Smashing
vocals bring a fresh dose of Summer
Donna Summer
Bank Of America Pavilion, Boston, Massachusetts
July 7, 2005
by Marc Hirsh
originally published in The Boston Globe, July 9, 2005
Donna Summer may be the Queen of Disco, but if there was one thing that she proved at the Bank Of America Pavilion on Thursday, it was that she made her name in that genre by choice, not necessity. Performing in her hometown for 90 minutes in the cool July night, Summer stepped off of the dance floor just often enough to prove what a versatile and superlative pop singer she really was, touching on gospel, torch songs, soul and straightforward pop/rock.
She certainly didn’t fight the regal aspect of her title, making her entrance by arising through the body of the divan-shaped piano that was raised above the rest of the 17-piece band, a giant mirror ball inches above her head like a disco halo (for symmetry’s sake, she reversed the process at the end of the evening). Nor did she deny her audience the disco hits that they came for: “Last Dance,” “On The Radio,” “Bad Girls” and “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” were all present and accounted for, with “Love To Love You Baby” and “I Feel Love” (which were more studio-dependent productions) as the only major absences.
Still, while Summer didn’t attempt to present unfamiliar material (with the exception of giving the spotlight to her husband and pianist Bruce Sudano for one of his adult contemporary songs), she showed her range with a number of well-chosen covers, among them a faithful rendition of “Nights In White Satin,” a medley that included “The Man I Love” and Cab Calloway’s “Some Of These Days,” and a sweet version of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” supported only by the eight-piece string section that otherwise stuck to providing disco-appropriate embellishment.
All through the evening, Summer was in excellent, occasionally stunning, voice. That’s achievement enough for any singer, but for someone who is, if you must get technical about it, 25 years past her prime, it was a revelation. Whether it was a matter of practice, conscientious care or simply talent, her vocals were strong and clear, so much so that she was able to take on “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” (half faithful, half discofied) and sidestep the negative comparisons that would dog just about anybody else who dared take on one of Aretha Franklin’s signature numbers. Many in the audience came to dance, but as in her heyday, Summer had plenty to offer those who just wanted to listen.