Texas Fan Reviews

Houston, July 23

- Chris

It was definitely a hot SUMMER night on July 23. In the heart of Downtown Houston, a huge Broadway-size sign reads to anxious concert-goers "In a rare Houston performance - the Queen of Disco reigns over Houston." Was that ever an under statement. The streets of Downtown Houston sounded like American Idol wannabees. I could hear men and women singing "On the radio", "Bad Girls" and one of my favorites "I will go with you."

There were about a dozen long stretch limos lining the streets. The high rollers were there to see their queen. I was amazed to see the diversity of people flocking to see Donna Summer. I saw several teenagers there with Donna shirts on. Keep in mind, the Jones Hall is an upscale venue.. tickets are not cheap. There was not an open seat in the place. People were scrambling to their seats in order not to miss a second of the show.

After 35 minutes of symphonic performance, the fans became restless then a familiar medley was playing from the orchestra. They begin to play MacArthur Park, Heaven Knows, Once Upon a Time, Enough is Enough, She works hard for the money" The audience goes wild, screaming "Donna, Donna, Donna!" Then the lights go down and the orchestra begins with Mac Arthur Park...the violins were really showcased. Donna Summer enters from the velvet curtain onto the stage. She is all smiles (the audience rises and begins to scream "I love you, Donna!" She belted out like I have never heard anyone do so before.

Early on in the show, she said she was honored to perform with the Houston Symphony and to be in Houston. The crowd went wild. You could not hear what Donna was saying. She became overwhelmed with the audience's enthusiasm, her eyes began to water. She reached for some tissue. She jokingly said "and I thought my career was over. I was about to be content being a chubby housewife." The entire audience was on their feet shouting how much they loved her. The orchestra members had the funniest looks on their faces - kind of like "Holy Sh** these people are obsessed with the DIVA!". Donna wiped her eyes and gestured the audience to be seated so the show could continue.

Donna has lost some weight since the VH1 concert in the spring. I had front row center seats. I could see the sparkle in her eyes. She radiated all evening. She was so funny. She spoke in a Rosie Perez accent at times. She talked about her family. Her eyes lit up when she mentioned their successes. Bruce sang Le Imagine Cafe. My friend started crying. Bruce Sudano has an excellent voice! He was kind of shy when he performed.

Here is a song list:

Mac Arthur Park
Once upon a time
I love you ( she dedicated it to the audience and sang "I love you, Houston!")
Could it be magic
Don't cry for me Argentina (There was not a dry eye in the house)
Smile (again, people were teary eyed during the performance)
On the radio
My man medley
Enough is enough (her sister has an awesome voice!)
She works hard for the money
Hot stuff
Bad Girls
Last Dance

Donna's performance was amazing. She was really feeling the energy of the audience. She said "wow, you guys are wild tonight. I love a feisty crowd. I hope they let me come back. I was at Carnegie Hall once before and the crowd was like this. They haven't asked me back yet! But, go ahead and have fun!"

Her voice was incredible. I could not believe how powerful it is. She projected and soared like an eagle. I love the way she pulls the microphone away from her mouth.

It was like she was talking. She never strained. I could see her pearly white teeth! She winked and me and my friends a lot. When she waved at me, I thought I was going to pee my pants!

When she sang Could it be magic, she was very provocative with the mike stand. I nudged my friend and said "She is one sexy diva. I bet Bruce never gets tired of her." Donna looked at me at winked. She had a huge smile on her face and really had fun with the mike.

She could hear the people in the audience going crazy for her. People would not sit down so the entire show became standing room only.

Donna made four outfit changes. She looks very young for her age. I could not see a wrinkle on her face. I saw a very cute scar under her chin. I noticed it in some early pics of her.

I have seen many performers, Donna Summer is in a league of her own. Her voice was perfect. She was very dramatic when she sings. It was such an incredible experience. It was like a dream. Or at least a dream come true!

- Pattyboy (stolen from the Endless Summer forum)

Dallas, July 24

From the moment she appeared on stage the audience let her know she was truly loved. It was a packed house of Thousands. I think all of them must read your website Cathy, because Dallas certainly did "make some noise!" At one point during the cheering Donna clutched the microphone to her chest and murmured "and to think I thought my career was over," causing the crowd to double their efforts proving nothing could be further from the truth.

The song list and patter were pretty much the same as I've read in other reviews so I won't reiterate here. She made it sound as fresh as if it were the first time she'd said the words. One note, it was so HOT (the venue was outside) she did caution the audience not to get carried away dancing and do themselves harm. We danced anyway, but she is a Diva with a heart!

There was great diversity in the crowd. LOTS of gay men & couples, of course, some drag queens, but also straight people, young, old, black , white, you name it...

Donna has gained some weight but it is much more noticeable in photographs. In person you can see the fluidity of her movements and that she is still shapely and voluptuous. And from the second row I could see plenty!

I have always heard that "Last Dance" is the last song in a Donna concert but the audience was making so much noise I thought surely she would come back for an encore. Well, when one of the ladies playing the violin stood up and flung her handbag over her shoulder (what, was she expecting a phone call during the concert-planning to touch up her lipstick?) and walked off,I decided it was safe to leave.

If I ever have the chance to see her again I will certainly take it. I encourage anyone else to do the
same. As the man sitting behind me said (he got picked for "On The Radio" the lucky so-and-so, but it was his birthday so I was happy for him,) "If I died right now of a heart attack, at least I'd die happy!"

- Mitch from Dallas

When I heard that Donna was coming to Dallas, I knew without a doubt that I was going to go. No matter how much the tickets were. This would be my first time to one of her concerts. I've been to only one other concert a long time ago and it was also at Smirnoff, but it was free with various artists of whom I had no interest in. 

There were lots of people there when I arrived. I thought I was getting there early, but not early enough:) It was hot, but shouldn't it be when The Diva is in town? Donna came on around 8:30. A comedian opened the show, but the crowd wanted Donna instead. Chanting, "Donna, Donna". I won't go into much detail. I'll just say that the band was awesome. The sound was better than I anticipated and I'm picky about sound, okay?. 

She Works Hard For The Money was the first song, I believe, Donna sang after a symphonic instrumentation of some of her hits. Her voice was clear and strong. Just as I expected it to be. It's nice to know that there are lots of people who love Donna's music so much still. And such a diverse crowd. I loved the skit that she and her sister Mary did prior to performing Enough Is Enough. It was so funny. My friend from Germany was loving it and relating to it. I loved the song selections Donna chose to do. It's always nice to hear her voice singing other songs besides her own. Smile and You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman were great to hear. She did some other non-Donna songs, but I cannot recall all of their names. I'm sure they have been mentioned by other fans here. These non-Donna tracks just reminded me, and I'm sure others, that I want to hear Donna sing some new songs on a new cd. Got that, Donna?! And please add Ordinary Miracle to that cd sequence list. It's so faith inspiring. 

At some point, before singing On The Radio, Donna chose four fans to come on the stage with her to sing back up. Who to pick, right? Donna finally decided that the four had to be matching her outfit: black. I didn't have black on, but had I thought about it, I would have put on my newly purchased Donna Summer 2005 tour t-shirt and then made a spectacle of myself hoping to be picked. Instead, I wore a custom made Donna t-shirt with a photo from the Donna Summer Gold cd on the back and a photo from 1982 with Donna wearing a rainbow dress. She wore this for the single State of Independence. I got some compliments on this shirt. A place in Dallas called Embroid Me made it for me in case some Dallas neighbors want to know where to go:) I plan on getting another one made. I would have loved to have been up there singing with Donna. A true dream come true for a first timer....or anyone for that matter. 

Donna finally explained the meaning of MacArthur Park and she sang if flawlessly. "You go, girl!" was a heard a few times from screaming fans on many occasions. The audience applauded her as she mentioned that she and hubby Bruce were celebrating their 25th anniversary. She explained how they had their share of ups and downs, but how divorce was not an option for them. A good example for Hollywood, indeed. Seeing them both on stage together is inspiring. I'm glad I had this experience. I hope she comes again to the big D cos' I will definitely be there if I'm able. 

Dallas fans, and anyone else, feel free to email me anytime at leecappella@yahoo.com. 

Remember, wherever you go, always take a little Summer with you.

- Jimmie, Dallas

The stage is much more dramatic than it was in 2000-2001. It's great to see the musicians and Mary & Yvonne tiered up on the stage instead of spread out too far to the left or right. The impressive dual staircases going upwards to Bruce's "Liberace-esque" piano was a fabulous addition, and I love the fact that Donna pops up out of and drops down into the elevator at the top of the stage. That was really neat.

The thing I noticed the most though was the incredible lights choreography during Bad Girls/Hot Stuff. I almost went blind, it was perfect!

My other favorite feature of the show that is different than any other time I have seen it, was the string and horn sections. I always wished that they would add these elements to the show, and it really made the songs "chewy". You KNEW that the stings you heard were not just from the synthesizer, and it was just so richly done.

I loved the show, although we had a bit of a scare during the opening when the curtain got hung up on the light rigging above the whole stage. They tried yanking it down and it almost took the whole light rig with it! Of course, true to the drama of a Donna show, they got the curtain down just in time to see her pop up out on top of the stage. Fabulous!!!

Love and thanks to all the guys and gals. It was wonderful catching up with Bruce, Donna, Mary, Yvonne, Randy, John, Scott and Bobby after 4 years. What a blast I had!!

- Christine Hanna, Dallas

Houston photos from Chris
(click for a larger version)

Photos from Chris in Dallas. 

Unfortunately he had some technical difficulties.  :-(

(click any image for a larger version)