After an 18 year absence, last night saw the glorious return of a true living legend! Proving once and for all that this woman is a force to be reckoned with, Grace Jones took the stage at the Hammerstein Ballroom to the roar of her adoring fans. A mix of old skool cool and metro-mix of personalities filled the Hammerstein to capacity as Bette Midler was rumored to be somewhere watching too...how deliciously juxtaposed.
The line slinked down to 9th Avenue on 34th as the street came alive with fans decked out in their finest fair of dress that would only pale in comparison when the diva took to the stage. With a generous pour at the bar, fans enjoyed the conversation and the fun DJ set while waiting...not too long at all in Grace time, for the lights to dim and the stage to tremble in anticipation of what was to come.
The black scrim rose to a figure writhing in a metallic sheath under a keen spotlight...the crowd screamed as the figure twitched and twisted and her voice rose singing This Is Life and the thundering beat trembled across the capacity crowd at the Hammerstein, and Grace had arrived. Unleashing herself her first outfit best described as the love child of a zebra and Alien with a Gieger-esque Phillip Tracy hat she dedicated William's Blood to Michael Jackson and the night was set.
Belting out flawless songs with engaging stories in between, Grace owned the stage the way only a self-proclaimed Diva should, saying as much in one of her prolonged tales told off-stage as she kept us enrapt waiting to see what would happen next. Her Love is a Drug number set an eery sheen to her besparkled ballon pants and bowler cap as she seemed to be beamed in from above, the light of the lasers alighting on her like icy rays of sheer synchronicity.
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Set after set, song after song Grace came out with a voice as strong as fire and a wardrobe to match. Her voice has been lost in all the online postings about her garb, but don't forget that this woman is still in her prime and lay down the gauntlet for the next generation. Working through her set from an album she "never thought I'd make," her performance of Hurricane was downright jawdropping as her outfit morphed and unfurled across the stage as if her energy could no longer be contained.
As she left the stage in a flurry of confetti, this awestruck writer only hopes Grace doesn't wait another 18 years to return to rule the Big Apple if only for another night.
