KMB Review: Oakland (Thanks Richie B:-)
Photo: BaltoBoy Steve

Well, she was at her best..

Seated 1st row center, we both made eye contact.

The show was basically the same, (see my San Jose review with all the typos). The second half was much better and included not only "The Rose" but and
encore.."Friends" Her voice and the acoustics were wonderful.

She included jokes about both Oakland and San Francisco, and of course the Sophie jokes. Thanks to the expert team of Eric and Bruce.

Being seated dead center, and with roses on my chair, THEY WERE NOTICED!
At the end of "The Rose", I stood up and she looked at me, as if to say come over. Of course, I did. She took them and hugged them. Bette seemed overwhelmed by the audience response.

I was told later that Chris Isack told Bette he thought,giving her the roses after
"The Rose" was staged.

Bette then proceeded to come to the edge of the stage and acknowlege me with the microphone, I was told she thanked me. (could not hear that, being so close) She then made love to the people up front with her hands, patting me on the head. I was invited backstage, was given a pass which imediatly was stolen. So I and my friend left.

But being the kind of bettehead I am I went to the Ritz Carlton, where she was
staying. She had just left. In fact, she left backstage after about 1/2 hour so I
would not have tine to speak with her anyway.

However, I met her realitar who said she would take my letter and pass it on to Bette.

Bette were "Do you want to Dance", 'Wind Beneath my Wings", From a Distance" (Standard),"Skylark", Shiver me Timber", "When a Man loves Woman" " I Think it's going to Rain Today,"Keep on Rockin" and "Chapel of Love".

She really seamed to enjoy the night...I know I did.

Rich B :>)

KMB REview: Oakland, A Little Bit Of Snook!:-)

I didn't think a crowd could be more welcoming and appreciative than in San Jose, Saturday, but the fans at the Oakland Arena last night proved me wrong. I lost count of the standing ovations, that's how many times they were on their feet cheering the Divine Miss M on throughout the night.

Bette mentioned that she was not feeling well this weekend and spent her time in her hotel room feeling sorry for herself, so...the crowd was really making her feel better. I wonder if that was a vague reference as to her feelings regarding them Grammys. She didn't mention the Grammy's directly at all.

The seats we had this time around were amazing. Fifth row center. Couldn't have asked for better than that. I had more opportunity to study the Harlettes and the choreography, and Toni Basil did a great job. They were fantastic. To be honest, I didn't pay as much attention to the Harlettes in San Jose, so I came away with a much greater appreciation for THEIR talent this time around. :)

Anyway, I am not really sure if this concert was as technically sound as the San
Jose concert, but it didn't matter in the least. The fans were eating it up and
responding to every little comment, move...everything that Bette did was golden. They couldn't get enough of her, and she really seemed to love it. :)

Off hand, the only "glitch" I remember was her hat when she was transformed into the beach tent. Guess that is a common occurence, huh? It started to fall off and she said somthing like "my FUCKING HAT!" in disgust and the crowd roared. :)

BTW....I noticed this time (maybe because I was right in front) that there was a
camera right at the stage, recording the whole thing. Was it like this at other
concerts? I didn't notice it in San Jose, but maybe only because I was further
back.

Anyway, like I said, major MAJOR reaction from the fans the whole night. Plenty of standing O's. This crowd was not as obedient as in San Jose, when she told us to sit down. We just kept and standing and cheering the whole time. :) But, she didn't hold it against us, apparently, because...at the end after finishing The Rose)...when the crowd was just going completely WILD...and she was giving her thanks and telling how grateful she was...over and over and over...LOL...I guess she could see that it wasn't going to end, so she started singing Friends and blew off the roof once again. :) And, while she was singing, she leaned down and shook hands with EVERY SINGLE PERSON in the front row. I mean, at each end of the stage and all the way around. It was awesome.

The Oakland Tribune
Frosene On The Scene: Brassy Bette
Frosene Phillips

Friday, February 13, 2004 - "I'm a Bette head," Rich Blumberg of the S.F. Business Times told me this week. Blumberg isn't just a casual fan, he confessed to seeing her over forty times. This could explain his landing a seat in the front row center at Bette Midler's concert last Tuesday night at the Oakland Arena. Anyone that was lucky enough to attend the performance saw Blumberg too. Or, at the very least, you saw his hand. He graciously reached up and handed Miss M a beautiful bouquet of roses during her magnificent rendition of The Rose.

It seemed so perfectly timed that one might think it was a plant, but Blumberg was quick to defend his maneuver. "She just caught my eye," he shared, and so he made his move. Yours truly was also in attendance and, once again, I marveled at Midler's ability to sing as she danced, drove motorized props, rolled around on the floor, changed costumes, made a wheelchair soar and performed with videos - all the while making it appear so effortless.

Following her smashing opening number and name of the tour, "Kiss My Brass" , Midler delivered line after line of local humor, catching her audience by surprise. "Ah, Oakland, home of the Raiders, the A's, and Jerry Brown...the oldest living straight SINGLE male mayor in America," she said. "You know, he's not here tonight. I think he's a little pissed that I got 10,000 people downtown before he did."

The audience loved it. "And it's so great to be in the same arena where the Warriors lose...I mean play," she quipped. "Well that's what happens when you get your whole team on craigslist. " Ouch...more laughter. She was easily forgiven. After all, it was the Divine Miss M who was in the house.

She welcomed her "peeps" from Blackhawk, her Jewish ladies from Walnut Creek, and the boys from the Castro. But when she called out for all San Franciscans, the loudest roar erupted. "I love your new mayor Gavin Getty," she said. "He wanted to be here tonight but since he took that cut in salary, it just wasn't possible. Sorry Gavin, but around here we say Cash not Care. "

In the program book, Midler's title is Fearless Leader and Major Conceptualist. She has assembled quite a team. Writers Eric Kornfeld and Bruce Vilanch are brilliant. They wrote and conceived the show with her. In fact, I was lucky enough to track Kornfeld down and learned firsthand that he crafts these local gems with Midler for each city - a touch that is appreciated. The former stand-up comic also wrote for Rosie O'Donnell at one time. He has nothing but praise and respect for Midler, Vilanch and company. "She works on her act with every single person," he said. The effort shows, this is a tight group.

Midler has the remarkable quality of creating such intimacy with her audience that, once the big production numbers are over, the purity of her spirit and joy in the moment are there for the taking. Following her coaxing, even the audience joined in singing The Rose.

On a personal note, I decided to share the Bette Midler experience with my daughter Alexis. Not only to expose her to a magnificent talent, but for her to feel Midler's The Rose live. You see, when Alexis was just two-years-old, she used to sing The Rose in her highchair at the top of her lungs. At that time, her father had died, stricken by cancer, and the song became somewhat of a family theme song as we remembered him. Quite simply put, it became forever connected to his living spirit, offering the courage to go on. Throughout Alexis' 25 years, the song, as sung by Miss Midler, has miraculously been heard during times of significance and challenge. On the car radio leaving her high school graduation, in the elevator as she approached a doctor's appointment, even when she was getting her hair and make-up done for her wedding day, the song came on the radio.

So there we were, along with the rest of the audience, singing in tears and embracing the moment...and that wasn't a joke. It was the culmination of a life inspired by the Divine Miss M and her rose.