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Shirley Bassey @ M.E.N. Arena From Manchester Online, by Riazat Butt, 9 June 2003

A date with Shirley Bassey is a classy affair. No skimpily-dressed females brandishing diddy boppers or lewd banners at her concerts, oh, no. Save that sort of behaviour for the boy bands.

And where the air is thick with the stench of fags, booze and testosterone at rock gigs, at Dame Shirley's concert there is a heady mix of mumsy perfume and tasteful cologne.

And so it was last night at the M.E.N. Arena, when more than 10,000 people flocked to see her pout, preen and strut around the stage for 90 minutes.

It was a quintessentially Manchester sight - middle-aged married couples sitting next to boys with feather boas - and her fans lapped up a deliciously over-the-top experience that was unadulterated showbiz.

There were no backing dancers or flashy stage props - just Shirley and her innate sense of drama and spectacle.

Dripping in diamonds and looking fabulous in a floor-length gown, she flaunted her best assets - her lungs - to an adoring crowd.

The show opened to the unmistakeable strains of Goldfinger - waaah waaah waaah - and then continued full-throttle into a selection of her greatest hits.

When she wasn't singing, she indulged her hecklers - "I love you, darling,'' she purred on more than one occasion - or collected presents from a throng of star struck fans that had gathered at her feet to pay homage.

She did very well out of the evening, too, receiving at least a dozen bouquet of flowers, several bottles of wine, a bag of Chanel goodies and - get this - an enormous diamond ring that very nearly blinded the audience.

Skipped

She gamely skipped around the stage trilling: "I love pressies. Keep 'em coming!'' Emoting to the nth degree, she powered through overwrought ballads I Who Have Nothing and Thank You For The Years.

Then she would wink and flirt her way through karaoke classics such as The Lady Is A Tramp and Big Spender, when she patted her bottom and coyly asked the audience: "Do you like this?''

But, like all treats and luxuries, it can all get a bit much.

Going to a Shirley Bassey concert is like gorging on foie gras, hugely enjoyable at first but after a while you start hankering after celery.

There were some songs that she should have steered clear of, too, because Shirley, God love her, has been blessed with a voice that's subtle as a sledgehammer. So Light My Fire and Hey Jude were completely overwhelmed by her lusty and unstoppable lungs.

But the whole evening was a celebration of glamour, entertainment and genuine talent. Dame Shirley, the people of Manchester salute you.

© Manchester Online 2003

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