, Chaka, Patti in Minneapolis

http://www.startribune.com

Published Friday, July 9, 1999



Review: Chaka Khan and Patti LaBelle: No dueling
divas here



Jon Bream / Star Tribune



No, it didn't turn into dueling divas. Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan didn't do battle Thursday
night at the Historic Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis over who had bigger hair (Chaka),
who had a louder voice (Patti) and who had the more fabulous outfits (that was a tossup).
(Of course, we didn't know what was going on backstage, honey.)

It was opening night of the 20-city Sisters Soulfest, featuring two of the most fabulous divas
in soul music. Chaka opened and seemed tentative and unfocused at first as she cruised
through her dated-sounding '70s and '80s R&B favorites, wailing at full volume for no
apparent emotional reason. Her medley of Rufus favorites, including "You Got the Love" and
"Once You Get Started," had a bit more sass.



Once Chaka, 46, changed from her purple outfit, with its oversized ruffles, into a black velvet
number, trimmed with feathers, her attitude seemed to change. She did a jazzy trip-hop
treatment of "My Funny Valentine" and seemed very involved on "This Crazy Life of Mine,"
an autobiographical number from her 1998 collaboration with Prince, the CD "Come 2 My
House." (She should have done more selections from this fresh, varied and impressive CD.)

And then Chaka thrilled the crowd by shifting into disco mode for the unstoppable anthem
"I'm Every Woman." After the diva left the stage, her guitarist walked over to the wings and
summoned Prince into the spotlight as the band played on. The local hero strapped on the
guitar, took a quick solo, mugged goofily to the crowd, then left.



After intermission, before the curtain even opened, Patti had the audience in the palm of her
hand. She began singing "Amazing Grace" offstage. Her voice swooped and soared. She
was over the top before the faithful, all hooting and hollering, ever saw her face. The love
fest continued for another hour and a half, from her Michael McDonald hit duet, "On My
Own" (with his part taken one at a time by each of her three male backup vocalists) to her
over-the-top, shatter-the-champagne-glass treatment of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."



Between them, Patti, 55, showed why she's a diva's diva, even though she hasn't had a hit in
a dozen years. Sure, her gospel-trained voice soared mightily and often -- but usually when
the emotion of the song warranted it. She has splendid control and showed admirable
restraint -- at least when she was singing. Between songs, she yakked like your long-lost
best friend. She talked about going through menopause, about how her high heels were killing
her feet and about her friend -- "What do I call you -- the Sign? He said, 'Miss Patti, you
can call me Prince.' "



Patti did her hits, including LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade" (but not her own "New Attitude"),
and, like a Vegas act, she did her renditions of current hits by rockers Sugar Ray and soul
siren Faith Evans as well as R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" and the Stylistics' "You Are
Everything." With the words of her songs and her empowering attitude, she gave
encouragement to her fans in the half-full theater. And she even pulled four fans out of the
crowd to be "divas" for a moment.

Actually, it was fellows, and she let them be dueling divas by singing to her one at a time.
The guy in the leopard-print shirt stole the hearts of Patti and everyone at the Orpheum. But
the word backstage was that he was part of Prince's entourage.