Rod Laver Arena
April 18, 2005
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"When we flew in, I got stopped at customs. They asked
if I had a criminal record. I said, 'No. Why? Is that still a requirement?'"
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A 26-year absence from Australia has not changed the Divine Miss M one bit, although she coyly admits the crowd is a little different. "When I last came here, the audience was on drugs, now they're on medication," she laughs after entering the stage on a white carousel horse. And with that, the sassy and exhilarating Bette Midler blasts into the opening tour title tune, Kiss My Brass, which carries all the finesse and Broadway appeal of a true stage stopper. The pace is frenetic, punchy and with all the entertainment, high-paced energy and charisma we can expect from the 30-year veteran. The twinkling lights and painted set evoke Coney Island at the turn of the 19th century and it is under this mosaic of colour and movement that she cheekily pokes fun at Shane Warne and Pauline Hanson among a host of others. Her back-up dancers, the Harlettes, launch into a cutesey rendition of Happy Little Vegemites to raucous approval from the crowd. But it is her trademark repertoire of bad taste and trashy jokes that delights the crowd. Whether it's belting out the hits of Broadway, her tribute to Rosemary Clooney or her signature tunes, the mischievous Midler performs with both aplomb and charisma. Accompanied by a 12-piece band, Midler's rollercoaster ride carries all her hits, and those she's made her own: Skylark, Tenderly, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Shiver Me Timbers, From a Distance, When a Man Loves a Woman and show closers Wind Beneath My Wings and The Rose. The show's third encore ends with a tribute to Peter Allen and Tenterfield Saddler. In between, she pokes fun at George Bush, celebrity weddings, her own short-lived sitcom and Britney's pregnancy. Part stage show, part concert, part cabaret and entirely splendid - it's two hours of energetic dancers, big bands, fantabulous costume changes and outrageousness. Bette Midler performs two more shows in Melbourne before heading to Adelaide and back to Sydney.
THIS is the woman who recently told the Herald Sun: "I'm much more sedate now." Oh yeah? Fortunately that was not the Bette Midler Melbourne saw last night. For "sedate", read "polished", for 30-odd years in the business has obviously taught Ms M how to put on one stupendous show. And Ms M was not afraid to show her emotions, ending the show in tears with Tenterfield Saddler, a tribute to Australia's Peter Allen. Kiss My Brass was a glorious romp through her hits framed by a sparkling fun-pier set with bathing beauties and 12-piece band. Entering on a white carousel horse, Midler hurtled into the show's rowdy title song and her signature chatter. The woman could talk under a tonne of sequins. Midler's fans come in roughly two groups: those who love the downmarket diva of the 1970s, and those who go red in the eye at Wind Beneath My Wings. Both would have gone home happy, for this was a variety show of the first order. We had satirical Bette, pasting her Chapel of Love with pictures of Brad'n'Jen (Pitt and Aniston) and other eternal partnerships. However, a surprise highlight was Midler's new cover of Rosemary Clooney's Tenderly, which sat beautifully on her mezzo voice. The Age Company Bette Midler brought the house down last night with her Kiss My Brass show at the Rod Laver Arena. Glorious Broadway tack came to Rod Laver Arena last night with show tunes, colour and movement and bad taste jokes. Bette Midler returned after 26 years - and after a blasting version of the tour title tune, Kiss My Brass, she launched into a variety of gags with local references. Her sassy backing vocalists the Harlettes sang Happy Little Vegemites and Midler told jokes about Shane Warne and even Toorak ladies. The set was designed like a 19th-century Coney Island park with flashing lights. A merry-go-round horse floated Midler to the stage. Her performance ranged from the intimate, with the beautiful ballad Skylark, to frenzied, with big hit Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Midler, 59, made several costume changes, including into a black leather devil outfit replete with ruby sequined bustier. She told bad jokes about Viagra, John Howard and George Bush's bottom, and Pauline Hanson with such confidence they brought the house down. Songs included When A Man Loves a Woman, Everything's Coming Up Roses and Friends, which segued into a celebration of her Jewish supporters. The support came from all denominations last night. Undercover The term Superstar is an overused term, isn't it? Let run through the list of those who the tabloids rate in the category.… Christina Aguilera? ….Nope, Britney Spears?… Nope, Jennifer Lopez? …. Nope. You can thank Bette Midler for redefining the line. Bette Midler is a proven Superstar and Kiss My Brass is the show to prove it. It has taken Bette 26 years to return to Australia but in one swoop of the nation, she has reclaimed her territory as one of the world's great entertainers. It's no wonder Kiss My Brass was one of the top 10 shows in the US last year. Bette gave 110% and performed one of the world's most entertaining shows. She was funny but irreverent. She could rock and she could lay you right back. And she made it all look so easy, which of course, it isn't. Bette Midler had the crowd in stitches. She huffed and puffed out of breath after the second song and said "that's what happens when you do your own singing". Ouch Britney. About the Australian Prime Minister and US President "I shouldn't mouth off at George Bush. He is having surgery tomorrow. He is having John Howard removed from his ass". On the job George Dubya is doing "I'm not certain I could
run the world but I couldn't fuck it up any worse". She cleverly grouped the crowd. It was the Toorak audience in the front rows, the Caulfield audience in the middle and the Broadmeadows crowd up the back, all very clever references to Melbourne suburbs. There was an hilarious moment on film where she explains the disappearance of her sitcom Bette in a sketch with Judge Judy. She sang 'Chapel of Love' with a backdrop of broken Hollywood marriages.
Jennifer and Brad; multiple JLo relationship break-downs and Liza
with an Ex. Bette Midler gives an audience something sadly lacking in the music industry today … Entertainment. Kiss My Brass setlist: Act One Kiss My Brass Act Two Delores DeLago: Fishtails Over Broadway Sideshow BMTV Video (Bette Midler Television -- All Bette, All The Time) From A Distance Encore: Tenterfield Saddler
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US
vs OZ
Australia
is speechless!
The
Herald Sun