
DATE: Friday, July 4, 1997                  TAG: 9707040517

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Music Review 

SOURCE: BY CRAIG SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   77 lines

TINA TURNER PROVES SHE'S SIMPLY THE BEST VETERAN PERFORMER KEEPS THE ENERGY GOING IN BEACH SHOW FOR HER FANS.

Miss Tina Turner is a lady of her word.

Three months ago, just as she was starting the North American leg of her world tour, Turner told a writer that standing around and singing just wasn't her style. ``I personally like a lot of production, a lot of action,'' she said.

Make no mistake, her concert Thursday at the GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater was loaded with both, but most of all it generated electricity. High-voltage warnings wouldn't have been out of place. If Virginia Power produced Turner's type of energy, they'd never worry about brown-outs again.

After a brief warm-up from her seven-piece band, Turner, dressed to thrill in an impossibly short sequined mini-skirt and spiked heels, charged on stage precisely at 9 p.m. For the next two hours, she didn't touch the brakes once.

Neither did the 20,000 adoring fans (Jimmy Buffett doesn't have the market on sell-outs) who turned out on a starry, sticky, pre-holiday night. Most of them, even those packed onto the rolling spacious lawn, were on their feet whooping and whistling for the duration.

It's a pretty safe bet, too, that no one went home disappointed.

Turner's performance, easily one of the best and most elaborate in the amphitheater's brief history, took in the breadth of her career, from ``Mountain High'' and ``Nutbush City Limits,'' to her current ``Wildest Dreams'' album.

``Whatever You Want,'' one of the hit singles off ``Dreams,'' launched the concert immediately into orbit. Joined by three backup dancers, Turner brought the house down. That opening salvo also set the tone for the evening.

Playing the vamp, vixen and flirt, she reached back to 1984 with ``Private Dancer,'' the title track of her multi-Grammy-winning comeback album. A cover of Robert Palmer's ``Addicted to Love'' had people dancing in the aisles. So did her timeless take on ``Proud Mary,'' which she still does nice and rough.

There was even something for film buffs: ``GoldenEye,'' which rivaled any Vegas production, and ``We Don't Need Another Hero,'' from ``Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. ''

About an hour into the set, Turner teased the audience, saying, ``I'm going to do something now I normally don't do onstage.'' Pause. ``I only meant that I was going to sit down and sing.''

The show didn't lose any momentum as she eased into Al Green's ``Let's Stay Together.'' That soul classic soon became an audience singalong. The four-song acoustic set, capped by a version of ``Better Be Good to Me,'' which reached a gospel pitch in its intensity, was one of the highlights of the evening.

The lady can do it all, including keeping up a lively between-song patter. Early in the set she asked, ``Is everybody all right?'' Then answered her own question with ``Me, too.''

If she doesn't get around much anymore - this tour, already a year old, is her first of North America since 1993 and just the second since 1987 - it's only figurative. We should all have Tina Turner's energy and enthusiasm when we're 57. Heck, we should have it now.

Prediction: Tonight's Fourth of July fireworks won't hold a Roman candle to Thursday's display.

Where other performers might be daunted opening for such a dynamo, Cyndi Lauper was up to the challenge.

Entering from the lawn, she had the audience in her hand, whether talking about her obvious pregnancy, drawing from the current ``Sisters of Avalon'' album or reworking her early hit ``Time After Time.'' No longer the squeaky party girl, her voice has matured over the years and now has a pleasing, husky timber. ILLUSTRATION: LAWRENCE JACKSON photos/The Virginian-Pilot

Tina Turner entertained the crowd with new songs and classic hits.

Tina Turner delivers an energy-packed show Thursday night for 20,000

fans at the GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater. Fans were on their feet

during her two-hour show.

Graphic

MUSIC REVIEW

Tina Turner with Cyndi Lauper, Thursday night at the GTE Virginia

Beach Amphitheater.