Peter Jones - London Palladium
 This was Midler's first U.K concert appearance on Sept 21 and the sheer impact of it had critics groping for superlatives and for comparisons. One feeding most names into the pot claimed: "It is as if a young Mae West were combined with Manhattan Transfer, Janis Joplin and Ethel Merman and had come up with an ideally suited act for a New York gay Jewish convention."

Which is hard to top. But most certainly it is an act, a genuine, beautifully timed, aggressively performed, superbly varied act. Midler knows exactly how to switch moods from sensitive to raucous, from sincere to comic. It has been said, by herself, that the act has little to do with singing, but when delivering the big romantic ballad she sears and swoops with total professionalism.

She creates an aura of all-embracing show business schmaltz and then deliberately destroys it with vastly amusing shafts of sheer bad taste.

Midler's reputation for outrage mixed with sophistication preceded her and all shows here, and through other continental territories were fast sold out. Extra shows have been arranged.

The fact is the girl is a complete original, despite the ease with which comparisons with other performers can be made. During her hour set, she rampaged through rock standards like "Da Do Ron Ron" and "Leader of the Pack," swung through "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" included "I Shall Be Released" and "Chapel Of Love" and spiced it all with rude crudities which had the audience gasping with laughter and surprise.

On her first visit to the U.K. "or as I like to call it the yuk," she created quite a sensational impact. She turned a normally staid audience into a mass extruding all the hysteria and enthusiasm of a revivalist visit. Backed by the Harlettes and a nine-piece band, which skillfully matched her every mood, she proved to be something special.

Koningin Elisabethzaal Ticket Stub

Palladium Ticket Stub (thank you Nigel)