Diana Ross at the Universal amphitheater in 1977 was an orgasmic theatrical event. My lover Scott had a similar passion to Ms. Ross that I possessed. Since I’d witnessed this diva on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, I had been mesmerized by her smile that encompassed her entire face. With her bulging eyes, large wig and beaded gown, I was in love. When she purred lyrics, I would swoon. My favorites from her set were the Supremes’ medley. I went nuts from “Stop in The Name of Love” and “Baby Love”.
It took me awhile to forgive Diana when she fired Florence Ballard from The Supremes. And when she left the Supremes, I was devastated although it made for an excellent foundation for the musical Dreamgirls.
Even though we were on the extreme side of the orchestra we had pristine seats in the second row to the stage at the Ampitheater. This diva was singing to us. When she sang her Billie Holiday tunes from Lady Sings the Blues, I remember how devastated I had been when she lost the academy award to Liza Minelli in Cabaret. Her song “Touch Me in The Morning” was our song. Scott thought it odd to have the lyrics “Touch Me in the Morning, then just walk away, leave me as you found me, empty like before”. He didn’t realize that twelve years later he would be dead from AIDS. Diana did her best to help me grieve.
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