NEW YORK—Diana Ross brought her “Endless Memories” concert to City Center for a week of concerts, ending on April 29. Time has been kind to the 73-year old. She looks youthful and sounds the same as she did in the 1960s when she became a star as the lead singer for the Supremes.
The audience leaped to their feet when Ross appeared at the first of the sold-out concerts and remained standing (or more accurately moving to the beat) for most of the 90-minute show.
She started with an ebullient rendition of her hit, “I’m Coming Out.” The concert was a mutual love fest, with the artist expressing her strong affection for the Big Apple. Audience members sang along and some were invited on stage to dance.
Ross was backed up by a seven-piece band and three singers—two men and a woman. Although Ross’s voice could always be heard, the band was rather loud except for the jazz section of the program.
The concert presented a cross-section of Ross’s spectacular career. Last year, when President Obama gave her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he praised her “honey voice and soulful sensibility” and noted her “inescapable” influence on generations of singers. A true icon, she has won the Grammy and BET Lifetime Achievement Awards as well as an Honorary César award from France. Her record sales are reported to be more than 100 million.
She performed a generous selection of the hits from her Supremes period, including “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Come See About Me,” “My World Is Empty Without You,” “Love Child,” “Baby Love,” and ““You Can’t Hurry Love.”
From her solo career, which started in 1969, she sang “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Touch Me in the Morning,” “Upside Down,” and “It’s Hard for Me to Say.”
Rick Gilbert/Skyhook Entertainment
