Mister D: This is classic Babydivine…so much wit out of someone so young…just amazing!!!! I love it…..sounds like a great evening…
Pretty Legs & Great Big Knockers
Belinda Lemon – Bette Midler Tribute
6:20pm June 8th, Outside The Weimar Room, Hindley St, Adelaide SA: As I stood outside the Weimar room, waiting for my boyfriend and freezing my tits off I wondered if it was really wise to stand on a street known for being the sleaze capital of Adelaide wearing a skimpy red dress, a fur coat and spike heels with slightly overdone makeup. Especially when the temperature had dropped to 10oC (Approx 50oF)! Was I insane? Or just too glamorous for words? Or both?
Once we were inside, seated and making good use of the “buy one drink, get one free” deal we talked amongst ourselves for a while before the show started. We sat through a few acts both good and shockingly bad as well as some heinous jokes and stories about sex after death from “Sophie Airs” our hostess and the world’s second female drag queen (I think her real name was Helen. So sad!) before some familiar music started and “Bette” came out singing I Look Good! She did indeed! From the right angle, even I could have sworn I was sitting 5 metres away from the real thing! “Bette” performed 23 songs from all stages of Bette’s career. Most of her biggest hits were there as well as some lesser-known songs such as It Should Have Been Me. I have done my best to remember the songs and the order in which they were performed. Just remember that despite much evidence to the contrary I am not actually perfect and therefore it is possible that this list isn’t either:
• I Look Good
• Pretty Legs and Great Big Knockers
• When a man Loves a Woman
• Higher and Higher
• Wind Benath My Wings
• Stay With Me
• The Rose
• Do You Wanna Dance?
• Drinking again
• Leader of the Pack
• Da Doo Ron Ron
• Chapel of Love
• It Should have Been Me
• In the Mood
• Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
• Miss Otis Regrets
• From a Distance
• I Shall Be Released
• Superstar
• Delta Dawn
• Long John Blues
• You Can’t Always Get What You Want
• Paradise
I had only three complaints about the performance.
1/ There were no Harlettes. It just wasn’t the same hearing the backing vocals coming from a box in the corner.
2/ Belinda didn’t sing Friends. It’s not one of my favourite songs but it is an essential part of any Bette performance.
3/It ended!
Belinda had obviously seen Divine Madness, Live at Last and Diva Las Vegas and had been influenced by all three. Many of the songs were from these recordings and most of the monologues came from Diva.
For me the highlight of the performance were many and varied. I loved Belinda’s version of Drinking Again and I Shall Be Released. I also loved seeing “Bette” get a man from the audience to sit on her lap while she sang
“When you sit upon a star
Fuck a diva to get ahead”
Truly a classic moment!
Belinda had an amazing voice and although she didn’t give such an emotional, fiery performance as Bette, she was still a very talented singer and I admire her for having the courage to get up in front of an audience and try to imitate the greatest man, woman, child or family pet in the world (and that includes goldfish! I think it’s time I went to bed!!!)
Goodnight, Love Babydivine
