Monday, Jan. 5, 2004 | 8:17 a.m.
In the 1993 film "Groundhog Day," Bill Murray's character wakes up to Sonny & Cher's vintage hit "I Got You Babe" morning upon morning upon morning.
The song serves as a frequent reminder that the man in the movie is stuck in time, destined to repeat the same day over and over.
Strange how life is beginning to imitate art for fans of Cher.
Throughout last year the aging diva insisted her 2003 tour would be her final such outing, terming it the "Farewell Tour."
An Aug. 31 date was billed as her final Las Vegas stopover, and a Halloween concert in Toronto was supposed to mark her official North American swan song.
Then on Friday the "Groundhog Day" clock radio next to all of our beds went off, propelling us back in time for another round of "Farewell" shows at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, one that night and another on Saturday.
You got us babe.
Not that I have anything against Cher continuing to perform. Friday night's event proved that at age 57, the former Ms. Cherilyn Sarkisian still has plenty to offer her adoring public.
But it seems rather disingenuous to advertise concerts as farewell appearances only to return to the same stage some two months later.
Brilliant marketing, to be sure, and something Cher made no apologies for during a 10-minute address early in her concert.
"I said I was saying goodbye. I just didn't say when," Cher announced to a crowd of 10,300. "This is our 201st show (on this tour). I should get a round of applause for stamina."
These days Cher's 90-minute concert is more of a celebration than a traditional musical performance.
A celebration of what? Of Cher, of course.
Throughout the night the stage ensemble -- which included nine musicians and a bevy of dancers and circus-style entertainers -- took lengthy breaks while video montages on giant screens paid homage to the headliner.
One such highlight clip looked back on Cher's early years in the business, when she was half of Sonny & Cher. Fans applauded footage of ex-husband Sonny Bono -- who died in a 1998 skiing accident -- and sang along to a recorded version of the pair's biggest hit, "I Got You Babe."
Another video collage spotlighted Cher the actress, running through clips from "Moonstruck," "Mask," "Mermaids" and other big-screen efforts. Her "Snap out of it" slap to the face of Nicolas Cage from 1987's "Moonstruck" drew the most cheers.
Several video segments collected clips from Cher's many TV appearances. Some showed her performing with such famous friends as Elton John and David Bowie, while others, culled from confrontational interviews, reminding us that Cher speaks her mind.
"There are all these young girls coming up, Christina Aguilera and Britney (Spears) and J-Lo (Jennifer Lopez)," she announced early in the show. "I just have one thing to say to them: Follow this, you bitches."
Of her arrival onstage aboard a platform lowered from on high, Cher noted: "I used to ask people, 'How did you like my entrance?' but I don't anymore because I know it's fabulous."
Cher changed costumes for nearly every number, donning retro striped bell-bottoms for a medley of 1970s material and plucking a futuristic silver bodysuit for 1998 dance hit "Believe."
She rotated wigs just as often, going from blond to black to red and back to blond by night's end.
But musically, the show lacked momentum, the obvious downside of taking so many production breaks. Cher performed only 12 numbers, though the medley included bits from four early cuts.
The most successful material was culled from her recent period of resurgence, fast-pumping club singles "All or Nothing," "Song for the Lonely" and "Believe."
The latter served as the encore, with Cher's other enduring anthem, "If I Could Turn Back Time," closing out the main set.
Cher's voice sounded powerful, so much so that a couple of fans near my seats questioned whether she might be lip-syncing.
It didn't look like it, and that was definitely her singing "After All," a ballad performed as a duet with keyboardist Paul Markovich.
Opening sets by disco holdovers the Village People and KC & the Sunshine Band got the Baby Boomer-dominated crowd dancing early.
Call those acts dinosaurs if you must, but don't expect them to hang up their boogie shoes anytime soon. Not when they can impel 10,000 people to spell out "Y.M.C.A." with their arms and chant "That's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it."
As for Cher, that real retirement party may be right around the corner. Better snag a ticket to her next show -- just in case.
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