Tireless Tina Rain Was A Memory As A Dazzling Turner Wowed The Crowd With High-Energy Performance

Tina Turner Sunday, May 25, The Gorge

Cold puddles of rainwater welcomed the rear ends of 20,000 fans to Tina Turner’s “Wildest Dreams” concert at The Gorge Sunday night - but no one cared.

Damp denim-clad derrieres jiggled happily through the highlights of the night, right up to its bizarre conclusion.

More glitch than glitz, opening act Cyndi Lauper did little to warm up the all-ages crowd because electrical problems interrupted the amplification and momentum of her set.

In shades of Brooklyn, young Lauper tried nonchalance with the remark, “Hey. It rained on ‘em at Woodstock, y’know?” And a middle-aged voice called back, “Cyndi. We were stoned, honey.”

Best-known for the hit song “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” pasty-faced Lauper didn’t have much as she lurched and whirled through forgettable tunes, and looked decidedly fed up by the time she waved good-bye.

Umbrellas sprouted like technicolor mushrooms on the terraced hillside during a 40-minute pause between acts, and the un-umbrellaed lined up to buy two-dollar ponchos. One waiting customer dripped patiently wearing a pair of Bugs Bunny bathing trunks on his head. Without much of a splash, the price quickly slipped into the three-buck range, prompting one plastic penguin to squawk, “They’re soaking the soaked!”

The rain fizzled into drizzle just as Turner’s troupe swarmed across the huge stage and four-story rigging to set lights and sound for the main event.

The throng chanted “TI-NA! TI-NA!” until the band cranked up and Tina flashed onto stage in a brief shiver of silver sequins that barely met the tops of her legendary legs.

Dazzling, high-energy and polished, Turner upped the audience thermostat with material from the “Wildest Dreams” album and signature songs “Proud Mary,” “Private Dancer,” and “River Deep, Mountain High.” Backed up by a strong band and three tireless size 2 dancers, Turner helped the crowd sing “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” and also led them through “Nutbush City Limits,” the one she wrote about her beginnings in Tennessee.

At midpoint, she cooled temperatures down in a throaty blues and soul sequence that included “Steamy Windows” - sort of an Edith-Piaf-Hits-Memphis experiment that merged wild-girl Tina with wise-woman Tina.

This seemed the purest discovery and the pivot for the entire performance which all too soon slammed back into a brass-and-sass rendition of “Goldeneye,” followed by “Simply the Best,” and “We Don’t Need Another Hero.”

A particularly vulgar distraction took the shape of keyboardist Timmy Cappello, whose marginal musical skills were eclipsed by a three-posture repertoire of preens and flexes. A select few appreciated his beef-and-cheesiness and ogled him through binocs.

The production tapered down, and the Turner enclave scampered offstage until called back again by “TI-NA! TI-NA!” chanting, part two. The second encore number involved the audience once again, this time slowly waving arms to the beat of “Silent Dreams.”

Well-named it turned out, because in mid-wave, mid-stanza, a sudden POP and … black silence.

“Leave it to Tina to blow the generator!” said a fan in the hush. “Who pulled the plug?” yelled another. Everyone stood still, wondering if this was just another special effect.

Soon cigarette lighters flicked little halos in the dark, and a pair of stage hands spotted Tina by flashlight. She smiled and shrugged, holding a bouquet of flowers in one arm and a dead microphone in the other, waved, and walked offstage.

End of concert.

Gorge staff moved quickly to direct foot traffic with flashlights and emergency flares, and everyone trooped uphill to cars and campers. Guest services personnel told inquirers that Tina was not to blame at all, electricity was out all the way to Walla Walla.

“That’s OK,” said a woman. “Tina’s got the power no matter what.”