The Divine Miss Mikey on Bette's Cleveland Show...
Mister D: Thank you so much Mikey...sorry about that lady...LOL And BTW, tell your Ma I remember the June Taylor dancers:-)

Last night in Cleveland, Bette proved to Northern Ohio why she is known as "divine." To sum up the concert into one word: Wow.

Bette entered the stage as she did at the other concerts (on her horse, Seabiscuit). They started off with "Kiss My Brass/Big Noise." As soon as she started singing "Skylark", I thought, "She sounds even better now than she did on her second album." I probably should note that I was pretty much in shock the whole evening. It was a big blur. BUT the evening will be forever etched in my memory.

From here I'll just kind of fast forward to the Sophie Tucker part. The people seemed to be kind of out of it for a few of the jokes. For example when Bette did the "Ain't you got a vase?", I think I was one of the only people (in my section anyhow) to say it with her. haha But I guess Cleveland people are a little slow on the draw sometimes, especially those Browns fans (I'm a Steelers fan, can you tell?). The Delores DeLago section of the evening was wonderf ul. I sat in awe of her powerful voice. It was really amazing. Bette must have abs of steel to be able to hop around in that fishtail at 58 years old AND belt it out like that. My mom loved the part where they should an arial view of them on the screen. She said that it reminded her of the June Taylor dancers (just a little before my time haha).

The next breath taking moment happened when Bette sang, "Wind Beneath My Wings." Great stuff. Before The Divine Miss M sang, "The Rose," she left her stage persona and talked to the people of Cleveland as Bette Midler. She said how much she loved coming to Cleveland and how it will always hold a special place in her heart. She added that she made her first and only live album here in Cleveland (1970-something). In addition to that, she noted that it was around the time the river caught on fire.

All in all it was a wonderful evening and definitely worth the price of admission. If you don't have tickets yet, what are you waiting for?

Bette swings back to '50s in Cleveland
By JOHN PATRICK GATTA ,
Morning Journal Columnist 01/06/2004

Bette Midler still swings with the oldies. She launched retro-'40s chic back in the early 1970s, and, some three decades later at the Gund Arena last night, she launched retro-'50s chic.

(Photo: John John)

But don't confuse Bette's 1950s with anything that has to do with ''Grease!'' Elvis or poodle skirts. This is the 1950s of Rosemary Clooney and the 1950s ''Hit Parade'' of big-brass renditions of great jazz standards.

Longtime Bette Midler fans may have feared that all the sophistication embodied by her recent album, which covers material made famous by film and music star Rosemary Clooney, changed the ''Divine Miss M'' forever into a more sober soulful chanteuse.

But last night's concert at Gund Arena set such thoughts aside. Sure, the Divine Miss M respectfully performed numbers from her recent release ''Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook.'' But she displayed her sassy, humorous self during a delightful two plus hours.

During the rousing opening number, Midler said, ''How ya doin' Cleveland? I'm doing fabulous!''

Deftly handling the songs from the 1950s while showing the randy spirit of the past is a testament to Midler's abilities and breadth as an entertainer. In typical wink-wink fashion, she dubbed her current set of dates the ''Kiss My Brass Tour!'' The playful name makes a cheeky reference to the horn section that backs Midler.

The audience members' familiarity with Clooney could be based on their ages. For the mostly older crowd who made up the bulk of the 12,000 in attendance, Clooney was popular as the film and music star who appeared in the classic 1954 musical film ''White Christmas'' as well as charted a number of hits before rock 'n' roll took over the music scene. To another generation, she gained a reputation as a jazz singer. For those who know her only as actor George Clooney's aunt, Midler's admiration for the deceased diva's work has put a spotlight on her lengthy career.

Not surprisingly, the show was a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. The stage was adorned to mimic a Coney Island park during the early part of the 20th century. The eye-popping site featured Midler riding a carousel horse onto the stage, driving a swan from the Tunnel of Love around the stage and singing in front of three large video screens.

She was wonderfully supported by a 12-piece band, which included a sizable horn section as well as three back-up singer-dancers (to whom Midler referred as ''my girls'').

Also in attendance was Midler's friend and joke provider Bruce Vilanch of ''Hollywood Squares'' fame.

Throughout the evening, Midler provided wisecracks and asides about a number of headline makers, including Saddam Hussein, George Bush, LeBron James, Rush Limbaugh, Britney Spears and Cher.

Of course, she didn't disappoint by bringing out one of her most memorable characters, Delores DeLago and the infamous mermaid routine.

Besides offering a tribute to Clooney (''Tenderly''), Midler sang such favorites as ''Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy'' as well as the punchy ''I Think it's Going to Rain Today'' and ''When a Man Loves a Woman.'' (The latter number as well as the ballad ''Skylark'' were a few choice surprises for the faithful.)

One of the best and most insightful aspects of the show, however was the running gag about her career. At choice moments in a couple of songs, Midler threw in the line, ''I'm not retiring, and you can't make me.''

It doesn't seem as if anyone at Gund would want her to do so.

Bette Midler show is divine
Gund Arena concert is part carnival, part cabaret with comedy, hit songs
By Malcolm X Abram

In recent interviews, Bette Midler has said she's toned down her bawdy
Divine Miss M stage persona as befitting her age and status.

(Photo: John John)

But watching her Monday night performance at Gund Arena, it was difficult to
tell exactly how the 58-year-old singer has mellowed if at all.

The actress-singer's aptly titled show, Kiss My Brass, was big, brassy, sassy and ribald, hearkening back to Midler's days in 1970s New York's
cabaret and bathhouse circuit.

Even with elaborate staging, a 12-piece band and of course a new trio of
singing "Harlettes," Midler managed to transform the Gund into a massive
cabaret with a healthy dollop of vaudeville. The audience, made up largely
of fans at or around Midler's age, happily digested every dirty joke,
schmaltzy ballad and the star's over-the-top persona.

Keeping with her stage's Coney Island theme, Midler made a grand entrance on
a white carousel horse that floated across the stage while she belted out
Kiss My Brass.

"You like my horse?" she asked the audience.

"I got him from the police stables" was one of several North Coast-themed
jokes.

Midler kept the one-liners coming fast and furious, poking at the wild beard
of captured Saddam Hussein -- he's the first subject on Queer Eye For the
Dictator Guy; LeBron James -- "I invited him but his mother said he
couldn't come because it was past his bedtime"; and the latest crop of
young female pop stars -- "I opened the door for singers with bad taste and
big (breasts), but do you think they call and say thank you!"

Midler showed her voice is still powerful with tightly arranged versions of
ballads, including Skylark, a tear-inducing I Think It's Going to Rain
Today, and an impassioned When A Man Loves A Woman that brought much of the crowd to its feet.

Midler revived her popular mermaid character Delores DeLago for an extended
Broadway medley and sang a ballad about the aftermath of 9/11. She ended the show with some tried-and-true hits, including pitch-perfect renditions of
From a Distance and Wind Beneath My Wings and a slow, bluesy Do You Wanna
Dance.

Midler may not be the wild-haired whirlwind she was in the 1970s, but
neither age nor fame has blunted her comic edge or talent.

Dazzling song and dance by the mighty Bette Midler
01/07/04
John Soeder
Plain Dealer Pop Music Critic

"I'd like to see Cher try this," Bette Midler said halfway through her surreal extravaganza Monday night at Gund Arena.

At the time, the irrepressible singer's head was poking through the top of a cabana.

"This is crazy!" Midler declared, sporting the top of the yellow-striped tent like a hat.

Crazy? Puh-leeze. The Divine Miss M was just getting warmed up.

She made a grand entrance, floating down from the rafters aboard a carousel horse for the opening number, "Kiss My Brass," a jump-style swinger.

(Photo: Ms. Kathy B.)

Backed by a sharp 13-piece band (including five horn players) and a trio of singing and dancing Harlettes, Midler went on to deliver elaborate song-and-dance routines to the tune of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and the feel-good favorite "Friends."

Several costume changes later, she transformed herself into mermaid alter-ego Delores De- Lago for "Fishtails Over Broadway," an extended segment featuring show-tune spoofs, choreographed wheelchairs and a "Hello, Dolly!"-style climax.

"I'm just trying not to die up here," said Midler, 58.

The relentless razzle-dazzle unfolded against a stage done up to evoke Coney Island, complete with beach backdrops and carnival lights. The concert drew 12,000-plus fans. Midler did two sets, each roughly one hour long, with a brief intermission to catch her breath.

She didn't have the vocal range of, say, a Barbra Streisand or a Celine Dion. But what Midler lacked in octaves, she made up for with peerless gusto.

Her fiery rendition of "When a Man Loves a Woman" was a showstopper. Ditto "Skylark," a pretty ballad.

Midler also cast a spell with "Tenderly," the only selection from her new Grammy-nominated album, "Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook." A video screen flashed glamorous images of the late Clooney in her prime.

"I opened the door for trashy singers with bad taste," Midler said.

All the same, she did a sweet virtual duet with the late Fred Rogers, singing along with a video of the "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" host during "I Like to Be Told."

"Going to the Chapel" found Midler pedaling around the stage aboard a giant swan on wheels. The video screen showed a series of divorced celebrity couples, from Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton to Liza Minnelli and David Gest.

Britney Spears and Jason Alexander did not make the montage, however. Their marriage was annulled before the photo was developed, Midler said.

She also cracked wise at the expense of Rush Limbaugh, LeBron James and concertgoers in the front row. "Some of 'em even gave up their place in line at the Cheesecake Factory just to be here," Midler quipped.

Some of her other jokes were too crude to repeat here.

The show ended on a less irreverent note, with Midler saving the heavy emotional artillery for a grand finale. As she belted out "From a Distance," "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "The Rose," the silhouette of more than one fan could be seen brushing away a tear or two.