Diana Ross pulled the diva act at the 2008 Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival. Just before her set, concert goers were told that "to honor Miss Ross’ wishes, she will not be shown on the monitors." Unfortunately that meant no one beyond the first row could see Diana perform. "It was at the eleventh hour that her manager said she wouldn’t allow us to IMAG (In Vivo Imaging) her performance," said a concert promoter, "and, if any cameras were present, she would not go on stage."
Diana Ross so pissed off the concert goers they booed and hissed through the entire performance. The Festival Spokesman pulled no punches in a statement made after the show. "The much anticipated performance of Diana Ross on Saturday proved somewhat disappointing to many patrons who expected a very interactive set." he said. "Miss Ross’ request to have a restricted display of her performance however, inconvenienced patrons who were left feeling distanced from the stage and her performance."
It’s being reported that Diana was paid $300,000 for the appearance and concert goers paid from $80 to $307 to sit in attendance. Other headliners included Mary, Mary, Billy Ocean, and Koko Taylor. You know I’d be requesting a refund. She probably didn’t want anyone to put her on YouTube.
She can’t win. It is disgusting that time after time again, it is Ross’ own people (of African Descent) that have turned on her. So the Jamaicans were pissed that all of the pre-sold bootleggers would have to return money to their illegal customers. Perhaps she just didn’t want people making money off of her image for free. She is a legacy that has earned that right. On one level she knows the fans want to continue the illusion of that flawless Diva that she has taken a lifetime to create. Big screens zoom in. I just saw her and there was no big screen. I never expected one. If you get one at a concert it’s a bonus, not an expectation. Maybe
her stage show isn’t designed to be televised. Ross oversees her production and if she were producing a made for TV or video concert it is no secret that she would have had to design and approve it well in advance. There are sooo many reasons that could have been behind her request. Maybe she had a zit, a bad day, is insecure about aging…. Maybe she has been burned by video editors who splice and slant her image to suit their own needs. Ross is a control freak, we all know this, but does that make her a bad person. Get over it Jamaica. If the people at that concert appreciated a B list has been like Billy Ocean over a legend they didn’t deserve to see her anyway. I’m tired of the petty criticism. Whatever
her reason’s were for not allowing the taping, I’m sure it wasn’t to deliberately harm the fans in the back. That all said, I think she should take steps to apologize and make it up to them, not because she was wrong, but because it would be the generous thing to do. Ross has always put her fans first. She stood out in a thunderstorm when most legends
would have fled to safety. In my view she shouldn’t make the mistake of letting this go, like she let go years of Mary’s criticisms, Randy’s book and media attacks. Ross should go right on CNN world-wide and address this.