Easton hits comfort zone at LV Hilton

Friday, March 1, 2002 | 9:09 a.m.

Grammy Award winner Sheena Easton has a license to kill at the Las Vegas Hilton NightClub.

The Scottish entertainer, who sang the theme song to the 1981 James Bond film "For Your Eyes Only," slew a standing-room-only crowd in the 330-seat theater this week -- but it was a painless way to go and almost everyone perished happily.

The only complaint I heard was from one person who said she thought Easton was too theatrical in telling her life story between songs, which included many of her pop hits from the '80s, such as "Almost Over You."

Well, come on. If you can't be theatrical in a theater, where can you be?

No one else seemed bothered by the exposition of the little redhead with a huge voice, who has not lost a note during a career that has endured for more than 20 years.

The theme for her show is the transition of her life from a superstar of the '80s to a mother of two who is comfortable with the aging process.

Wearing a clinging, low-cut, black-sequined gown (which provided an entirely different sort of exposition) she said: "The '80s was a shallow decade and I was out there doing it -- my hits, the Grammys. But what did they focus on? My looks. That was it ... just like Britney Spears. I didn't help myself -- I spent 10 years in thigh-high boots. But that all came to a crunching end. Something just slammed into me -- my 40s."

Easton said she doesn't mind aging.

"The boots are gone. I'm getting this older woman respect thing," she said. "Now they go, 'Hey, the '80s are over and she's still standing. Who would have thunk it?'

"But they still talk about my obvious assets when they write about me, except now they can't help but mention how much the assets have expanded. But I don't care. This asset may be bigger, but I'm going to strut tonight like it's 1984."

She spent the evening strutting her stuff before an appreciative, older audience that was mesmerized by the powerful voice that could rock a room 10-times the size of the NightClub.

Easton was backed up by a wonderful seven-piece orchestra (plus stand-out vocalist Michelle Johnson). The group demonstrated its versatility at one point in the show by abandoning their instruments and joining the star in an a cappella medly of songs that included "Our House" (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) and "In My Life" (The Beatles).

It was a magical moment, one that created goosebumps.

Other highlights of the evening included duets by Easton and percussionist Tony Davich, and with Johnson.

Easton saved her most-recognizable hit -- "For Your Eyes Only" -- for last.

If I were to give this show a rating, I would give it a 007.