David Corio

Grace Jones

Drury Lane Theatre, London, UK
(October 10, 1981)

The ‘Nightclubbing’ LP had just come out and ‘Pull Up To The Bumper’ was being played on every dancefloor. The show started with band members arriving onstage sequentially wearing Grace Jones masks. The crowd cheered everyone of them, each time believing Grace had arrived. The quintessential disco diva finally appeared – dressed as a gorilla. She quickly changed into a masculine sharp suit, then a bronze Issey Miyake plexiglass bustier that fitted like a second skin. Everyone was spellbound. This was one of the most memorable shows I have been to – dance rhythms mixed with a heavy reggae backing and Grace even played the accordian on one song ‘I've Seen That Face Before’. She was wonderful. At the end of the two-hour set she was overwhelmed with bouquets. She left the stage by scaling the PA stack and acrobatically climbing up into one of the private boxes.

GRACE JONES 04
Grace Jones