Liza Minnelli

I didn't allow myself to get excited
Her reputation
Precedes her
Canceling, forgetting lyrics, swallowing words
But tonight
In her signature sparkling black top
That shimmered and reflected light
And almost seemed to be electricfied
Liza Minnelli
Was radiant

Her speaking voice
Is not just breathy
It's breathless
She seems barely able to string a sentence together
And then she sings
Sure the top notes aren't quite there anymore
But the richness in her voice
The undeniable "Liza" tone
The timbre so full
So present
It's phenomenal

They talk of
Living legends
And truly
She is one

In just under two weeks
This living legend will be 67
She's frailer than she used to be
Apologized for sitting for much of the concert
But the audience didn't mind
When she sang, honestly
Magic happened
She seemed somehow younger
The way she can tell a story through song
Transport you worlds away
With her voice
The simplest gesture
The audience erupted after
Every single number
And the applause wasn't gratuitous

In the same way that her mother
Never escaped the rainbow
Liza will never escape the cabaret
But you get the sense
She's happiest there
It's where she grew up
It's where her family,
Literal and accumulated,
Come from
And her gratitude to the audience
Felt genuine and real

The final encore
Every single person was already on their feet
And it was just
Liza in a spotlight
Singing acapella
The hush that fell over the crowd
Oh, that voice!
And right before the final note
A whispered
Thank you
And the audience melted
Audibly gasped
And we cheered in response
And Liza bowed
And walked into the wings

The end.