Standing Room Only: Cher in Concert

The opening of Cher’s Take Me Home Tour, featured in this 1981 HBO special, perfectly captures her star power and wit. True to her love of spectacle and self-parody, the show began with a drag queen impersonating Cher in her iconic Take Me Home album outfit, lip-syncing the titular disco hit. Just as the audience embraced the illusion, the real Cher appeared—not as herself, but as Laverne, her brash housewife character from her '70s TV show. This unexpected, campy juxtaposition was pure Cher: au...