Cher

What is it?

A residency from the inimitable Cher.

Where is it?

At the 5,000-seat Park Theater at The Park on the South Strip.

Is it worth the cost?

Even though she’s in her 70s now (!!) she still puts on one hell of a show.

Why should I see this show?

Because there are only so many times she can threaten to retire before she actually does it.

What else do I need to know?

The show is not every week – check the website for specific dates.

What’s the bottom line?

Snap out of it and get your tickets now.

I could just say “She’s Cher,” and end the review right there.  I mean, come on… She’s Cher!  Of course she’s amazing, of course she’s funny, of course she looks and sounds amazing.  What else would you expect from a legendary entertainer like her?

But okay, you probably want a few more details so I’ll indulge you, but as you read just keeping thing “She’s Cher” and we’ll get along just fine.

For more than 50 years, Cher has been a pop music, acting, and cultural icon, from her early days as one half of a duo with late husband Sonny Bono in the 1970s, to her acclaimed actress and rock goddess days of the 1980s, through her dance diva days of the 1990s, all the way until now when she can still fill every seat of a 5,000 seat theater on a regular basis.  And these aren’t cheap tickets!  That says a lot about not only her staying power but the sheer force of her personality and the ongoing popularity of her music.

It’s all here, a soundtrack of the last five decades. “I Got You Babe” from 1965, sung as a duet with a video of Sonny;”Bang Bang” from 1966; “The Beat Goes On” from 1967; “I Found Someone” from 1987; “If I Could Turn Back Time” from 1989; “Strong Enough” from 1999, and a healthy dose of ABBA covers from the 2000s to show she can be retro and relevant at the same time.  About the only thing you’ll find missing are the 1970s hits like “Dark Lady” and “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves” but if she did every single one of her songs we’d be here all day.  I may be okay with that, but let the woman rest a bit.

It is worth noting that she changes up the set list from time to time, so you might get a different mix when you attend the show.

The production is typically over the top Cher, with lavish costumes, sets, a big band, and a bevy of dancers.  At one point she even comes out on top of an elephant.  It’s not a real elephant, but it’s still pretty darned cool.

Throughout it all she sounds incredible and while the technically trickery these days makes it tough to tell, I am pretty sure she was singing live through most of the show.  Her banter with the band and the audience is a lot of fun, too, and keeps up her reputation as an IDGAF kind of dame.

Now in her 70s, at some point she’s going to make good on her threat to retire, so go see her before she decides to do it.