Regarding the Tina Turner concert in Miami

[Editor's note] Last night, TINA TURNER was....she was...... well she was more than what one word can convey!

Before I get into what details I can paste together from my TINA hangover, a little background on TINA and I. My fandom for TINA TURNER stretches back to tape. She was the first musical artist I loved. She was this 6-year old gay boys first Diva. I played that tape 'til I had memorized all the words, Side A and B. As I grew older, so did my love. Then one not so special TINA worshiping day, my mom tells me that TINA and I share something in common: her photographer. Apparently, the same guy who would photograph TINA took my baby pictures! Now, I know that doesn't say much about the guys career (from TINA to baby photographer), but it meant the world to me. The truth of this conversation was later evidenced by a trove of TINA pictures my mom had socked away some where. I lost my cookies.

Fast forward to October 30th, 2008. Picture it if you can: the same gay boy is now 23, mere 17 seats back from the stage, surrounded by old people and lesbians, united in TINA love, watching one of the greatest live performers in musical history. And she delivered... big time. What happened over the next 2 and half hours is one giant blur of legs, hair, sweat, sequins, and attitude.

The curtain opened 45 minutes late to reveal TINA standing about 15ft in the air with one spotlight shining on her, as God himself intended her to be. I lost my cookies. From that moment on, my ass never touched the seat again. I was up, dancing, and yell-singing the entire run. And before you cholas start criticizing me, I'll have you know that I was not alone. I wasn't even the most hysterical queen there! Anyway, it was sometime during the first half of the show that I added "becoming a backup dancer for TINA TUNER" to my bucket list. Being there, seeing her, hearing her made it was hard not to succumb to her energy.

She sang "River Deep Mountain High," "Private Dancer," "Typical Male," "What's Love Got To Do With It," "Better Be Good To Me," "We Don't Need Another Hero" (from Thunderdome), "Goldeneye" (the 007 theme), "The Best," "I Can't Stand the Rain," "Steamy Window," closed with an epic version of "Proud Mary," and encored with "Nutbush City Limits."

While yell-singing "you're simply the best, better than all the rest," I suspect that the entire arena was singing it about TINA. That got 5-minutes worth of applause.

Now, those who know me know how I feel about "Proud Mary." ::pause:: It's not only one of my favorite songs of all time, not only do I do a mean "rolling on the rivah," but performing it is one of the simple pleasure I take in life. With that in mind try and picture me, TINA, and however many thousands of people the American Airlines Arena can hold ALL rolling on the rivah! It was like a gay church service.

As if my dilapidated heart could take any more, she then comes out to perform "Nutbush City Limits" WHILE hovering on a platform over my head!! For what seemed an eternity, she was about 6ft away from me, singing and stroking my gay parts to a frenzied finale. When she finally left and the credits rolled I was left a sweaty, spent, post-orgasm mess. Gay church, indeed.

Needless to say, last night's concert was hands down the single best, most rewarding, most worth-while live performance I've ever seen. Witnessing a legend in action is something that will stay with me a lifetime.