Patti LaBelle gets a rainbow and an adoring crowd at the NYS Fair because she deserves to (review, photos)

Patti LaBelle does not enter quietly.

She appears after a countdown, in a sparkling orange dress and heels, to front a whopping 13-piece band. She’s been a star for six decades. She knows how it’s done.

LaBelle and her band played at the Chevy Court stage tonight in front of a thousand fans, many of whom had seen the singer perform before and even brought LaBelle’s records for her to sign (which she did, obligingly, right on stage).

LaBelle aptly started out with “Something Special (Is Gonna Happen Tonight)” then “Be Yourself” and paused to warm up the audience a little and shoo away the buckets of rain that were falling on her fans: “Let it stop raining!” she pronounced.

And because Patti LaBelle said so, 10 minutes later, the rain did stop.

LaBelle sang straight through the sultry “Love, Need and Want You” with accompaniment from the audience (which sang back all her lyrics) and her own four powerhouse background singers. That song, said LaBelle, has been covered by a lot of people.

“Don’t get it twisted, y’all. I did it first.”

LaBelle sang “The Right Kinda Lover,” then “If Only You Knew” while her crew rolled out a dry stage carpet for the sparkly-heeled singer. But the party really started with “When You Talk About Love,” and LaBelle’s background singers dropped in with a snappy “Patti! Patti!” on the hook.

“Say my name,” sang LaBelle.

“Patti! Patti!” chimed the band.

“What?”

“Patti! Patti!” obliged the crowd.

LaBelle is a true star. She has the rhinestones, the spotlight, the golden high notes, the magnetic confidence. The crowd came for her and her incredible range, and she delivered that, plus true warmth. Everyone was “Honey.” She had time for all the roses thrown her way, and threw a few back.

The 78-year-old LaBelle did lean on her band to get her through some of the marathon-level songs she used to carry by herself, and her DJ kept the crowd’s attention while LaBelle took a mid-show break to change outfits.

No diva, though, LaBelle effusively praised the band and handed off the mic as usual to her longtime friend and bandmember Deborah Henry Ramsey for “You Are My Friend.” Ramsey, a powerhouse in her own right, did not disappoint.

The love for LaBelle from the crowd was palpable, and multi-generational. One young fan held up a phone to record for her grandmother. More than a few fans came with their parents or their kids.

If LaBelle drifted a little from a few of the notes she used to hit on the dime, and if she couldn’t quite remember the names of all her band members (to be fair, there are 13 and some of them were brand new), all was forgotten when LaBelle sailed through “On My Own” with all the strength and control of, well, Patti LaBelle.

If she’s competing with anyone, it’s only her younger self. LaBelle is unequaled and much loved.

Maybe the “Something Special” was the double rainbow that broke out over her stage, maybe it was the way she treated the audience like guests in her own home. And if anywhere is home for Patti LaBelle, it’s onstage, in those heels.

Jules Struck writes about life and culture in and around Syracuse. Contact her anytime at jstruck@syracuse.com or on Instagram at julesstruck.journo.

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