Bette Midler at the Staples Center in LA with some ‘Divine Intervention’

AXS
Bette Midler at the Staples Center in LA with some ”˜Divine Intervention’
By: Renee Silverman AXS Contributor May 29, 2015

5-30-2015 6-31-21 AM

Bette Midler or The Divine Miss M, her stage moniker, has been an iconic personality for nearly five decades. She’s a Grammy award-winning recording artist who’s been nominated for two Academy Awards, won four Golden Globes, three Emmy Awards and a special Tony Award. On Thursday, May 28, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Midler proved that at age 69 she is unstoppable as she performed an almost 2-hour show of singing, dancing and bawdy jokes for the Divine Intervention tour.

The Divine Intervention tour is Midler’s first in nearly a decade and comes after a stretch of time spent acting in films and on Broadway. Now, her return to touring, following last year’s studio album, It’s The Girls!, brings Midler full circle performing the music that launched an illustrious career. This time around Midler is backed by a stellar cast including a 14-piece orchestra and her trio of backup singer/dancers, The Harlettes. Set against a backdrop of moving pieces and animation, the set design, in itself, is magical, constantly changing projections, a living, breathing entity all its own.

Bette Midler was welcomed by a standing ovation as she walked out on stage to the receptive Los Angeles crowd. She started the night singing the title tune, “Divine Intervention” with the Harlettes, sauntering full stage. Midler poked fun at social media, saying it was so tiring, and some gems about the Kardashians and how if she had known a sex tape would have brought her fame earlier. The use of songs and Midler’s off-beat one-liners made the performance feel more like a Broadway musical than a concert. There was a tribute to the wheelchair bound mermaid Delores DeLago, Midler made famous in the 1980s, but now, alas, she has passed on.

Additional highlights from the evening’s performance included Midler dressed as the witch Winifred from the film Hocus Pocus singing “I Put a Spell on You” as the audience roared with laughter and applause. But perhaps the most moving moment of the night was when Midler sang “The Rose” from the movie of same name, where she was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe, when the entire Staples Center held up their cell-phone flashlights in unison. The song was met with a standing ovation and sincere appreciation from the teary-eyed Midler.

Bette Midler was in true form, singing well and having more energy than everyone put together on that stage. Some of the songs of the night included: “Do You Wanna Dance”, “From a Distance”, “Wind Beneath My Wings”, “Bei Mir Bist Du Shoen“, “Beast of Burden”, and the song that started it all, the Andrews Sister’s classic, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” ended the night.

Ms Midler continues with the Divine Intervention tour and you can read about it on her website and Facebook page.

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