Diana Ross To Perform At Mann Center
By Tom Rickert
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- She's the iconic voice of Motown, lead singer of the Rock n' Roll hall of fame group The Supremes, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award winner who churned out 70 hit singles over five decades. Diana Ross is a giant in the music industry.
"She's considered by many to be the most successful female artist in the history of music," says Mann Center President and CEO Cathy Cahill.
Diana Ross started her career in the 1960s with Motown Records. Since then, she has sold more than 100 million records worldwide with The Supremes and her subsequent solo career.
The Kennedy Center Honors recipient hasn't been to Philadelphia in over 10 years, making the concert on the Mann Center's main stage a special stop on Ross' In the Name of Love Tour.
Cahill says it's not just the audience that's in for a treat either. The staff is having a lot of fun preparing for the show.
"We are collectively across our entire staff, our board of volunteers, the buzz, the excitement, the anticipation is palpable," she said. "The phones have been ringing off the hook. This is considered one of the concerts of the decade here at the Mann, and we are excited as anyone can imagine."
The main stage at the Mann is quite the venue. The stage is large, big enough to accommodate anything from large musical acts to theatre troupes. There's plenty of seating as well.
"We have a 4,500 seat covered pavilion, we have an additional 2,000 seats in our terrace seats, brand new, and our lawn capacity collectively with the entire seating area is up to 14,000," Cahill said.
Don't come just for the show though. The Mann has several vendor stations across the lawns, and a large dining tent between the main stage and the smaller Skyline stage.
"Not only do we have a world class magnificent campus here, 20 acres plus, but we have Crescendo, our high-end dining experience. We invite people to come for dinner, stay for the show, come at 6 o'clock, and enjoy a glorious buffet in our crescendo."
Tickets are still available for the June 25th concert. The show starts at 8 p.m.
For more info, visit: www.manncenter.org.