Cher says goodbye to Colorado - again

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Mar 14, 2003 by BILL REED

Cher is back. Again.

The diva's so-called "Farewell Tour" is swinging through Denver's Pepsi Center for the second time in a year.

She promises this really will be the last time. But honey, we've heard that before, and we're not buying it. For Cher, 56, the end never seems to come. She's been in the limelight for 40 years now.

"I'm a part of history," Cher insists, "whether people want to take it seriously or not."

Through the early folk days with Sonny, the TV show and "I Got You Babe," the sultry '70s ethnic phase of "Half-Breed" and "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves," disco glitz, big '80s ballads "Just Like Jesse James" and "If I Could Turn Back Time," and her latest incarnation as the dance club queen who filters "Believe" through heavy electronic distortion, Cher survives.

Cher once quipped: "After the (nuclear) holocaust, there will still be cockroaches and Cher."

That may be so. In honor of Cher, here's a tribute to pop culture personalities and phenomenon that lasted longer than anyone expected.

THE DETAILS

Cher in concert, "Living Proof - The Farewell Tour"

Opener: comedian Tommy Drake

Where: Pepsi Center

When: 7:30 p.m. Monday

Tickets: $79.50, $59.50 and $34.50; 520-9090 or www.ticketmaster.com

THE UNDYING DOZEN

A dozen things (besides Cher) that never went away:

1. Tony Bennett - "Can You Find It in Your Heart" hit the charts in 1956 (when he was already 30). And he's still winning Grammys despite his last hit coming in 1965.

2. Dick Clark - "American Bandstand" went national in 1957, and his unchanging face has brightened New Year's Eve for 31 years running.

3. Rolling Stones - The boys racked up three hits, including "Time Is on My Side," in 1964. Truer words were never sung.

4. Michael Jackson - The Jackson 5's first No. 1 hit, "I Want You Back," was in 1969. Now little Michael is having cows slaughtered for voodoo curses and sharing his bed with other people's children.

5. Susan Lucci - The character of Erica Kane burst onto the soap "All My Children" in 1973, and Lucci finally captured the daytime Best Actress Emmy in 1999.

6. "Saturday Night Live" - John Belushi & Co. began their on- screen cavorting in 1975. The show survived even when it didn't deserve to.

7. Home Shopping Network - Couch potatoes' dreams came true in 1977, and HSN now boasts more than $2 billion in annual sales.

8. Chia Pets - Joseph Enterprises Inc. rolled out the Chia Pet ram in 1982. The same folks later brought us the Clapper, which is a favorite among the sofa spuds watching the Home Shopping Network.

9. Madonna - Madonna Louise Ciccone was the Britney Spears of 1984. Forty hits later, it's a different story.

10. Michael Jordan - Drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984. "Retired" twice - once to play baseball in 1993. In the All-Star Game again in 2003.

11. Hulk Hogan - On Jan. 23, 1984, Hulk Hogan pinned the Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden and captured the World Wrestling belt. Despite a few gray hairs, the Hulk captured the title again in 2002 (for a sixth time). Whatcha gonna do when the Hulk runs wild on you?

12. Karaoke - It came to America in the early '90s and never left. God save us all.