Cher

Brisbane Entertainment Centre

28.09.2018

On the second night of her current Here We Go Again tour, Cher wowed ‘em in Brisbane. With a string of hits from the sixties and the golden age of disco, a killer DJ set from Andrew McClelland got the capacity house in the mood.

With the energy ‘up’, Cher hit the stage with a rousing take on ‘Woman’s World’ followed by ‘Strong Enough’ and ‘Gayatri Mantra’.

At 72, she’s still a knock out and she knows it. A lengthy monologue name checked everyone from George Miller to David Letterman and Cher let us know that she could still plank … for five minutes! Dressed head to toe as an Egyptian Goddess the singer then deadpanned, “So, what’s your Granny doing tonight?”

When she was last here in 2005, the show was visually impressive, but a little stilted. Not tonight. Running through her life in music, the show is built on stunning backdrops, a back catalogue of hits and that voice. Since Cher gained icon status, people talk about her looks, bas-ass persona and hair. But the legend was built on one thing … her voice. And she still has it.

The stage set took us the ancient world to a circus tent, to a burlesque theatre and beyond. As the scenery changed so did the era the songs emanated from. There were plenty of costume changes, but the momentum didn’t lag for a minute.

Using short video links, Cher took us from one stage of her career to the next. The tiered stage morphed into a sixties nightclub as the mood moved up a gear. After ‘The Beat Goes On’, Cher told us about her days with former partner Sonny Bono. Sonny joined us from the great beyond courtesy of archive footage and the pair ‘performed’ a duet of their trademark hit, ‘I Got You Babe’. Joyful, uplifting and downright moving … seeing this perfect slice of American west-coast pop brought to life was magic.

Then came the solo hits, ‘Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves’, ‘Dark Lady’ and her signature tune from 1973, ‘Half Breed’.

Post a fine ‘Burlesque’ mini-set, the stage shape changed into a Greek Island. It was ABBA time with ‘Waterloo’, ‘SOS’ and possibly the biggest singalong of the night ‘Fernando’.

Cher took us back to her early influences with a tribute to Elvis that had her recalling her girlhood fandom as she delivered her take on the Marc Cohn hit ‘Walking In Memphis’ followed by another singalong smash, her hit from the film Mermaids, ‘The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)’.

Without giving away the encore, the final furlong includes a battleship and Cher reprising THAT outfit.

Frankly, this is one gig not to be missed. It’s nostalgic in a good way, loaded with wit, hits and a sense of show that would rival a Broadway production. At the heart of it at is a woman who built the legend on her incredible voice. And she still has it.

Sean Sennett