June 18 - Hollywood Bowl Hall Of Fame
The concert was amazing. She did 2 covers: "Nature Boy" (made famous by Nat King Cole) and "Superstar" was performed with Richard Carpenter (originally made famous by the Carpenters, and then Luther Vandross' version is absolute killer also). She also did MacArthur Park, On the Radio (she said was one of her favorite songs), Enough is Enough (Mary Bernard sounded and looked incredibly fantastic also), and the obvious closing number :) David Foster did her intro, and mentioned her daughters, all by name, and Bruce several times. He also stated that he was a session player on the original recording of Last Dance, and told the composer (Paul Jabara) he did not think the song would be a hit because it starts slow and then goes uptempo later, and that he didn't think the disco generation would "get it" He also said he had told Celine Dion that if she recorded the theme to Titanic, it would be the end of her career. Then he joked by saying, when I'm wrong, I'm wrong BIG! :)
Ms Summer wore a really elegant black gown with matching scarf. She was in very good spirits and talked to the audience a lot. She reminisced about how her family would always listen to Carpenter "cassetes" for their road trips, and how it was a dream come true to actually be singing a Carpenter song with a Carpenter. She mentioned that her daughter, Amanda and her hubby were performing this same night at the Roxy, a club in Hollywood- wish I had known about that, after reading yours and Ken's reviews about how good JohnnySwim is in a live show. I feel very lucky and blessed to have experienced this show, and be a "friend unknown" to her, and vice-versa.
- Tata Tatar
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June 19 - Palm Springs
Wow, and wow again! Donnas show last night was beyond spectacular! Her look was gorgeous ( obviously lost weight- the purple "Queen" gown was much more flattering on her), her voice as always was flawless.
Looking at her on the stage directly was like seeing Donna 20 years ago, simply breathtaking! Her joy of what she does radiates in her facial expressions so much you can just feel it!
One real moving moment of the show was when she explained how she sang the night before with Richard Carpenter, " Long Ago" and how much it meant to her to do that. Then she sang the song herself, and OMG her voice literally moved me ( again) to tears!
She is without a doubt the most incredible performer on the planet! The whole house spent most of the evening on their feet, dancing/screaming etc., the energy was electric!
One more interesting thing about last nights show, when I arrived at the box office somewhat early I got to meet the woman who manages the special events facility. When I asked her if the show was sold out, she replied 'so many people have called today for tickets, people who were at her last two performances and said they were so incredible they had to see her again! People from Las Vegas, Del Mar, Hollywood Bowl etc. all wanted to see our beloved Donna again while she was still here! There were an estimated 4000 people there, in a place that was originally set up for 3500!
- Jim Fitzgerald |
Fantasy Springs Casino-Indio-June 19th
Donna's concert was amazing at Fantasy Springs Casino !! This venue did not have the typical "comp" casino audience. Everyone was there to have a great time and it was obvious that Donna was having a great time herself. After seeing Donna the evening before at The Hollywood Bowl, I was floored to hear her perform "Superstar" once again at this show. She also performed Love to Love You Baby and it was AWESOME !! I could not believe my ears when I heard the opening bass line for the song. I was in 7th heaven and by the sound of the Fantasy Springs audience, they were too !! Later in the show, Donna was about to invite a few people from the audience on stage for On The Radio. She had decided it was not a good idea since there was not a safe way to get up onto the stage. Her daughter's Brooklyn and Amanda were at this show, along with Abner her son-in-law. This was one of the BEST casino audience's I have ever seen at any of Donna's concerts. Most of the crowd were on their feet dancing !! Best of all, there were no people complaining to sit down and security did not mind if you took photos. Donna's show at Fantasy Springs Casino was more than just magic, it was a Fantasy come true !!
Set List:
The Queen Is Back
Dim All The Lights
Love To Love You Baby
I Feel Love
I'm A Fire
Superstar
Could It Be Magic
On The Radio
Mr. Music
Crayons
No More Tears
MacArthur Park
Bad Girls
Hot Stuff
Last Dance
(Note: Songs dropped were Sand On My Feet, Smile, and Stamp Your Feet. Songs added were Love To Love You Baby and Superstar)
- Jonathan W |