Knoxville has been getting a series of master classes lately in the art of aging ferociously. Last week, it was 64-year-old Neil Young storming the Civic Auditorium. Last night, it was 66-year-old Diana Ross bringing a packed Tennessee Theatre repeatedly to its feet with a sparkling set of indisputable classics that ran from her Supremes days to her disco diva era. (Stopping off along the way for songs from Lady Sings the Blues, Mahogany, and The Wiz.) She sounded terrific--her voice still has that keening, girlish edge, but she deploys it with a sort of knowing wink that you can't mistake for innocence. And she looked great too, leaving and then returning to the stage in a series of ever more extravagant costumes (the word "dresses" would not do justice to the yards of fabric involved).
Now it's the septugenarians' turn: Later this week, we're looking forward to shows from Wanda Jackson (the rockabilly queen is still going strong at 72) and freak-folk forefather Peter Stampfel, who was born in 1939.
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