_The Original Diva, Miss Grace Jones, who totally ripped up the stage at East London's closing night of 'Lovebox' with an incredible career spanning set.
The 62 year old (!?) Jamaican-American singer, who was 25 minutes late (of course), pulled in a huge crowd for a spectacular performance on the Main Stage at Victoria Park which saw her make a costume change for EVERY SONG as she reeled off tracks stretching right back to her 1977 debut album 'Portfolio'.
Arriving onstage at the drop of a huge black curtain, Jones greeted the crowd on a raised platform in the middle of the stage wearing DeHaviland 8" snakeskin platform heels, A lace body suit, velvet corset, a black satin jacket and Treacy lace and feather facemask, as she kicked off her show with 'Night Clubbing'.
Introducing herself after the song she snarled: "This is my voice, my weapon of choice"
She then launched into 'This Is' from her most recent 2008 album 'Hurricane' before she turned the clock and stepped back on the raised platform for 'My Jamaican Guy' from her 1982 album 'Living My Life'.
Throughout the show she wore several Phillip Treacy hats and face masks and danced around a poll on a spinning turntable, declaring "If I could I'd play them all for you darlings, but I must finish, I need something in my mouth!".
At one point she arrived onstage, dressed in a sparkly black tuxedo and white top hat with a glass of red wine before she introduced 'La Vie En Rose', her reworking of 40s French singer Edith Piaf's signature tune, which featured on Jones' 1977 debut 'Porfolio'.
The biggest cheer came for her own signature tune 'Pull Up To The Bumper', which saw Jones strut down to the barrier and shake hands with several members of the crowd as she sang before they were showered in ticker tape.
She then sang her Roxy Music cover of 'Love Is The Drug' under a giant green laser beam and mirror ball bowler hat just 24 hours after Bryan Ferry and his band played the same track.
"I did want to do two more songs," she said acknowledging her late arrival, "But we are waking up everybody who is asleep already!"
She then closed her set with 'Dance To The Rhythm' while hula-hooping all the way through the 9 minute track, then, still hula-hooping, she introduced her band and finally hula hooped offstage.
Grace Jones played:
'Night Clubbing'
'This Is'
'My Jamaican Guy'
'Demolition Man'
'I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)'
'Love You To Life'
'La Vie En Rose'
'Williams' Blood'
'Pull Up To The Bumper'
'Love Is The Drug'
'Slave To The Rhythm'
A true Icon.
Image by Andy Warhol.
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