Sonny & Cher Sparkle at SPAC

by Irv Dean, The Post-Star, August 30, 1973

Sonny and Cher, the husband and wife singing stars, presented a dazzling array of costumes and songs in two performances Tuesday at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

A total of 15,400 fans turned out for the matinee and evening performances.

The most sparkling moments in the sophisticated combination of songs and polished verbal sparring came when the spotlight fell on tall, svelte Cher and she sang some of her solo hits including her currently popular “Half Breed” and her earlier “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves.”

Sonny, whose voice mostly complements Cher’s dynamic singing, did some solos, too, including one ballad he wrote for the couple’s blonde daughter, Chastity.

Cher, meanwhile, was backstage for one of her half-dozen costume changes. The duo started out in the business as bluejeaned, informal vocalists, but their image has evolved to their present super-chic splendor. Cher treated the Saratoga audience to costumes running the sartorial gamut from a sparkling gold two-piece to mock Indian regalia that might have made Pocahontas blush.

The audience relished the costumes as much as the couple’s risque banter – including some material that would never make it on CBS — and the vigorous, 1-hour performance was frequently interrupted by applause.

While Sonny may be an essential element in the popularity of the act, there’s no question about who’s the superstar in he family.

Cher, who has emerged as one of the nation’s 10 best-dressed women, comes across as a sexy, well-packaged commodity that is obviously in great demand.

Sonny and Cher have been successful in bridging the generation gap, as evidenced by their popular CBS television
show. Saratoga’s audience was a mixed bag ranging from the very young to senior citizens, all of whom reacted enthusiastically.

David Brenner, a young comedian who’s been going places, filled the first hour of the evening show with a nightclub routine. Some of his material might have been considered offensive to children had it not sailed over their heads.

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