Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
At the young age of 73, with a career spanning nearly 6 decades, Cher as a solo artist has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artist of all time, Cher is also one of the very few artist to win three of four major American Entertainment Awards, Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar, among other various honorary awards Cher has received through out her career including a Hollywood Walk of Fame star she shares with the late Sonny Bono. During one of the many video montages played through out the show, there was an interview played over different clips from her famed film career with Cher stating: “I’ve never really been accepted by singers as a singer, and actors don’t think of me as an actor, I actually succeeded at everything I ever tried, and yet I’m not part of any of the groups.” With that being said alongside her long list of achievements from her career, Cher has proven that you don’t need to belong or be accepted by any one group to succeed and with that attitude, once again Cher has proven she is still at the top of her game selling out back to back shows at the “Worlds Most Famous Arena” Madison Square Garden.
Wednesday, December 4th, Chic featuring Nile Rogers kicked off the night warming up the sold out crowd with a more basic and toned down groovier 45 minute set compared to what fans would be getting from Cher’s more extravagant choreographed 90 minute performance. Chic opened their set with “Chic Cheer” off the 1978 album ‘C’est Chic.’ Chic then took everyone back in time to their 1977 debut self titled album with “Dance, Dance, Dance” (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) and “Everybody Dance.” Fans also got a taste of the classic hits like “I Want Your Love” and “Le Freak.” The set also included a Diana Ross and Sister Sledge cover mix that went from “I’m Coming Out”/ “Upside Down”/”He’s the Greatest Dancer” ending with “We Are Family.” Chic also include a couple of songs that Nile Rogers produced and played on, like Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and the David Bowie hit single “Let’s Dance.” Chic closed out the set with the classic hit single “Good Times.” A song fitting for the anthem of what would become the evening.
As Cher made her grand entrance for the shows opener “Woman’s World,” descending down from the rafters on a royal trellises like designed platform embellished in crystals to an elaborate multi-tear Romanesque stage design fit truly for the “Goddess of Pop” herself. Accompanied by her dancers fitted as Roman soldiers, Cher strutted across the stage to her self empowering hit “Strong Enough,” before heading backstage for what would be one of many costume changes through out the show.
Cher’s 90 minute performance was filled with some of her greatest hits of her career, as expected the show was also filled with glam that included 8 costume changes that featured some of her most iconic looks. Following the video interlude for “Little Man/All I Ever Need Is You,” Cher dedicated the heart warming segment to her Sonny and Cher days, after performing the duos famous hit single ” The Beat Goes On,” Cher then went on to tell fans a story about how she was always nervous about playing the next song, saying: “maybe I’ll play it on my next farewell tour” as she laughed Cher then continued by saying “bitch! your 500 years old just play the song already.” With the opening of “I Got You Babe” Cher then turned her back to the crowd staring up at the large screen on top of the stage set that played video of Sonny singing his verses to the song as Cher sang right along live as if the two were right there side by side reminiscent of their career together. Cher also included in her set a trio of Abba covers featured on the 2018 ‘Dancing Queen’.
Following a narrated video clip of Cher performing Elvis Presley‘s “Heartbreak Hotel,” Cher returned to the stage to giving a stellar performance of the Marc Cohn cover “Walking In Memphis”. After a cover of Betty Everett‘s “The Shoop Shoop Song”( It’s in His Kiss), Cher headed backstage once again giving guitarist Joel Hoekstra the spotlight as he wowed the sold out crowd with his guitar solo for “Bang Bang”(My Baby Shot Me Down). With the sold crowd on their feet, Cher returned to the spotlight for the hit single of the Michael Bolton cover “I Found Someone,” Cher returned sporting one of her most iconic and controversial looks of all time, donning the iconic look Cher then closed out the set with her most anthematic song to date “If I Could Turn back Time.” Leaving the stage for what would be her final costume change of the night, Cher returned to a thunderous standing ovation from the sold out crowd as she capped off an amazing performance with an encore of the empowering self sufficient dance pop hit single “Believe”.
Cher gave the sold out crowd of 20,000 fans at the “Worlds Most Famous Arena” Madison Square Garden a stellar performance. With an incredible stage production and choreography that stunned fans, the 73 year old “Goddess of Pop” wowed her fans as she strutted and danced her way around the stage like an ageless pop star in stunning and glamorous costumes coinciding brilliantly to bring the theme of each song to life.
CHER SETLIST:
- Woman’s World
- Strong Enough
- Gayatri Mantra (dance interlude)
- All or Nothing
Intro: Little Man/All I Ever Need Is You (video interlude) - The Beat Goes On (sonny and cher)
- I Got You Babe (sonny and cher)
You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me (video interlude) - Welcome to Burlesque
Lie to Me (dance interlude) - Waterloo (ABBA cover)
- SOS (ABBA cover)
- Fernando (ABBA cover)
Cher Movie Montage - After All
Heartbreak Hotel (Elvis Presley cover) (costume change) - Walking in Memphis (Marc Cohn cover)
- The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss) (Betty Everett cover)
Guitar Solo: Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - I Found Someone (Michael Bolton cover)
- If I Could Turn Back Time
Encore: - Believe
