Timeless Tina

Tina Turner is back. Eight years after her last tour, the "Queen of Rock" is on the road. Her two-and-a-half hour show at the Los Angeles Staples Center last Monday proved that the 68-year-old singer is timeless and that her talent remains intact.

"I bring you a show of my past," Turner declared to a sold-out crowd. And she was serious about that because she did not perform either of her latest tracks from her new compilation album, Tina!

According to Rolling Stone Magazine, the first half of the show featured some excellent performances, especially the still solid "River Deep, Mountain High," an appropriately trippy "Acid Queen," and an altogether inspired rendition of "Private Dancer." The first set ended with a major production of "We Don't Need Another Hero."

After a half-hour intermission, Turner continued with an unplugged set of songs in which she sang Joni Mitchell's "Edith and the Kingpin" and "Help" from the Beatles. She followed with a powerful interpretation of Tony Joe White's "Undercover Agent for the Blues."

The last part of the show was a vibrant sequence of tunes in which she reaffirmed the notion of why she still is the "Queen of Rock." Her Rolling Stones' medley of "Jumpin Jack Flash" and "It's Only Rock and Roll" is clear evidence of her right to the "royal" title. While clips of her and Mick Jagger filled up the back screens, she closed the show with "Proud Mary" and her two encores, "Nutbush City Limits" and "Be Tender with Me, Baby."

Turner's "Tina: Live in Concert Tour" will follow through North America and various European countries. Turner continues enlightening audiences with her rusty, earthy voice and dazzling them with her beautiful legs.