
(Orlando FL) Cher’s D2K (‘Dressed to Kill’) tour made its way through central Florida tonight in a highly energetic, bass-thumping, spectacle ripped out of the heart of Las Vegas to the delight of a sold-out Amway Center.
When the floor-to-ceiling sheer fabric hiding the stage dropped, fans saw Cher at the center of the stage standing high atop a Roman column that lowered the headdress-adorning diva to the floor as she belted out “Woman’s World”—however, it was immediately noted that both women and men were dancing and screaming along to the beat-heavy club hit. The audience was going wild. Cher was still being lowered via the pillar on which she stood. As soon as she became level with the stage, she was immediately joined by her fist-pumping female backup dancers driving the audience into further frenzy. Cher’s Vegas-style headdress was removed and she paraded the stage looking like Cleopatra.
When the floor-to-ceiling sheer fabric hiding the stage dropped, fans saw Cher at the center of the stage standing high atop a Roman column that lowered the headdress-adorning diva to the floor as she belted out “Woman’s World”—however, it was immediately noted that both women and men were dancing and screaming along to the beat-heavy club hit. The audience was going wild. Cher was still being lowered via the pillar on which she stood. As soon as she became level with the stage, she was immediately joined by her fist-pumping female backup dancers driving the audience into further frenzy. Cher’s Vegas-style headdress was removed and she paraded the stage looking like Cleopatra.
Cher’s male backup dancers joined the stage with the disco-sounding, ‘Strong Enough’. Themed as gladiators, the shield-bearing men were accompanied by a synchronized multi-colored light display backdrop that would have made Elvis proud.
The tour’s namesake came about as the 3rd song when Cher emerged through the stage floor sitting inside of a huge chandelier. She then pranced around in a metaphoric tango with her dancers covering every spot on the stage floor.
A throwback to the 60’s, she came out onstage wearing a red-sequined go-go outfit with her black and white boa for her next songs. With a psychedelic display reminiscent of a Dr. Seuss book emanating from the backstage, old video footage of ‘Sonny and Cher’ performing the song as a duo played on the stage screen. As the older fans in the crowd began to reminisce back to those times of the singing husband / wife couple, she sang ‘I’ve Got You Babe’ as a “1960’s Sonny” sang the accompaniment on the screen immediately beside Cher. It was a very warm and loving moment.
Essentially after each song, Cher would exit the stage and quickly come out wearing a new outfit (and wig). Later in the show she would come out wearing a gypsy outfit ( whilst singing ‘Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves’), a full-length native-American headdress (‘Half-Breed’), and then her top-coat-wearing but pant-less performance (‘Burlesque’). Cher would also be joined by a larger-than-life Trojan horse (‘Take It Like a Man’), and even wear a Naval sailor’s hat that some very enthusiastic fans threw onto the stage as she performed ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’.
A throwback to the 60’s, she came out onstage wearing a red-sequined go-go outfit with her black and white boa for her next songs. With a psychedelic display reminiscent of a Dr. Seuss book emanating from the backstage, old video footage of ‘Sonny and Cher’ performing the song as a duo played on the stage screen. As the older fans in the crowd began to reminisce back to those times of the singing husband / wife couple, she sang ‘I’ve Got You Babe’ as a “1960’s Sonny” sang the accompaniment on the screen immediately beside Cher. It was a very warm and loving moment.
Essentially after each song, Cher would exit the stage and quickly come out wearing a new outfit (and wig). Later in the show she would come out wearing a gypsy outfit ( whilst singing ‘Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves’), a full-length native-American headdress (‘Half-Breed’), and then her top-coat-wearing but pant-less performance (‘Burlesque’). Cher would also be joined by a larger-than-life Trojan horse (‘Take It Like a Man’), and even wear a Naval sailor’s hat that some very enthusiastic fans threw onto the stage as she performed ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’.
Cher turns 68 years old in less than a week from now. At no point in the show did I feel her age. Her concert was a how-to clinic for many an aspiring entertainer wanting to know how a great performance should look, sound, and feel like. It was difficult to remain unbiased while watching her performance. One couldn’t help but enjoy the high-spirited dancing, and Cher’s audience-engagement. While there were many points throughout the concert where we all had fun, Cher’s tender inclusion of Sonny Bono made many of us older folk recollect fondly, but sadly, the magical chemistry she once had with her beloved former partner. If I could turn back time myself, I would remember how it felt like when I was younger and could dance and party for hours. I thank Cher for taking me back to that point in my life tonight, as I danced like I did years ago and wouldn’t get tired. As we traveled with her throughout the decades of performances that each of her songs represented, Cher proved on this night in Orlando that although she was Dressed to Kill, she’s brought out so much emotion from each of us that for those 115 minutes that we were reminded of just how much each of us should be alive for.