CHERing the Love in the Nation's Capital

It occurs to me that my recent blogging has been a little heavy on the Cher.  I tend to stay focused onone thing at a time and forget there's more to talk about and a lot of great music to dig into, but posting a review of Cher's "Dressed To Kill" how, (April 4 @Verizon Center, DC), will help purge her from my system and I'll be able to go on with my life outside her world. Or not.

(photo above: Cher live in DC  courtesy of R Esche)

Walking into the venue with friends, we could feel the anticipation as thousands of us gathered for what is now being called Cher's 'Farewell, Farewell Tour' but regardless of what they call it, they can never call it "dull." With expectations high, Cher had her work cut out for her and she nailed it.

Everything you would expect from Cher was on stage and for a nearly an hour and a half: the songs, the outfits, the dancing men! The crowd, as diverse and adoring as only someone who's career spans 50 years could be, was on their feet pounding fists and cheering every time another favorite 'Cher song' began.

 

I was caught up watching Moms, Dads and their Moms and Dads dancing side by side with their kids as Cher turned back her time in the spotlight.  Through it all interjecting interesting stories of life on the road, broken nails and soda pop.  No matter how deep or shallow the conversation, she held us all in the palm of her hand and we loved it.

 

To open the show, a familiar voice to my GenXrs rang out as the lights went down, "we're running with the shadows of the night, so baby take my hand it will be alright..' Instantly I was taken back a couple decades when Pat Benatar was selling out arenas and stacking up the Grammys. Though she dropped the spandex and sexy persona years ago, she brought her husband, Neil Geraldo further into the spotlight and kept her voice in tact and delivered a solid set of rock and pop gems.

Opening for Cher seemed like cake walk for Benatar who brought her own brand and classic song catalogue along.  D2K also kicks off Benatar and Giraldo's 35th year in music and they will be on the road all summer.  This would be a great one to catch once they fulfill their Cher duties as Cyndi Lauper opens the show in Brooklyn next week!

  

There is not much to be said about Cher that hasn't been said.  All I will add is that if after 50 years if we didn't want her around anymore, we would have said, "Farewell" a long time ago. However if last night is any indication, we haven't seen the last of her and this fan couldn't be happier about that.  Our world wouldn't be the same without her.

D2K keeps moving across the US.  Click here for upcoming dates.
 

Cher's 'World' is Big Enough for Us All

Cher hit the road this week with a sold out spectacle of a show in Phoenix #d2k . The costumes, the dancers, the wigs- it was all there.  But rising above it all was the music that for the better part of 50 years has touched everyone of every age, and nobody does a better Cher impression than Cher!  She defines who she is and her contribution to our lives best on stage. 

 Lady Gaga, Britney, and even Madonna owe so much to one who truly helped carve out a place in this "World" for them.  Cher hits DC on April 4.  See you there!

It IS a Woman's World After All

Cyndi Lauper will (again) open for Cher during her upcoming "Dressed to Kill" tour.  You may remember that Cyndi opened on Cher's "Farewell" tour a few years back.  Well at 67(!), Cher is not content to stay out of the limelight and judging buy her ticket sales, her fans are more than eager for her to return!

Bringing Cyndi back is icing and rainbow sprinkles on an already super sweet event.  In her 50+ year career, Cher has literally been there, done that and has earned a level of success and fan base not many achieve. She's had ups and downs, (perhaps more downs than ups), but has survived decades of changing sounds and styles. 

After more than 30 years, Cyndi Lauper has followed in Cher's footsteps, (size 8: do you believe there's an actual website for this stuff??), carving out her own space and building a following that consistently flocks to see her live shows.  In 2013 she became the 1st woman to win a Tony award for scoring the musical, "Kinky Boots," and hit the road to celebrate 30 years of 'FUN!'

Warming up thousands of Cher fans can't be left to just anybody!  And if this wasn't good news for all the girls and boys who wanna have fun with these two, Cher also announced that Pat Benatar is also stepping in on selected dates!  Wow!  This is a combination I'd love to see.  Cher is certainly showing us that it's no longer just a man's world ;)

I have my ticket for the Washington, D.C. show; how about you?

 

And the Fun Keeps Coming..

If girls just want to have fun, what are the boys to do? Luckily for them, Cyndi Lauper has welcomed both the girls and the boys to her 30+ year mixer: a blend of music, artistry and activism.

And oh! That iconic song, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!"  Even today when heard on the radio, on TV, in a movie, in ads, it's irresistible and just makes you feel good.  I think that's the aim of any great artist.

Last year while in New York, I went to see Cyndi Lauper's 30th Anniversary Tour, marking the decades since the album, (Yup, I said album ), "She's So Unusual" was released.  Her tour was a personal gift to her fans; taking the stage and delivering the album note for note, in order, side A through side B.  It was perfection and I can say that since I knew that record inside and out! (What?  Did you think I was busy practicing my air guitar with Thin Lizzy?)

I could go on and on about Cyndi and if you want to hear it, you can check her bio page.  I really just wanted to call attention to a new 30 year commemorative offering of the "Unusual" album with some extra treats like demos, new mixes, (from the likes of NERVO and Yolanda Be Cool), and vinyl cut outs of her 80's wardrobe!  Check out a recent interview with Cyndi in the Washington Post.

Blondie @40

Deborah Harry as profiled in Vanity Fair, Jan.2014 Although it's debatable anytime musicians are described as experiencing a 'comeback,' for me Blondie never left.  Like so many before, radio left them, fans grew up or grew out, and don't think advancing technology hasn't altered what's heard and how.  Over time, bands seem to disappear from the masses, but for Blondie, they never really left and I for one am glad about that! In 2013 Blondie's "No Principles Tour' with fellow punk-Alt rockers, "X" was a trip down punk's memory lane.  But punk doesn't define this band.  With Deborah Harry front and center, Blondie's eclectic approach to song writing earned them 4 #1 songs on the US chart and millions of records sold worldwide. In 1979 they filled the dance floors with "Heart of Glass," (sounding fresh as ever in 2014).  That was followed by 1980's biggest  song, "Call Me,'" 1981's reggae-pop gem, "The Tide is High," and "Rapture," pop music's first #1 Rap hit.  2014 marks the band's 40th year in music and they are celebrating with a world tour and new release, both expected to re-establish Blondie as one of America's best exports of rock and roll.  Read more about this in Vanity Fair where the accompanying photo, (taken by famous R&R photographer Annie Leibovitz), was featured. You can also read more about Debbie on her bio page.