BETTE MIDLER in LAS VEGAS

THE SHOW GIRL MUST GO ON!

As I write this post, I’m wearing my super cool "Bette Midler The Showgirl Must Go On" T-shirt! My husband and I finally got away on a much deserved "awaycation" (we already had a "staycation" with the kids earlier in the month. The final leg of our "Hot and Sweaty 08" tour was Las Vegas (following triple digit weather in Palm Springs)) to see Bette Midler in concert at The Coloseum at Caesar's Palace, as well as Donny & Marie (yes, I'm over 40, duh!) at the MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre. But more on D&M in another post…

We don't smoke or gamble, so there is really only two other (legal) things to do in Vegas - see a show and hang out by the pool. Friday night we sent to see Bette Midler in The Coloseum, the ginormongus 4,000 seater theatre that was built for Celine Dion. It is currently being shared by Elton John and Cher. You can't get more seventies than that! We had bought our tickets a while back, so we had awesome seats, although there was a large screen for those seated in the nosebleed seats.

What an awesome show! Bette started with "Big Noise From Winnetka" and "The Show Girl Must Go On" and came out in a sparkly silver pantsuit, very Vegas. She had three amazing back up singers (The Staggering Harlettes) an amazing band, and a great line up of chorus girls (The Caesar Salad girls, with as little dressing as possible!). It's hard to believe she is 60 years old, running back and forth across that huge stage, and jumping up and down in a mermaid costume while singing and dancing! She is so funny, and so much fun to watch. Of course, no body sings with such emotion as Bette. She's the only singer I know who can make me cry just by singing. She did a crowd-pleasing set of her hits:

In The Mood, From A Distance (which she sang barefoot, in contrast to her usual six inch heels!), Do You Wanna Dance, The Rose (which included audiences waving their cell phones back and forth like lighters), Hello in There, and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.

She also did wonderfully zany segments as the finned "Dolores Delago" and "Soph", the oldest living showgirl -- "they gave me a f%@#$%ing chihuahua?"

Bette closed the show with Wind Beneath My Wings. I could listen to her forever!