “I Got You Babe” was less creepy than other such technologically generated collaborations.
Maybe that’s because there’s plenty of heart in Cher’s spectacle, enough humor and shoot-from-the-hip candor to humanize the flashy excesses.
“What’s your granny doing tonight?” the singer joked in the opening moments, after descending to the stage adorned in a towering headdress atop a sinking 20-foot column with a platform “the size of a dinner plate.”
“What do you want me to do?” she asked. “You want me to come out in ridiculous costumes, sing and be fabulous, so that’s what I’m gonna do.”
She was fabulous in a concert that was equal parts Las Vegas revue, TV variety show and . The latter was reflected in beautiful, acrobatic choreography that killed time during the many costume changes.
At the center, along with Cher’s arena-sized personality, was a formidable catalog of hits: “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,” “Half-Breed,” “Dark Lady” and others were delivered faithfully. Movie clips, including scenes from her Oscar-winning role in “Moonstruck,” introduced her signature song from the 2010 film “Burlesque.”
In a reprise of her role on Cher’s 2002 “farewell” tour, Cyndi Lauper opened the show with a solidly executed 60 minutes. Lauper’s style dovetails perfectly with the headliner, mixing sass with songs that also can be emotionally charged.
She talked (a lot) about her accomplishments, including the Tony-winning musical “Kinky Boots.” A song from that play, “Sex Is In the Heel,” compared favorably with old favorites “Time After Time,” “All Through the Night,” a show-stopping “True Colors” and the obligatory “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
In the end, Cher also looked like she was having fun – being fabulous.