The Palm Beach Post
03-02-2004
THE ORIGINAL ‘TRASHY DIVA’ BETTE’S ALL CLASS
BYLINE: CHARLES PASSY\, Palm Beach Post Arts Writer
Photo: BaltoBoy Steve
Note to Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Janet Jackson: Bette Midler wants her reputation back.
After all, you may reveal the skin, but you can’t capture the true essence of showmanship. As Midler reminded her plentiful audience at the Office Depot Center on Sunday evening – the second night in her two-day run – she originated the “trashy diva” aesthetic three decades ago. And she did it with a lot more style, grace and good humor than these contemporary stars have.
At 58, Midler is still a wondrous thing to watch onstage, cleavage-revealing outfits and all. She hasn’t lost a measure of her signature sassiness, but she’s added a layer of world-weary wisdom. The result is as fully realized a concert performance as you’re bound to witness, a show that plays not only to what Midler jokingly refers to as her “tribes” – namely, Jewish and gay audiences – but to just about anyone with a heart and soul.
But what’s equally remarkable about the “Kiss My Brass” tour is that it’s a big show and yet the spectacle only serves to accentuate Midler’s artistry.
The premise is Midler is taking her audience back to the heyday of Coney Island.
She sings, of course. Using her trumpet of a voice, she sails through numbers old and new – Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, the new tune Kiss My Brass, and a Rosemary Clooney medley – with the feistiness of a bargain-basement shopper spotting the last dress on sale.
But she also saves her strength for a few perfectly paced torch songs: To hear Midler sing When a Man Loves a Woman is to know how so many other balladeers get it wrong. She doesn’t give it all away in the beginning. She waits for the emotional payoff.
In the end, Midler has that rare ability to bring all the parts of her persona together and relate to an audience one-to-one. She closed with Friends, an anthem of camaraderie that speaks to her big-hearted spirit. Ain’t nothing trashy about that.
