Dressed in a blonde wig for a ‘Marilyn Monroe moment’ with Clinton, the pop superstar wished him a belated happy birthday before launching into a rip-roaring “Bill Romance” at the packed Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
At one point she came into the audience to perform one-on-one for the former president, who was seated in the front row with his wife US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and their daughter Chelsea.
“How cool is it to be 65-years-old and still get Lady Gaga?” Clinton asked the crowd in a short speech in the middle of the show, which also included performances by Stevie Wonder, the Edge, and Usher.
The show — celebrating the 10th anniversary of the William J Clinton Foundation — began with record label Motown legend Wonder, setting the tone with pitch-perfect renditions of “For Once in My Life” and “Superstition”.
Usher surprised the audience with a soulful rendition of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help with my Friends,” followed by some sharp choreography to the thumping dance anthems “Yeah” and “OMG”.
Next up was Lady Gaga, who, as usual, stole the show by singing to Clinton. Explaining her ‘Monroe moment’, she joked in typical style, “I always wanted to have one, and I was hoping that it didn’t involve pills and a strand of pearls.”
In closing Clinton paid tribute to his wife, recalling how they met 40 years ago and how their lives have changed since he left the White House in 2001. “For 30 years I was in politics and then about 10 years ago we switched places. I like it fine, I like it when she’s in public office and I’m doing this kind of stuff,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2011.
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