Bette Midler returned to Sydney after 26 years with her "Kiss My Brass" tour, complete with cabaret, stand up comedy, Broadway covers and just plain touching performances of her hits, like my personal faves, "From A Distance", "Wind Beneath My Wings" (which she claimed everyone came to listen and can still bring a tear to my eye) and "The Rose" (which was the 2nd last song she performed, and which the audience sang an acapella version of the first few verses of the song because she claimed she was tired and needed help).
She did a comedic cabaret routine rousing huge laughter from the audience with her crude and dirty jokes, many which were customised for the Australian audience, making references to our PM John Howard, which she clearly disliked. She also made fun of US President George Bush and then quickly added that she shouldn't make fun of him because he's going to have a major operation next week - to remove John Howard from his ass.
The entire performance was slick, professional and it is amazing to see Bette in such good shape and top form, dancing and singing with her three wonderful backup dancers, showing the rest of the world how to put on a good show. She also joked that none of the newer singers like Christina or Britney ever came up to thank her for setting a "good example" for dressing like a hoe, which is the definition for the new breed of singers, and was amazed that considering everything about Anna Nicole Smith is fake, that she doesn't have a recording contract. She was sharp, crude and fabulous, and the audience was lapping it all up.
It was also wonderful to see the audience responding to the numerous jokes, especially those seated in the front section, which she belittled by saying "All those of you who lied, cheated, and slept your way through with people that you dislike ... in other words, my kind of people") and how they paid a high price to listen to low jokes. She also acknowledged the gay audience, from Oxford St - she says, which is so gay, it deserves 5 A's - G-A-A-A-A-AY, and lastly the crowd from Blacktown, which she teased "Show us your mullets". She showed that she has done her homework, sprinkling her routine with Aussie references like Kath and Kim, and ending her performance with the late Aussie Peter Allen's autobiographical song "Tenterfield Saddler" to a standing ovation from the entire front section and some of us in the upper sections.
Overall, it was a superlative performance that is not only entertaining like the theme of her show, which is like an amusement park with all the scary and thrilling rides, but also something for every single member of the audience (all fans after the show) to bring home with ... a piece of fantasy wonderland that Bette has transported us to ...
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