Diana Ross in Central Park, 35 years ago

Were any of you there?

It's such an iconic performance. Diana Ross at her most determined, at her most diva-ish (barking at her backing singers and stagehands), at her most narcissistic, at her most entertaining.

What are the DLers memories of this event? Fascinating to watch NYC in deep summer heat. Such a different time.

I was there. It was beautiful sunshine and then suddenly just a terrible storm. I have some beautiful memories of people helping each other out of the park and then an ugly memory (I was a teenager) of a guy walking down the street in a speedo and somebody yelling don't go near him. You'll get AIDS. Sometimes I think of this summer as the last free one before the plague.

I didn't go the next day. That day their were riots and vandalism. She built the playground there to make up for it all.

I was on my bike in Chelsea that day checking out a new apartment and was caught in that torrential rain and wind.

Yes by accident. I crested a hill on my bike and saw below me the wondrous sight of Diana oh so brave and ever so fabulous in the rain, wowing, vowing to go on.

It was my first gay moment. Like a ray of sunlight from behind the dark clouds. A deep voice from above. Like the stone rolled away from the cave door.

I was verklempt.

Until then it was just about cock in here or in there and whether to spit or swallow.

Love these first hand accounts.

[quote]She built the playground there to make up for it all

The playground was the point of doing the concert. All proceeds from sales of the first day's show (T shirts, posters) were supposed to go towards building it. But when the rainstorm happened, they had to use the proceeds for a second show. Diana gave the city money from her own pocket to build it.

I went with my cousin's girlfriend from Spanish Harlem (my cousin was my roommate at the time) - we were centerstage on the ground and Ross did maybe 3 songs before the storm hit. then it turned into an urban nightmare, waves of people being crushed, or chain snatched. some gangs went on a rampage - it was called "wilding" by the media- at Tavern on the Green. Deplorable - we didn't go back for the makeup show - it was truly frightening. But I still love Ms. Ross.

I thought the "wilding" was all the second day.

I was pretty far back from the stage. The rain was so hard that I thought it made wilding and chain snatching out of the question. Maybe up close it was different. '

She did only get through a few songs before the storm. The odd thing was one of the song was "Family" from Dreamgirls which she hated. (Sheryl Lee Ralph tells the story of meeting her at Sardi's (not sure if it was before or after the run) and introducing herself and Ross shot back nastily "I know who you are."

It's just so fascinating to watch her. Her battle of wills with staff, Barry Diller (she moves the microphone away from him), Mother Nature herself. So much of her performance is self-indulgent yet you cannot deny her star power. This truly was a moment for her and she seized it (even cut short by the rain).

r1 here..

I do remember it being very scary and Ross was like the leader. At first people didn't know what to do. The hope was the storm would pass as suddenly as it started. It was literally bright sunshine when she took the stage and then it is almost nighttime looking towards the end.

I wonder if less experienced performers would have left the stage and just said go home. I've read that if the artist walks off it can cause panic so she did the right thing by staying. For some reason I have this memory of her saying "please move towards your right, my left" and exit." The odd part is was the storm did pass pretty quickly. We stayed in a doorway on CPW for a while and then it stopped raining after maybe 15 minutes. By the time we walked to Columbus Circle it was sunny again. But people were wet. You can't see it as much with Ross because of her clothes but when Barry Diller goes onstage you can just see how utterly drenched people were.

[quote]25 minutes into her performance, dark clouds began to gather over the audience, and a downpour ensued. In defiance of the gathering storm, Ross remarked, "It took me a lifetime to get here, and I’m not going anywhere." That evening's performance lasted 45 minutes before the storm's increasing severity, and pleas from various New York City officials and event producers, convinced Ross to leave the stage.