Cher – Rogers Arena – June 27, 2014
Last weekend, a full house at Rogers Arena was ready to ‘turn back time’ as Cher brought her Dressed To Kill concert tour to Vancouver in support of her 25th studio album “Closer to the Truth”. After Cyndi Lauper warmed up the crowd with an energetic opening set, the stage was reset and the anticipation grew. A rumble of applause went through the arena when a Cher look-a-like appeared to take a seat…prompting a disembodied voice of Cher to “I’m coming…why are you cheering, I haven’t even said anything yet…”.
Then the lights dimmed and a quiet excitement built up as a video montage of her 5 decades in showbiz played on the curtain. The opening strains of “Woman’s World” began and the curtain dropped to reveal a glittering gold stage topped off by Cher high atop a pedestal in all her shimmering bedazzled glory, the huge production setting the tone for the rest of the evening’s spectacle. Her over-the-top, jeweled costume and feathered headdress were exactly why the public have put the Diva on a pedestal for nearly 50 years.
This was was certainly the Cher dressed to kill tour as this was just the first in a dazzling array of costumes to wow the audience, some costumes were as iconic as the singer and the song associated to them, like the Native-American inspired feathered headdress for “Half -Breed” or the revealing body-hugging “Turn Back Time” catsuit, which prompted Cher to make a (scripted) comment of still fitting the costume at her 68 years of age.
While much of her witty banter and comments in between sets was scripted she still managed to make it feel fresh and intimate in spite of being in a room of thousands. The whole performance went off with precision and perfection, showing the attention to detail that Cher says she put into out-doing her last “Farewell Tour”. After Woman’s World, we were treated to a walk (or dance) down memory lane as segments included tributes to her first solo singles (a carnival themed “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves”), her movie career (“Welcome to Burlesque”), her Dance diva days (“Turn Back Time” & “Believe”) and a touching tribute to the Sonny & Cher days which included a duet of “I Got You Babe” with Sonny on video. The show wraps with Cher rising like a phoenix to glide over the audience before disappearing into the night.
While the 90 minute show was a visual feast, the audience itself added to the energy and entertainment as people of all ages and demographics came together to witness the legend in all her glittering glory, each group having their own highlight from a career filled with memorable songs, costumes and performances.
The Dressed To Kill Tour continues around North American until November 3, 2014.