I have been lucky enough to see most of the great divas of my time in concert. The truly amazing ones I will go out of my way to see again and again. I’m talking about Madonna, Cher, Tina Turner, Bette Midler and the list goes on and on. However, there are a few that I have only had the pleasure of seeing once and I am constantly search the internet for concert dates to catch them again. This is my gay list of my Top 5 Once Isn’t Enough Divas:
5: Samantha Fox – To be honest, I’ve seen Samantha Fox perform twice but they were only a few songs each time, so it was like seeing her once. The first time was in Atlantic City at a Russian Festival. I had to go on a website that could translate Russian to English so I could figure out how to order tickets. At the show, everything was in Russian and all the Russians were dressed to the nines. Samantha was the second or third act, sandwiched between various Russian performers. They still didn’t have the sound perfected causing her to swear and threaten to leave the stage if it didn’t improve. The Russians were so offended they started walking off to the concession stands to stock up on more vodka and caviar. The second time I saw her was at a club in Massachusetts that was located in a bowling alley, high class. I was able to get close enough to the stage, that when she stumbled over a mic cord, it was my shoulder she used to balance herself. I was also able to swipe her water bottle as a souvenir.
4: Susanna Hoffs – I had seen The Bangles before but it was Susanna Hoff’s solo music that made me a fan so that was the concert I wanted to see. She performed solo back in the day in my hometown at a club but it was hosted by a radio station. The only way to get tickets was to win them and I didn’t have any luck. So a few years ago, I was ecstatic when I finally got to see her in a small intimate venue that was a remodeled firehouse. She did songs from The Bangles, some covers from the “Under The Covers” albums that she did with Matthew Sweet, and some solo songs from her current album “Someday”. It ran the gamut of her career and I couldn’t have asked for a better venue.
3: Belinda Carlisle – I saw her perform with The Go-Go’s before I got to see her perform solo. My opportunity presented itself when she performed at a local casino. It was a free show held in a venue located in the middle of the casino with general admission seating. Unfortunately her show was so popular that I was unable to get a seat. So I had to stand outside the venue where the view and the sound was some what obscured. What hurt the most was that I would have gladly paid any price to score a seat if they were for sale. But I was just thrilled to have the chance to see her perform.
2: Aslyn – I haven’t seen any headlining shows listed for her in my area but she was an opener for Toby Lightman up in Boston a few years back. I knew it wouldn’t be a full show but I was happy knowing I’d get a handful of songs. She performed her set and then came back on to join Toby for a few songs as well. When Aslyn did her song “Wally” it was the only time I’ve been to a concert and got teary eyed. I could totally relate to those girls in the 60s who lost their shit when they saw The Beatles perform. I, however, kept my screaming down to a minimum.
1: Millie Jackson – I will go anywhere, anytime to see Millie Jackson in concert. She’s been known to do a set here or there at blues festivals but I haven’t seen many solo concerts listed. When I saw she was going to be doing her own show in New York City back in 2012, I bought tickets immediately. I heard her live album and knew all her music but I didn’t know what to expect in person. I knew back in the day she could be raunchy but she was older so maybe she had mellowed out. My expectations were low but hopeful. She came out in a flowing nightie with The Girls overflowing and I knew then and there that it was on and Millie was about to bring it. She sounded as good as any of her albums and was as dirty as I dared to dream. Millie was everything I could want and more.
Now every time I hear a song from one of these divas come up on my iPod, I think about how good they were live and how much I’d like to see them again. So I’m putting this out there into the universe in hopes that these divas will tour out my way again.
