Bette

Jamie L wanted people not discussed, I pose Bette Midler. I'd only heard of her when I came to CA after college in late 70s, then she came out with Thighs and Whispers album in the middle of the disco era. It was the ballads I liked most, and heard stories of her outrageous past. What a show girl. Then she did the stage performance in summer and I went with a friend, we lived 70 miles south. Instead of the bus we drove and were way early. Thought it would be empty but dayam, half the audience was already there and you should have seen the women walking up and down the aisles, all in outrageous tramp competition. LOL

When Midler came out she was phenominal. Every song was a fantasy and she could use the slightest prop like a scarf and change the mood instantly. Every other woman performer of the time was second to that act. Summers, Cher, Ross no where close, well maybe Cher.

Then that film of her stage performance came out and was so awful, the audience was peppered with people paid to jump up and scream instead of just letting the jokes happen. She was also suffering from a bad cold. I'm sure it was all the production concerns that killed the energy.

2 years later I saw her in San francisco at Christmas time. Wonderful show, She did some Peter Gabriel songs and a whole different set tho a number of her earlier hits like "Friends".

I like her, she's fun and chatty and outrageous. Environmentally conscious too. Her name was on a sign on the 101 freeway as a donor to clean the freeway for years. Then she moved to NYC and has done great things there and calling herself Queen of Compost.

More power to her, if I ever get back to Vegas I'd see her show, tho that's not likely.