After playing large venues for so long, Bette decided she wanted to return to her roots and play the small clubs, like she had done in the early 70's before stardom. Bette also wanted to pull back from the wild and crazy persona she had become known for, and show the softer side of herself. Thus, the "Intimate Evening With Bette" tour was born. Bette toured the US and Canada with just a small band and her inscrutable Harlettes. Having completed her first network special, "Ol Red Hair Is Back," and her new album, "Broken Blossom," being released . . . it was the perfect time to hit the road. Bette went on a 6-city tour hitting Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and New York City. The tour stayed about a week in each city, and Bette always left the audience begging for more. In this tour however, Bette seemed to talk more than she sang. She told nasty jokes, hilarious stories, intimate details about her life, and even poked fun at celebrities and current films. As with tradition, the show opened with "Friends," and then went into a raunchy rendition of "Empty Bed Blues" or "In The Mood." She performed songs from her new album, such as "La Vie En Rose" and "Red." She also introduced new songs such has "Shoot The Breeze," from her recent television special, and "Bang You're Dead" from "Live At Last." Some of the most memorable moments from this tour however, were the uproarious stories Bette would tell . . . like her moving all her albums from the female vocalist bin to the pop bin so she wouldn't have to rot next to Liza, or her hilarious story about the show business flea trying to get work, and of course her advice for what to do when you're in the bathroom stall and somebody knocks on the door. Some of the heartwarming moments came when Bette sand the ballads, like "Superstar," "Drinking Again," and "Shiver Me Timbers" . . . and her reading of Carl Sandburg's poem "Rag Doll," which led into "I Shall Be Released," could have reduced anybody to tears. The Harlettes, who were trying for their own career at the time, were given a 25 minute opening act, to showcase material from their newly released album, "Formally of the Harlettes." The show closed as it opened, with Bette's loveable theme song, "Friends." Before leaving the stage though, Bette always delivered this bit of philosophy, "Remember, wherever you go, there you are." Only a few months after ending this tour, Bette would embark on her biggest project to date, and one that would forever change her life . . . "The Rose."