You realize we have been talking about Taylor Swift covering “I’m Too Sexy” and fighting with Kanye West. How silly we have been…

And then Aretha Franklin steps onto the stage of the Mann Center shed in Philadelphia on a perfect starry night for one of her last touring shows ever. She’s dressed in a white Badgley Mischka gown embroidered with small butterflies. When she first walks on stage she’s covered in a chinchilla jacket just in case it’s breezy or cold. She’s 75 and she’s chillin’ more than that chinchilla when she treats 5,000 fans to “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me.” And it’s all magic.

Aretha’s ninety minute show last night was one of those rarities– it defied expectations and then some. She’s always ‘good’– that’s expected– but something about the open air and a return to Philadelphia — where just two years ago she performed also outdoors for Pope Francis– catalyzed her.

Aretha is petite but last night it felt like she was six feet tall, radiantly giving a knockout show that had her voice at full power. She joked, she danced, she shimmied, she went to church, and god bless her– she played that grand piano like it was 40 years ago. Somewhere in heaven WC Fields heard this and said to his friends, “On the whole I’d rather be in Philadelphia.”

There were some treats for the fans last night, too. She revived her 1972 Stevie Wonder hit “Until You Come Back to Me” complete with the knock-knock-knocks. There were two nods to the late Curtis Mayfield from his “Sparkle” soundtrack– the title track, and the sultry “Givin’ Him Something He Can Feel.” There was a rousing rendition of the Clara Ward Singers’ gospel classic “Old Landmark,” that sent Miss Franklin high stepping with abandon.

Conductor Fred Nelson has got her orchestra tight tight tight these days. And even though Aretha admonishes them as Nelson takes them through their paces, the effect is intimate, not stern. You’re seeing geniuses, perhaps the last of their kind, at work. It’s a master class. It’s like watching a NASCAR driver settle into his seat. And when she’s got everything the way she wants it, Aretha relaxes and her voice just soars.

The highlight, of course, is when she walks to that piano. The audience knows what that means and there are peels of delight. “Oh yes!” the woman next to me shrieked last night as Aretha sat down on the bench. “You play it!” And that she did, turning Jerry Butler’s “Brand New Me” into an extended, uplifting celebration. And then there was “My Cup Runneth Over,” an old Ed Ames song that Aretha renovated a few years ago into a truly stunning signature live number.  She feels it the way she does her great numbers, and the feeling reaches the back rows of whatever theater she’s in.

And yes– there were the classics– “Respect,” “Chain of Fools,” “Freeway of Love,” and a “Natural Woman” that rocked the house. Again, somewhere in heaven, Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd, her Atlantic Records mentors, toasted each other on a job well done.

Next stops for Miss Franklin et al: Chicago, and Atlanta. In November she’s the featured guest at Elton John’s AIDS Foundation ball in New York. And yes again– she told me she does want to have a little nightclub in Detroit. She’s looking for investors. Do you hear that, restaurateurs? There’s a once in a lifetime chance there. Get busy!

photo copyright 2017 Showbiz411

Taylor Swift’s first new music in a couple of years doesn’t show off her writing chops. It shows she’s lazy. I’m a little surprised that all she and Jack Antonoff could come up with is ripping of a 25 year old novelty song, “I’m Too Sexy,” by Right Said Fred.

That’s all they’ve got to say? Imagine Carly Simon and James Taylor doing that back in the day. Or Carole King or Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. We’d have laughed ourselves silly. But this is what pop music has become– a marketing tool. On Taylor’s website she’s already sold out ‘snake’ rings for $60 a pop. The music is secondary.

The two guys from Right Said Fred are thrilled, of course. They get a royalty and songwriting credit. They were pretty much forgotten. Now, for a nanosecond, they’re back. On Twitter, which didn’t exist when “I’m Too Sexy” was released (neither did smartphones) they wrote: “We’re very pleased to hear Taylor Swift’s interpolation of our 1991 hit ‘I’m Too Sexy’. Taylor and her team reached out to us about the track, we like what she does and we were very honoured to have her interpolation feature on her new single ‘Look What You Made Me Do.’ Thanks to Taylor and her team for being absolutely wonderful. We’re very happy that our debut single will potentially be reaching new fans 26 years after its release.”

So all this hype about Taylor’s new single was for naught. How can you even compare it to Kesha, or even Katy Perry? Or half a dozen other singers who are better than Taylor but don’t have the Big Machine behind her?

As Donald Trump would say: “Sad!”

The “Reputation” album had better be a huge improvement over this. Otherwise, Taylor’s actual reputation may slither away like the snake she’s chosen for her logo.

Taylor

Right Said Fred

 Taylor Swift is back. Her first new single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” is dark. It’s pretty clearly about ex boyfriend Calvin Harris. She is really mad. If I were Tom Hiddleston, I’d get into Loki mode and brace himself.

“The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Because she’s dead.”
Eeeeeee.

Katy Perry has gotten one up on Taylor Swift. This morning she dropped a six minute feature video with Nicki Minaj for their single, “Swish Swish.” It already has over 2 million views.

Katy knows that Taylor Swift is dropping her new single tonight. So why not steal her thunder? After all, when Katy released her “Witness” album back on June 9th, Taylor used that day to announce her return to Spotify.

So much fun! Can’t wait to see what’s next! Ryan Murphy has the stuff here to make a new “Feud” series.

Some guys have all the luck!

Rod Stewart is one of them. He’s just signed to Republic Records, the hottest label in the world. He’s re-recorded his number 1 hit “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” with Joe Jonas and DNCE. And get this– they’re going to perform it Sunday on the MTV Video Awards. These are my guys who do “Cake by the Ocean.” Rod’s going to have his cake and eat it, too!

Yes, Rod Stewart. He’s One hundred and two, has sixteen children by forty wives, has been having hits since the 1930s. That Rod Stewart. God bless him.

Seriously, this man never goes out of style. A lot of it has to do with his manager, Arnold Stiefel, who is quite amazing. These two guys have more resilience than Reynold’s Wrap! WHenever Rod looked like he was “done,” back he’d come with a new hit. It never stops.

So seriously, Rod is just 72, which is youngish in rock classic standards these days. Paul McCartney is 75, Ringo is 77, and so on. Expect the unexpected from these guys. Thank goodness, they will never go away!