Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Wednesday September 26, 2018 :
So I have never been to Vegas, never been to the US actually. To be honest, I really have no desire to go to the US, so when Cher opened her ‘Here We Go Again’ tour in Newcastle, it was my chance get a taste of the razzle-dazzle without having to cross the Big Blue.
It is so nice to walk into the Newcastle Entertainment Centre and see a sold out crowd. It͛s even nicer when for a full hour prior to Cher appearing, the crowd were on their feet to our favourite retro house classics provided by a hyperactive DJ. What a great vibe in the room, and it set the scene for the night.
What we are seeing tonight is as close to her Vegas show as we could get, with a few extras thrown in for good measure. The staging had it all, big video screen behind and plenty of dancers to keep Cher company. And when Cher did arrive on stage, she was lowered from high amongst the lighting in true showbiz style.
Opening with the appropriately titled ‘Woman’s World’, a more recent track from her 2013 album, Closer to the Truth, we then dove back to 1998, and a couple from her Believe album, ‘Strong Enough’ and ‘All or Nothing’. The costumes and dance choreography were a major part of the night, and we began in Rome.
The video screen was put to good use with footage of Sonny and Cher (the 1966 track, ‘Little Man’) reminding us of just how old we all are, and of the 50+ year career that Cher has had. A quick costume change and Cher returns with candy cane bell bottoms, and ‘The Beat Goes On’. We are well and truly in the Swinging ’60s now. The familiar strains of ‘I Got You Babe’ begin, and Sonny Bono appears on video to duet…. so simple yet very effective.
In all honesty, there are very few Cher songs that I really connect with. I can see why they have been commercially successful, and how others have fallen in love with them, but for this reviewer, my night revolved around hearing two songs live, ‘Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves’ and ‘Half Breed’. This is where Cher’s music matured, and this step forward was a surprise for me when I first heard the songs. Tonight, we also get ‘Dark Lady’ to make the perfect early ’70s trio.
Following a brief costume change, and ‘Welcome to Burlesque’. It was the start of Act Three and we had dancers flying through the air on wires.
With Cher’s new album of ABBA covers having just been released, it was expected that these much loved songs would be included. This really does feel like the perfect union, and she sang ‘Waterloo’ and ‘SOS’ effortlessly. To finish off the ABBA trio, Cher rises high over the stage to deliver ‘Fernando’. It really was a special moment.
As we head well into our second hour, three well-chosen covers show us just how versatile Cher’s voice is. Marc Cohen’s ‘Walking in Memphis’ is a beautiful song, ‘The Shoop Shoop Song’ could have easily been one of her own from the ’60s, and Laura Branigan’s ‘I Found Someone’ flowed effortlessly into a track that everyone in the arena was waiting to here, ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’.
The crowd were totally into it, on their feet singing. So while we are there, let’s just drop ‘Believe’ and send everyone over the top. It was the perfect way to close out this spectacular show. It had all the glitz and glam that I expected from a Vegas show, all in our Newcastle backyard.
This was a night that everyone should have witnessed, even if it was to show respect and appreciation of Cher’s achievements – a career that spans six decades with a number one US single within each of them, 100 million solo records sold alongside the 40 million with Sonny and Cher, an Emmy, Grammy and an Oscar – Cher was in Newcastle and you really should have been there.
Reviewer and Photographer : Kevin Bull
