BY YVONNE ZUSEL
Whenever a musical artist of a certain age takes the stage, there's a collective holding of breath before they sing the first note. Will their voice crack? Will they stay on key? Will they sound the same as they did 40 years ago?
And then they open their mouths, and you're instantly transported back in time, and you feel bad for ever doubting them in the first place. Shame on me for ever thinking Diana Ross might not -- even at 71 -- be able to belt out The Supremes hits that made her famous and the solo hits that kept her that way.
Like fellow senior diva Bette Midler during her Philips Arena show a week ago, Ross took the stage -- to a few bars of her classic disco tune, "I'm Coming Out" -- at Chastain Park Amphitheatre on Friday night ready to deliver for the crowd right out of the gate.
Dressed in a giant seafoam green taffeta number -- one of five dramatic, colorful outfits she would don throughout the night, including a fringed yellow jacket with a spangly black jumpsuit and a sparkly silver dress with billowy sleeves -- Ross moved chronologically through her career, first launching into a tour of The Supremes' greatest hits that got the crowd clapping along.
From a jazzy rendition of "Baby Love" to a Caribbean-tinged "Love Child," Ross made good use of the silky smooth voice that's served her well all these years. Accompanied by an impressive eight-piece band and three backing singers, she breathed new life into both ballads (the longing "Touch Me in the Morning") and party tunes (the bouncy "Upside Down," on which she invited a fleet-footed fan on stage to perform some moves) alike.
And lest we forget Ross also has some acting chops, she paid homage to her movie star past with an extended version of "Ease on Down the Road" from the 1978 classic "The Wiz," "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)," from her starring turn in 1975's "Mahogany," as well as "Don't Explain" from her role as Billie Holiday in 1972's "Lady Sings the Blues."
The highlight of the night, however, came in the form of a passionate performance of Ross' first No. 1 single as a solo artist, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." A scan of the crowd saw nearly everyone singing along -- this is Ross' premiere signature song in a sea of signature songs, and it's clear how much she still enjoys singing it.
But just because Ross is known for her old standards doesn't mean she doesn't still have a trick or two up her (billowy/bright yellow/fringed) sleeve. She closed things out with a spirited cover of DJ Khaled's 2010 hip-hop hit "All I Do Is Win," proving, like Midler last week with her cover of TLC's "Waterfalls," that you shouldn't even begin to count her out.
Ross' rollicking, fast-paced show proved that 71 is the new 30 -- you hear that, Mick and Keith?
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