AT the first of two sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden last night, the incomparable Tina Turner’s opening song “I Wanna Take You Higher” was the battle cry of the night.
Turner, now 60, looked terrific in her first costume — a patent-leather clamdigger outfit — as she speculated knowingly that this was going to be a great show.
“I’m going to take you on a journey of my career,” she crowed.
She did, hitting all the milestone songs including, “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “River Deep Mountain High,” “Proud Mary” and “We Don’t Need Another Hero.”
Of all the hip shakers and the fist pumpers, it was the fiery cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Heard it Through the Grapevine” that was soul-stirring. Her other soul covers, such as “Try a Little Tenderness” and Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” also were very good.
The song “Absolutely Nothing Changed” off her new disc “Twenty Four Seven” was much better live than the star was able to deliver in her studio version.
The production was pure glitz, with scripted choreography that unfolded on a three-level stage. But the stage was a problem for Turner’s fans because it compartmentalized band members from each other. They did play with authority, but occasionally overpowered Tina when she was looking for a quiet moment.
The stage was well-designed for the multimedia portion of the concert, which included old black and white film clips from Tina in her 20s when she was just starting in the business. It also wove in clips of her various movies, including roles in “Tommy” and “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.”
A few of the oddball moments included Turner’s slowpoke version of the Beatles’ “Help.” She turned that song into a gospel ballad.
Unlike her past tour, where she seemed to be more interested in being a temperamental diva than a singer at the Garden, she was vocally focused and her stagecraft was much more aggressive.
At her age, it seems remarkable that she can not only sing but move as well as she does. She could give sass lessons to the likes of Britney, Mandy and Christina.
On her song, “What’s Love Got to do with It,” Tina requested the crowd sing along with her. She instructed them, “You must sing this with attitude to make its point.” The crowd learned by example.
Tina Turner continues at Madison Square Garden with a performance tonight starting at 8 p.m.