A sold-out amphitheater greeted the legendary soul and pop star with exuberance on Monday, and Ross returned the favor by performing a cavalcade of hits.
Family Affair: Diana Ross’ daughter, Rhonda Ross, opened Monday night’s show at Meijer Gardens.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Diana Ross didn’t permit media outlets to take photos during her set on Monday night at Meijer Gardens.
Long before the gates opened early at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Monday to usher in the capacity crowd of fans, ticket holders understood they were in for something special.
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They knew that the Queen of Motown, Diana Ross, was not far away.
Diana Ross
And part of that royal family — Ross’ daughter, Rhonda Ross — opened the concert, starting with a rendition of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” accompanied by a band and backing vocalists.
“I am so thrilled to be here as a part of my mother’s show,” she told the crowd during a short set that included a few songs from “In Case You Haven’t Heard,” her latest album. “I’ve learned, it doesn’t matter what’s going on around me, only I can decide how I feel.”
Rhonda said she considers herself a social artist, one who uses her music to help make people think and add to the social conversation. She began a lively, upbeat jazzy tempo medley, including another favorite, “You’ve Got the Best of My Love,” which had much of the audience clapping along with her music.
By the time she left the stage, the crowd already was cheering eagerly for the main performer of the evening to take the floor. As her band came out to take their places, fans rose to their feet, clapping for her grand entrance.
Capacity Crowd: Fans cheered Rhonda Ross and her famous mother on Monday.
The band started a slow beat. The bass thumped so hard, the crowd could feel it in their chests. Everyone in the ampitheater remained on their feet, clapping with the beat. The crew pulled down the curtain, and there stood Diana Ross, already launching into the opening words of one of her beloved songs, “I’m Coming Out.”
Standing on stage in a bright, vibrant orange outer wrap over a black dress with vibrant floral accents, an orange folding fan in her hand, she stood out as boldly from her band and accompanying vocalists around her, all dressed in black. The crowd seemed to explode, with fans remaining on their feet for most of the evening.
Standing, dancing, swinging their bodies back and forth with the music, the crowd sang all of Ross’ favorite songs back to her, every word. She owned the stage with a confident flair, and with good reason, turning the amphitheater into a singing, dancing party, courtesy of the Queen of Motown.
A CLASSIC NIGHT OF SING-ALONGS
When Ross, now 72, unfurled her Supremes classic, “Stop! In the Name of Love” – which became a No. 1 hit the day after she turned 21 in 1965 – the crowd screamed again, singing the line back to her as one.
Rhonda Ross
As the song went on, she cried, “Your turn!” and it seemed as if literally everyone in the amphitheater threw up one arm before them and sang the chorus for her.
Ross had a practiced, smooth flow as she transitioned from one song to the next through the evening. She even stepped off stage from time to time to change her wardrobe, into a new brilliantly-colored dress and matching wrap.
By the end of the 1-hour-and-15-minute show, she began a chorus of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” where all the backing vocalists and instrumentalists traded solos, showing off their skills and even further feeding off the energy of the cheering crowd. It had long since become a bona fide dance party, but they took that last chance to give them some extra moves and solos to dance to.
As they continued the song, Ross’ daughter, Rhonda, returned to the stage to join her mother for the finale. Fans remained on their feet in tribute to a true legend – even after the duo blew kisses to the crowd and walked arm in arm off the stage.
Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC
