Dressed to Kill

We'd been sitting on tickets for probably nine months but, finally, the time had come. I won't say that the Cher concert was the reason that Merlot Boy and Margarita had come to Vancouver - after all there were some landmark birthdays and a wedding to fit in as well - but I think it's safe to say that there was a bit of excitement when we discovered that the concert lined up with their arrival in our fair city. I'm not sure whether Mr. D was more excited to see Merlot Boy or Cher, but D was also joining us for the evening.

And not only were we spending the night with the Dark Lady, but we were also lucky enough to be treated to a great beginning with another favourite - Cyndi Lauper.

As is only befitting an evening of such great import, we popped the cork on a bottle of bubbly to kick off our evening. That is to say, we sabered the cork on a bottle of bubbly. And, naturally, we nibbled on a bit of caviar as well to get into the mood.

As one does.

1649.  N.V. Montaudon Brut (Reims - AOC Champagne - France)

Montaudon is not a Champagne house that I'm familiar with at all. This bottle was a gift that we held onto for a bit - waiting for a bubbly kind of occasion. Montaudon is somewhat of a venerable name in Champagne, however, as it has been in existence since 1891 and had seen four generations of the Montaudon family at the helm before it was sold in 2008. The house is now part of the LVMH portfolio. You know, those folks behind Louis Vuitton, Möet Chandon and Hennessy.

The wine was very approachable. Not in a Baby Duck kind of way, but there was a good whack of apple and pear on the palate and the biscuit notes were subtle. Of course, Aussies are well-known bubble-philes and our #TwoKangaroos (as they had christened themselves on Twitter) were more than up to the task of finishing off the bottle in time to get us out the door and down to the stadium.

We actually made it down to Rogers Arena with time to spare and there would have been a second bottle to add to The List but the bar we visited only sold wine on tap. They didn't have any bottles to buy. Drats.

I was rather surprised to see that Cyndi was the opening act. I should think that she's got plenty of clout in drawing her own slew of fans. But we were glad for her joining us. I'd wanted to go see her when she last came to Vancouver for an outdoor, summer festival but I couldn't make it. Guess I got two birds with one stone with this concert.

As if it wasn't enough to win me over with all the old memories of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, She Bop and Time After Time, Cyndi scored a knockout when she threw on a Canucks jersey to finish off her set - with the one and only, classic, True Colours. Love her - and, apparently, her potty mouth.

But, speaking of "one and only," our darling Cher is the personification of the phrase. Following her opening number, she announced in response to the crowd's raucous applause, "It's nothing, okay. I love to start my shows standing atop of a pillar wearing nothing but dental floss for an outfit - at 68." She immediately zinged us with the line of the night, "What's your grandma doing tonight?"

Vegas at its best! Stage. Costumes. Time travelling videos. Cirque de Soleil boys even. It was hit after hit - and we loved it!

From our floor seats, I might add.

The only thing that would have made her show even better would have been more Champagne and caviar during the set. Luckily, it was easy enough to get drunk on her iconic self.

Maybe I should add her as a bottle to The List. Something like Chateau Cher. Watch for it.