Bette Makes It A Better Year
by Miss Barbara


Photo: Another Perspective

It was another great evening with the Great Divine Miss M, saw her last February and she was just as terrific this time around. Yes the audience was a little slow warming up to her, but all in all I don’t think it really bothered her too much. She new she would get our attention sooner or later. In no time she had the audience laughing in the isles. Those Sophie Tucker jokes were great! Can hear her tell them over and over and they are just as funny as the first time. My friend and I made quite a bit noise on our side. We had terrific seats, didn’t need binoculars this time, just wished she would have spent a little more time on our side of the stage.

Boy I tell ya she can really belt out those songs didn’t miss a note. Where does she get all that energy?!? She really put her heart and sole into them, especially ‘From a Distance’, made me shed a tear. You can tell how she really absorbs the energy she receives from the audience. It really shows how she enjoys entertaining us all and loves what she does and damn good at it. I missed hearing her sing ‘Stay with Me Baby’, one of my favorites, but I guess she can’t sing them all.

She really got caught up riding around in her swan mobile, she almost ran over one of the Harlettes. You really have to move fast when you are around Bette. Bette, I have one question, when you fall to the ground don’t you hurt yourself ? Sure seems like you would you really hit that ground hard sometimes.

It was funny how she mentioned about how many times the HP Pavilion kept changing it’s name, it’s no wonder she could even find the place.

Thanks Bette for making it a better a better year for me, for a few hours didn’t think too much of the all trouble our wonderful country is going through. Being able to see you twice in one year was such a treat.

God Bless and take care.

Hope to see you again soon !!

Barbara

Another Divine Evening
by Ron E.

Bette worked the arena Saturday in spite of a so-so audience. It seems the audience was slow in warming up to Bette and she had to work at getting some of them to respond at times during the show.

It's wonderful seeing the show a second time and having songs affect you differently. This time around I found the best numbers to be "Skylark", which was stunning and left me breathless, "I Think It's Going To Rain", which seemed to really move Bette and the
audience. And my personal favorite "Shiver Me Timbers" which reduced me to tears. It is my all-time favorite song, not just my favorite Bette song.

The show seemed to have a tighter flow, but I must say I REALLY missed "Keep on Rockin". I loved the energy the song gave the end of the show when she was in SJ in February. Also, I was sad that we didn't get an encore, again. Bette mentioned she was hoarse, before asking us to sing "The Rose", which thi s audience sucked at, so I
understood her not coming back after "The Rose", but I was disappointed. In February the audience was sooooooooooo good singing "The Rose", that we moved Bette to tears. This time Bette stopped the song when we started to sing the second line and said it "razor" and asked Bette Sussman to start again and Bette sang the song.

Bette did reprise "The Wind Beneath My Wings" when she reentered the stage after "Wings" and before "The Rose".

I loved the additions of "Tenderly", The Phantom bit during Delores, which wasn't in the February show and the Britney bit.

In introducing The Staggering Harlettes, Bette said one of the Girls,I believe Nicolette Hart, was performing in spite of having Pneumonia.

All in all it was a wonderful evening and I would have loved to have been in the front row and had the opportunity the shake Bette's hand.

Thanks Bette for another Divine evening.

Ron

From The Sharkless Tank in San Jose
by Miss Jane


Photo: BaltoBoy Steve Weiner

The audience was better in February, but that aside, Bette was in great voice. She has obviously been on the road a long time but the freshness of this show amazes me. Had the usual new set of local jokes aimed mostly at the ritzy Los Gatos Hills, our troubled and troubling mayor ( a no show at the concert) and the self-absorbed Larry Ellison ( head of Oracle for those who care). The only person who's richer is Bill Gates and equally self absorbed....but I digress.

Staging and flow was as others have mentioned tighter and more even. They seemed to have solved the major acoustic problems that ALL singers have at the Tank. The balance was much better this time and the horns did not drown out the vocals....Loved the Phantom portion of FishTales ( did I miss that the first time around?). No Janet Jackson knocker jokes...too bad. The Britney Bunch was worth the price of admission as well as Bette's imitation of Ashley Simpson....A great show by a great performer...If you haven't had the chance I am sorry for you. This piece is one of the best she's done.

As to the audience, Miss V allows as how the wives dragged their husbands to this show instead of their girlfriends...more's the shame. They didn't seem to know the words to The Rose and didnt really make an attempt to sing it...but of course Miss V and I troopered on.

Wonderful time and a good respite from the worries of the world

Miss Jane