Olivia Lights Up The Arena
Reprinted from yesterday’s final edition.
It would be nice to say that Olivia Newton-John blew the roof off the Civic Arena Wednesday night. But credit for that must go to the Civic Arena Corp.
Oh, Newton-John gave quite a nice show. A tad lightweight, perhaps, but fun enough, bouncy and entertaining.
What made this a special night were two smart moves on the part of the Arena management, which promoted the concert. First, they opened a couple of leaves in the roof, letting a cool summer breeze take the place of air conditioning (could have used that for the Willie Nelson concert).
Then, as the crowd applauded Newton-John’s encore, “I Honestly Love You,” fireworks went off just outside the Arena. It was a splendid finish the explosions lighting up the city skyline, with the band blasting out an instrumental reprise of the final song.
It was a fitting finish, too. Overall, the evening was a triumph of showmanship over musical ability. The band, led by saxophonist Tom Scott, was top-notch but had few chances to shine, even in its short opening set.
And Newton-John has a pleasing voice, but one that needs a boost from her show-biz savvy and four backup singers. Namely, a good rapport with the full house (no seating behind the stage), some nifty dancing, and, of course, those legendary looks.
She changed costumes four times: from black sequined, fringed mini skirt, to red sequined miniskirt, to tight black velvet pants, to short white shorts and Steeler T-shirt, for the “Physical” finale.
She did an hour-and-a-half set, her voice warming up nicely after a weak start with “Deeper Than the Night” and “Have You Never Been Mellow?” Her shortcomings limited range and a lack of power in the upper register were covered up nicely by the backup singers, three female, one male. Sometimes it was hard to tell whose voice was whose.
(Speaking of which, she used a recorded version of “The Promise (The Dolphin Song)” as films of dolphins were shown. Sure, she needed a rest, but it seemed a little dishonest.)
By mid-concert, however, she was belting out occasional phrases, and though she never sustained this effort, it showed she had the pipes. “Magic” was a big production, Newton-John moving about her smartly designed stage as fog drifted.
An early-show “country” segment was well-done. “Let Me Be There,” “If Not for You” and “Please Mr. Please” are all pleasant pop tunes. They may not be musical milestones, but it was hard not to hum along.
The whole evening was state-of-the-art showbiz, from an opening film of newspaper headlines and photos (three People covers, two US covers), to closing credits, for everyone from the band to the stage manager. The pacing, too, was cleverly calculated, ending with a “Physical” sing-along complete with Olivia doing calisthenics and stretching exercises.
By Bill Stieg, Post-Gazette Staff Writer