(Soundboard FLAC)
Diana Ross
Hilton Hotel
Las Vegas, NV
May 3, 1992
Uncirculated Stereo Soundboard via JEMS Archive
2017 JEMS Transfer: first generation cassette > Nakamichi CR-7A azimuth-adjusted playback > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 2.0 (24/96 capture to .wav) > MBIT+ downsample to 16/44.1 > iZotope RX6 and Ozone 7 > Peak Pro 6 (post production) > xACT 2.39 > FLAC
01 Intro > Blame It On The Sun (Stevie Wonder cover)
02 Upside Down
03 Mirror Mirror
04 Good Morning Heartache
05 I Cried For You (Now It’s Your Turn To Cry For Me)
06 Why Do Fools Fall in Love?
07 Change Of Heart
08 The Best Years of My Life
09 Waiting In The Wings
10 Do You Know Where You’re Going To? >
11 Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
12 Endless Love
13 One Shining Moment
14 One Shining Moment (alternate performance from a different show, incomplete)
Known Faults:
-Intro: joined in progress
-One Shining Moment (Alternate): Incomplete
Sure the JEMS archive is loaded with master recordings of some of the most popular artists on DIME: Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin and The Who. But it is also littered with many random one-off tapes as well, and this is certainly one of them.
Several years ago JEMS was given a soundboard cassette of the legendary Diana Ross without any recording details except that it was from the early ‘90s. Given her recent Grammy appearance and in celebration of her 75th birthday this month, we thought it was time figure out where the recording came from and release it.
The recording itself contains some clues as to when it was recorded:
Ross mentions she is in the process of writing her memoir, which was published in 1993, so it had to come before that
Given how she works the room, the show has all the hallmarks of a Las Vegas ballroom performance
Ross mentions it is closing night, which implies a Las Vegas residency, not a standalone concert
Some songs come from her 1991 box set Forever Diana, so it had to come after that
A few weeks ago, I finally found an authoritative Diana Ross tour history on the web, which provided the final details to peg this show as May 3, 1992, closing night of a six-show residency at the Hilton in Las Vegas.
The recording is an excellent stereo soundboard and the performance is not unlike what Ross did on the Grammys, talking to the audience mid-song as she weaves through a set that’s heavy on recent material more so than classic hits, though we do get some of those as well. Ross says she has a cold, but sings well. As for the band, there is a heavy reliance on synthesizers, so they sound VERY 1992. Still, if you’re a fan, the setlist is sure to have some underplayed material and the quality is excellent. Samples provided.
Thanks to mjk5510 as always for handling the post-production details on this one.
BK for JEMS