Diana Ross @ Royal Albert Hall - 14 October 2023

Last May, when a friend brought it to my attention that Diana Ross had announced two dates at Royal Albert Hall in October, I was very pleasantly surprised. Who would have suspected Miss Ross would chose this iconic venue again after all these years?
Having seen Harry Connick jr, Liza Minelli and Olivia Newton-John here, I was quite familiar with the layout and the views. I love the mid-stalls, and found the perfect front row seat in Block L, having a good view of the stage, while being surrounded by all other parts of the hall and the audience.

During my days in London, I had this song in my head the whole time. 'No One Gets The Prize.' For the introduction of this video, I just had to use this song.
The concert that I witnessed on Saturday October 14, was a very special one. Another friend who attended, asked me if this evening didn't remind me of that night in Ahoy back in 2004? Miss Ross said herself at one point: 'I think this is going to be a long night!' She seemed in such good spirits and wanted to give us hit after hit. It was a dream to see her perform here for over 2 hours. Radiating happiness, her voice so clear and strong. A legend completely in her element.
During the intermission, which started after the first half hour of Diana's performance, I went down to the main stalls to say hello to several familiar faces.

Shortly before the second part began, two people in their mid-thirties sitting behind me, asked if I would take their photograph. Appearing to be close friends, they asked me how often I had seen Diana Ross' shows. I told them a little anecdote about her relationship with this venue. Back in 1973, when she performed here for the first time, her eldest daughter Rhonda - a toddler at the time - was brought to the stage at the end. She was to throw flowers into the audience, and while her mother sang a closing song, Rhonda would echo some of the words.

Halfway through the second part, on the big screen, the fragment from the 1973 show with Rhonda appeared. The friends behind me tapped me on the shoulder. 'You were there!!!' they shouted. 'Well', I smiled, 'I was three years old at the time, so no, I wasn't there...' It made me laugh so much, I loved that they felt so happy for me and probably thought I was in my sixties. The sweetest people. It was quite moving when Rhonda appeared on stage and joined her mother in the duet 'Count On Me', which she had written for her mother.

On my left was a lady, who told me prior to the show, that she had two big dreams: one, to be in Royal Albert Hall someday, and two, to see her idol Diana Ross perform. She had her two big wishes granted this evening and radiated with happiness.

A truly unforgettable evening. I was lucky to see Miss Ross once more a few days later, when I went to see her in Antwerp with a dear friend. For him, it was the first time to see her. Another wonderful night.

The fragments I filmed, aren't in the clearest quality. But they absolutely capture the ambience of that night. In Antwerp, I hardly took out my phone, wanting to be as present with Diana's performance as possible.
It is a pleasure though, to be able to reminisce here on youtube with all the beautiful moments that fans captured during the various shows.

Видео Diana Ross @ Royal Albert Hall - 14 October 2023 канала NilesNL69