Even Cher joked that this was another farewell tour! Elton John had a farewell tour, but he is now back out touring. And Motley Crue’s much-publicized farewell tour was proven a farce when it was announced that they will be tour in 2020 with Def Leppard and Poison.
As concert-goers, let’s be smart enough to realize that every farewell tour does not live up to its name. But that’s good news right?
Even if there is always the possibility that a farewell tour by Cher will not be her last, there is little doubt that she puts everything into a concert as if it is her last. I have been to countless concerts during my career, and I’m sure Cher’s concert Friday night at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans was the most expensive and extravagant production I have seen. This was my first time seeing Cher, but I have a feeling all of her concerts are defined by their decadent production.
Cher’s concert was more like a broadway musical than just a concert. I expected costume changes but not for nearly every song and I lost count after 10 costume changes.
The costume changes required that Cher be off stage for the beginning of every song - with few exceptions. This mean that there were videos or music interludes to cover the time Cher was changing. The videos and the music were entertaining, but there were times more Cher on stage would have been more pleasing to many of us in the audience. But I’m sure many in the crowd anticipated and welcomed her lavish costume changes. It seemed like there were a few times when voice-tracking assisted Cher during some of the costume changes and toward the end of her show.
Though the continuous costume changes and the probability of some voice tracking during the concert were worthy of critique, I loved seeing Cher in concert and the fact that she looks as good as she ever looked and still has a great voice at the age of 73 made it an enriching experience.
The audience was mostly younger and older women with a large percentage of younger and older males; the minority were the couples. Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and even Gen Z were all represented.
After the first two songs, Cher stopped the show to address the audience. When her entire band left the stage, you got a sense that her monologue was an important part of the show. As Cher continued to talk about Cher, I did get the feeling that her talk was a self-indulgent expose’ on all the things Cher had done and what an amazing woman she is. But it was the way she ended her talk to the audience and her ultimate message that turned self-indulgence into an incredible message, particularly for the women in attendance.
Cher’s close to 15 minute monologue was based on the story about how she felt when she turned 40. Naturally, she lamented about hitting the milestone of 40, but there was a positive bias to her thoughts on getting older. Cher talked about some of her challenges in the business and how she persevered, which was a testament to being a strong woman. Near the end of her talk, Cher said - “That was then - I was 40 - I’m not now.”
Wearing one of her scant costumes - when Cher said, “I’m 73!” The entire arena erupted in a joyous applause as if to say, “Thank you for giving us permission to get older.”
Cher encouraged women to “do it” - to “act up” - to “act out” - to "get into trouble” (but not like she did sometimes). She shared the story of how she and Sonny had lost everything; and they came to New Orleans to play at The Blue Room, which was an upscale dinner club in the Roosevelt Hotel. Cher admitted that not many people came to see them; but when they returned, more people came to see them and even more the next time. She expressed a sense of gratitude for our city that showed support for them when they were down.
And the last thing she said before getting back to singing was, “What’s your grandmother doing tonight?” With that - Cher was back to performing!
Throughout the concert, the choreography of Cher’s male and female dancers was exceptional, but even more outstanding were their costumes that reflected the different decades when her songs were popular.
The montage of film of Sonny & Cher was nostalgic. Cher’s 60s-style outfit was a modern version of what she wore in the 60s when “The Beat Goes On” and “I Got You Babe” were topping the music charts. And with the use of Sonny appearing on the gigantic video screens to sing his part - Cher sang a duet of “I Got You Babe” with her late husband, Sonny Bono. The audience showed their approval as the opening notes defined the song.
Cher’s song from the movie “Burlesque” was mesmerizing and her outfit and the outfits of her dancers were reminiscent of the 40s.
The series of ABBA covers had nearly everyone in the audience singing every word. Hey, if you’re at a Cher concert, and you know the words to her songs - chances are you know the words to every ABBA song, too. The costume motif for Cher and her dancers for the ABBA covers epitomized the obnoxious flamboyance of the 70s accented with afro wigs.
Cher’s 1990 cover of “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)” - a #1 hit for Betty Everett in 1964, was the perfect opportunity to turn the stage into a scene from America in the 60s with memories of malt shops and “groovy” costumes for Cher and her dancers.
The moment you realized just how great Cher looks - especially for 73 - came when she came out in a black sequin and leather garter outfit with thigh-high black leather boots for the song, “If I Could Turn Back Time.” The outfit she wore was similar to the black lingerie ensemble worn in the video for the song abroad a U.S. battleship. As Cher performed that song there was the same perspective of the gun turrets from a battleship as the backdrop on the video screens over the stage.
For the encore, Cher came out wearing bright red wig - a shiny silver jacket with tight-fitting faded blue jeans covered with patches and the song she left us with was her mega hit “Believe.” The entire Smoothie King Center was standing and singing every word of the song with Cher.
Cher may have slowed down a bit over the years, but she still did a modest amount of dancing. At 73, her voice was strong; and her body just hasn’t changed.
The entertainment value was superb; but, honestly, the enduring memory of the Cher concert was the clear message that we never have to act our age and that we should not allow past societal norms to dictate who we are was we mature. Just like the example that Mick Jagger, now 76, sets, Cher demonstrated that acting old is a choice!