Minnelli on Minnelli: Live at the Palace [Live]

Liza Minnelli | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 29, 2000)
• Original Release Date: February 29, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Angel Records
• ASIN: B00004LMK4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #226,553 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The atmosphere was electric at New York's Palace Theater in December 1999. Here was Liza Minnelli on the comeback trail, battling back from weight gain and surgeries, as well as various addictions that recalled the star-crossed life of her famous mother. And the multimedia tribute to the movies of her famous father, Vincente, meant Liza was finally going to perform her mother's songs, which she had always avoided. In addition, her mother (who is never referred to by name) had staged her own historic comeback at the Palace in 1967. The first act includes medleys from Meet Me in St. Louis and The Band Wagon, and Liza, backed by orchestra and male sextet, isn't at her best. She slurs and slurps her lyrics, and her monologues, though affectionate, seem labored. But she's clearly delighted to be here, and the audience is with her every step of the way. Things pick up in the second act, including "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore" with some new, self-referring lyrics, and a rousing "What Did I Have That I Don't Have." She also shares "The Trolley Song" with a film clip of her mother and closes with a newly written valentine to her father by John Kander and the show's writer-director, Fred Ebb. Minnelli on Minnelli isn't perfect. Those only familiar with the Cabaret Liza would probably prefer her Carnegie Hall concert. But those who know and love her will want to be a part of this event. Welcome back, Liza! --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Talent is relative..., February 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Minnelli on Minnelli: Live at the Palace (Audio CD)

After several years of publicized substance abuse, botched vocal chord surgery, weight gain, and some painfully inadequate live concerts, Liza Minnelli came back to NYC's Palace Theater for a limited run late last year. And what the new, live-recorded CD of this concert shows is that talent is relative to experience. The show was a long-time dream of Ms. Minnelli's, one in which she would showcase the genius of her father by performing songs from his many musical films. No "Cabaret", no "Theme from 'New York, New York'", no "But the World Goes 'Round." Instead we get classics such as "Love", "Limehouse Blues", "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan", "What Did I Have I Don't Have Now", among many others. These knock-out arrangements (many using the original film arrangements as a platform) are performed with varying degrees of vocal success by Minnelli. Her diction is slightly slurred, her sustained notes have an enormous vibrato, and there are times when you wait in suspense to see if she can navigate the demands of the song. But then, she hurls a note to the rafters and hangs on to it for dear life, and we experience once again the Liza that we have known and loved for nearly 30 years. Talent is relative to experience; our experiences as an audience, our experiences with Liza, the undeniable fact that part of her greatness has to do with her own life experiences.

This recording, for all of the vocal shortcomings of the star, is a powerhouse emotional experience in itself. Liza is fearless, proud, and very happy to be performing, that's obvious. And she brings it all together - music, sentiment, experiential memory - in her "11 o'clock number", "The Trolley Song." Backed by the soundtrack vocal from the second half of the famous number from "Meet Me in St. Louis", Minnelli duets with her mother, Judy Garland, to tremendous effect. In the encore for this astonishingly powerful trick, Liza sings the last part of the song again, backed by her five man chorus, and stretches out the climax in a wham-bang, all-stops-out finale wherein she holds the last note for a seemingly impossible length. Wow. She'll probably never again be the supremely in-shape performer that commanded the stage at Radio City Music Hall in the early 1990s, but she still has the drive, the desire, and the lineage to make her a rare one-of-a-kind.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT! GREAT! GREAT! Best new CD by ANYONE in years!, March 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Minnelli on Minnelli: Live at the Palace (Audio CD)

In today's popular music world, having any sort of talent is generally a liability. Happily however, Liza has talent galore...a full, robust, warm, powerful voice that is truly exceptional. It is amazing that her voice came back to this remarkable state after that botched vocal surgery a few years back. It is also obvious she worked very hard to get in shape for this show. Some of the notes she hits are truly amazing. The final powerful note of "The Trolley Song" goes on for sixteen seconds. Incredible versions of "What Did I Have", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Limehouse Blues", "If I Had You", and "Love" are other highlights. The whole show is really a joy!

Liza is truly the greatest living singer! Buy this CD, and send a message to the record companies that talent is indeed appreciated.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HOME RUN, March 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Minnelli on Minnelli: Live at the Palace (Audio CD)

No, it's not Carnegie Hall Liza. It's something else, a superstar finally at peace with herself and her legacy. If you have been a fan of this performer for any length of time, you won't be able to get through the brilliant "What Did I Have That I Don't Have" without reaching for the Kleenex.

Other high points: "I Got Rhythm", "The Trolley Song", "Love", "I Thank You" and the lovely opener "If I Had You."

I highly recommend this CD.