The legend lives on, and how!

BY MARTINA DREISBACH
When the “Rag Doll” sweeps across the stage—that beloved rag dollwho taught her to love despite all of life’s hardships, her tumultuous
“River Deep, Mountain High” existence—Tina Turner feels closer than ever. Withher powerful voice and commanding presence. With the rockin’ wig—
—which she always styled herself. With the immortal song from hertough times with Ike Turner. That’s the beauty of memory: it canbealive—
—and in the case of the “Typically Tina Tribute Show” on Friday evening atthe packed Karree in front of the Kaiser-Wilhelms-Bad, it’s even very much alive.
Karin Bello from Los Angeles makes sure of that with a fabulously in-tuneband. She’s transformed herself into the diva like a twin sister—
,right downto her fingertips—and she takes it a step further.Thelaughshe lets out packs a punch. It sounds vulgar, like that of a laughing monster.
Some people don’t like it at all. But it canbe interpretedas a gesture of distancing herself fromthe real Tina, who, by the way, wasn’t any taller than her double:
1.64 centimeters. A year ago, thepop diva—bornAnnie Mae Bullock in Tennessee—diedat the age of 83 in Küsnacht, Switzerland.
Typically Tina doesn’t waste any time; she announces a round of “Shimmy” in herbright red tinsel scrap, which only barely covers her athletic figure. She
turns her back to the audience and lets her skimpy skirt sway. Then her sparkling eyes, her flawless white teeth: “Are you having
good fun?”She belts out her announcement with delight into the mic and seals it withthat booming laugh, as if she’s amused by it herself.
Tina Turner has sold 180 million records. Karin Bello has been touringas Tinafor fifteenyears. The legend lives on, and the show goes on. The red
glittery dress is followed by a golden one. The audience follows her traversals across thestage, her acrobatic moves with her arms and hips. A program fit for elite athletes.
And then there’s the singing.You close your eyes—it sounds real. Hats off to her,and the applause doesn’t let up. The spotlights flicker in every color
across the stage in front of the old, beautiful bathhouse. The audience has long sincemoved forward. Dressed in their summery floral and
-patterned shirts and dresses,they standpacked tightly in front of the stage,swaying tothe old rhythm, dancing with their arms crossed just like back when Tina Turner
wasn’t yet playing on HR4. They’re filming with their cell phones; some willwatch the entire show in one go once they get home.
Then “Let’s Stay Together,” that soulful, defiant melody that oncedrew the crowd onto the dance floor at the Tennis Bar like a magnet.
“Private Dancer” with a mist of spray; the electric guitar wails passionately,a wisp of cannabis drifts by—anything goes today. “I can’t stand the rain,”
she sings, but it’s still 28 degrees on the lawn filled withloungers, seats, benches, small tables, and couples in camping chairs.
“Golden Eye,” the 007 theme song—the audience guesses everything, and the interactionwith Tina flows like a conversation among old friends. And that’s exactly what it is.