Divine - Shoot Your Shot Live Concert (1983)
Starring: Divine
Synopsis: One of the great icons of the 20th Century performs LIVE for a lusting audience
Reviewed by: Omar Khan

 

The concert was filmed just as the dearly departed Divine was about to storm the European music scene with her gloriously trashy Hi-NRG classics. Captured live at Manchester's legendary Hacienda nightclub, Divine growls, snarls and belts out one queer anthem after another. At times it's almost impossible to tell where one song ends, and the next begins, as they all sound remarkably similar. Fortunately, Divine's incomparable stage presence, beauty, magnetism and—let's face it—sheer star quality prevent the show from drowning beneath its virtually non-existent production values (which somehow seem entirely appropriate), dreadful sound system and a mentally deranged audience.

The crowd, initially less than overwhelmed by the rather drab opening number, is soon whipped into a frenzy by what would become one of Divine's signature hits, building upon the success of the magnificent Love Reaction, which made a sizeable dent in the European pop charts—not merely the gay ones.

Divine looks absolutely gorgeous in a rusty-red, sequinned, figure-hugging outfit, complete with tasteful tassels dangling tantalisingly from every fabulous curve. A rollicking performance of Shoot Your Shot is greeted with the obligatory screams of adoration from the assorted degenerates in attendance. Divine graciously responds with a fart and a burp before launching into a stunning rendition of Bobby O's gloriously cowbell-driven classic Jungle Jezebel.

The lyrics are indescribably awful—"Jungle Jezebel" repeated about ninety-five times, for example. Just a touch repetitive after the first ten seconds or so. But then, who came for the music when one could simply gaze in awe at the epitome of female beauty and perfection commanding the stage? Jungle Jezebel is followed by the delightful I Was Born to Be Cheap, a song Divine more or less adopted as a personal anthem, delivering it with the appropriate amount of body, gusto and aplomb.

Alphabet Rap, with its wonderfully socially conscious lyrics, follows before the killer dance smash Shake It Up. Just when the audience thinks it has reached the evening's high point, along come Native Love and finally the monster hit Love Reaction, sending the crowd into spasms of uncontrollable ecstasy.

It's a magnificent concert performance from one of the greatest cult entertainers and genuine pop-culture icons of the twentieth century. Divine is Queen, and no one—but no one—even begins to come close.

This concert serves as a reminder that Divine's premature death robbed the world of one of its most unique performers and charismatic ambassadors of outrageousness. Essential viewing.

There has never been a shit-kicker quite like Divine... or a shit-eater, for that matter!