Oh, Patti...

What can I say about seeing the object of my latest diva obsession - Ms. Patti LuPone - in concert last night at Symphony Center? Wait - I know. She was, in the words of my friend Heidi - "Like buttah." That's right. She was like "a big stick of buttah." She brought some genuine shiksa-peal to the JCC benefit - along with that powerful voice and vibrant personality and humor. Mom and I helped The Patti round out the Italian-American paesana contingent in the hall that evening.....

I dragged my mom along and we had some fairly decent seats. I had ordered "periphery" and hoped for the best - we were in the Orchestra Section Row Q, smack in the center. Not too bad! The people around us, for the most part, had no idea who Patti LuPone was. My suggestion vis-a-vis that situation is to have a poll - those of you who have no idea who she is must immediately move yourselves back to allow her fans to bask in the warm glow of her presence from your primo center seats in the first several rows. Yeah, like that's gonna happen. Whatever, anyway.

She sang all the great songs I never thought I'd get the chance to hear her sing live - Meadowlark, Don't Cry for Me, Argentina.... some Sondheim, some Stevie Wonder.... it was a great show. Wow. I mean really, wow.

And that scream of "We looooveeee youuuu, Patti!" that I heard at the end of the show? It came from my mom.

It occurs to me that I have been raking up plenty of "Patti Points" this past year - I've seen her off and on nearly every month since April (April for Sweeney, July for Sweeney, August for Gypsy, September for Sweeney and November for this). What am I gonna do without my live Patti fix?????