MISS GRACE JONES

On Thursday night I went to see the living legend that is Miss Grace Jones. This lady has been described by many but the one thing I would agree with them is that she's as crazy as can be.

Arriving on stage nearly 2 hours late, Grace looked the iconic figure of amazonian proportions singing Nightclubbing and she ran the gamut for a good 2 hours. She used plenty of her current album Hurricane although the classics got the biggest response from the crowd. Helped along was her wardrobe - Miss Jones changed headgear and outfit after every song. She would waltz off near the end to get a change from the milliner Philip Treacy who was backstage but keep her microphone on and talk to the audience. It was slightly bizarre cheering to an empty stage but when you heard Grace ask for something to suck on, the audience went berserk! This ad libbing gave a brief glimpse into Grace Jones and I must say I love the fact that she doesn't give a shit about what anyone thinks of her. At one point she laughed that it sounded as though she was snorting something - this whipped the crowd up as I wouldn't put anything past Miss Grace.

As I said, the classics got the crowd going - a personal favourite of mine is La Vie En Rose. This song has always been in my top 5 songs ever since I discovered it 7 or 8 years ago. The arrangement was very true to the original I have adored and seeing Grace wrap herself round a rotating pole wearing a rhinestoned top hat and tails was a sight to behold. A perfect image. Grace actually got the crowd on stage with her for Pull Up To The Bumper and the whole audience was enraptured. This song was fabulous - but not as fabulous as Grace doing Slave To the Rhythm and hula hooping the entire song.

Yes you read that right, Grace came on with tiny ting ting cymbals and hula hooped the entire song which included her walking around the stage introducing her band and team backstage. At one point she forgot a name of one of the band members but she carried on anyway. She was more than fierce.

Grace is known for flubbing lines, turning up late, having attitude and not sounding the best. She was all of those things but she had the audience in the palm of her hand. At 60, she looks like a woman almost half that age with a body to die for. She showed real energy and attitude and delivered a mindblowing show.

I took my friend Cameron who had downloaded her album Hurricane that day and was getting into some of Miss Grace's tracks - she will eternally be for me that androgynous figure who has defied critics and fans to do whatever the hell she wants. And who produced one of the greatest songs ever in La Vie En Rose. I am thrilled that I saw the legend and got a glimpse of a true diva who at age 60 is still well within her prime with plenty more to come.........

Listening to - The Gibson Brothers - Que Sera Mi Vida - 54 Soundtrack