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Diana Rc with stunn By Bill Douglas Qam?cock Staff Writer Diana Ross proved to an appreciative audience at the Carolina Coliseum Friday evening that the ? i - iaay can sing tne blues ? and anything else, for that matter. Ross presented possibly the best show to Columbia during the 1978-79 season. Her show was an elaborate combination of song, dance, music, film and lighting. The show opened with a film of Ross descending a staircase as the orchestra played "Ain't no fountain High Enough." As the projection of Ross reached I? 44?? ~f -1-: ?*? uic uutLuiii ui me stairs, me real Diana Ross entered through the screen as if she jumped off the film. After the opening tune Ross welcomed the audience to the show and explained her ideas for the show. "I had a little idea," Ross said. "But I wanted to IfPPn it cimnla inrl I? At/ UlllipiV U11U 111 ~ timate." Though the show was an extravaganza involving more than 90 people, it did have its moments of intimacy and simplicity. During the tune 4'Reach Out And Touch" the sequin-clad Ross ventured into the Coliseum audience, something most performers 1' O ft n f f] n r< f i vgai u cio ill! U Wlllg themselves to the lions. She very politely told the audience not to jump up and IRfSj j Q" ": y f^'VV '' .Jt 8 M|BR^ p ^^-4^-^l^=-~a'?Ci4^5rS^ -::yj^BHB >ss enthrall ing Friday grab her as she walked by. "Security guards get a little anxious," she explained. She roamed deep into the crowd, as far as her microphone cord would let her, just shaking hands and inviting people to sing with her. Ross performed some of her famous hits like "I'm Ready for Love," "Touch Me in The Morning," "Love Hangover" and several caberet-type tunes involving a group of male dancers. She also performed a medly of some of the hits of Diana Ross & the Supremes as a tribute to the original Supremes: Ross, Cynthis Birdsong and Florence Ballard. As she sang, film projections of Ross and the Supremes were flashed onto the backdrop. Ross mellowed the pace by performing the blues tunes "Thems Thats Got," and "Them There Eyes" from Ross' first film, Lady Sings The Blues. She also performed "Do You Know," from her second film, Mahogany, and "When I Think of Home" from The Wiz. Ross' strong vocals were enjoyably enhanced by the special effects like the films in the background, the fine dancers and particularly the laser-lights flashing inside the Coliseum. Ross is a very classy performer who is not hung RJ ]&^b^I "Stcr~x-aBR ^ :v77-v'-: : BEjjmfe: ^^SbBKSBSS^&jg k-^Sj'J i"/-? - v * " . >v SBSHBnBBBBH^Br s audicnce I-1 performance I up on the fact that she is a 14 star. She told the audience g? her job is to entertain them I and that she had a lot of m work to do. She caters to the audience, smiling, touching |j them and walking among them as if to prove she is a I real person. Her show appears to be a I package of her ac- I complishments in music, p motion pictures, with the P additions of elegant fashions and a touch of ^ Broadway. It's a magical |g combination, and it works || j ^H|. . ' "' 'x" *#:?$ Mi ^^^Kk<'X.v ^ H - * - -- ' "' w' PS&' ' Mra*, M , M y|S 1:^ v l|. Bp M? J'JB^^R r ^^BM^^I^HK:>: \ % /i. *f 'M ... .. .V^S.VQCs : , -:"^P ? >< * t Wmgg*m&--1 - * i * ? * * '"' ' 4** * * ** <t' 9 '^r i*+ * f" ' r * ? * *> < 19: ?*V /* * * # v *i Sill. - ?,?v * *} < t ** *T *Z >. $L -Hdm ~ ''^phB id Mark Lundgren J|| m ^ R ,-, Bp '; 4^HH^^SshB|^B|^k^S ':'" Wk&' '' . -JBSg " ;---~K? j '1L m ? v7" ' w I