Olivia Newton-John: She's Still Got It!

I recently had the opportunity to see Olivia Newton-John in concert. The venue was Sam's Town Casino in Tunica Mississippi on a cold and snowy night. True, they don't get a lot of snow storms in Tunicia, but this night was the exception, as was the performer on stage. Working with a simple four member band and a single female back-up vocalist, Olivia took the stage for a performance of approximately 90 minutes. It was the third time I had seen her in concert, the first dating back to Little Rock Arkansas in April of 1977. Some 32 years later a lot has changed, but certain things have remained the same, Olivia being one of them.

There are several categories of Olivia fans. There are those who knew her from the beginnings, when she was having hits like "I honest love you", "Have you never been Mellow" , "Please Mister Please" and "If you love me let me know." There were times before these hits, but at the age of 29 Olivia was an established recording artist. She had won an assortment of awards including three Grammies and a slew of gold records. The next set of fans got to know Olivia when she appeared in the top money making musical of all time "Grease". Here, at near 30 years of age, Olivia convinced the world she was a 17 year old high school senior and another generation fell in love with her. Later, another group of fans learned who Olivia was when her career took another turn with songs such as "Physical" which was banned in several areas. In a career that has now spanned four decades, Olivia's fan base is as broad as any entertainer's and her fans are very loyal. But does she still have it? Can she still sing and perform at the age of 60? That's right, the girl from down under is 60 now and still turning out albums and going on tour. To answer the question of does she still have it, the answer is a simple and resounding, yes!

Olivia took the stage in Tunicia and gave a rousing performance of her hits from all the varying stages of her career. She sang along to videos of her walking the Great Wall of China to raise money for a hospital she is building in Australia. She danced and flirted about the stage as she performed Physical and slung around a leather clad tough guy as she sang "You're the one that I want". Her wit and humor were as fresh as her smile as she sang hit after hit. A standing ovation brought her back to the stage to sing two additional songs, "Somewhere over the Rainbow" and her classic "I Honestly Love You" which ever guy in the audience just knew she was singing to him. The concert had people literally dancing in the aisles and jumping to their feet. Olivia is a true performer and despite being a little older now, she still looks and sounds great and has the ability to wow an audience like few other entertainers.

Olivia is also very open about the various times in her life which affected her music and what direction she would take not only in her music but in her life. She is a breast cancer survivor and is now very active in the fight against the deadly disease. She is also active in her daughter's career and co-starred in a Showtime movie with her. Olivia also recently worked on a television series "Sordid Lives", a follow-up to her movie of the same title. Her lists of credits and humanitarian awards is inspiring and impressive. A newlywed now, Olivia seems to be at a very happy and satisfy place in her life and it shows in her performance. Her tour continues through March and if you have an opportunity to see the show I highly recommend it. Olivia receives four out of four stars for a solid performance and a very enjoyable evening. My only disappointment, I had hoped that in a smaller venue such as this fans may have had a rare opportunity for autographs and photos with Olivia, but it was not to be. My dream of actually meeting her in person remains unfulfilled, but I now have one more fantastic memory of one of the great performers, singers, and human beings to come along in quite a while. Well done Miss Olivia and I hope to see you again very soon.