65th career anniversary on the 8065 Tour

“Still fabulous!” That was one of the compliments heard as fans filed out of the Hollywood Bowl after Patti LaBelle’s 8065 Tour opener on Sunday night (July 7).

The numbers refer to LaBelle’s double celebration this year: her 80th.^th birthday in May and 65 years of career in the entertainment business. Those 65 years represent a groundbreaking, Grammy-winning music career that began in the early ’60s as the front woman of Patti Labelle & the Bluebelles, which evolved into the innovative trio LaBelle with Nona Hendryx and the late Sarah Dash in the ’70s before LaBelle launched a solo career.

After opening her set with the emotionally charged “You Saved My Life,” LaBelle was definitely in her element as she took off her shoes not once, but twice, cracked jokes (“Don’t take this the wrong way, I want my shoe back,” she told an audience member who overheard one), showed off a few dance moves with her singers, and even showed off her trademark wing moves. She also dedicated her own moving version of “If You Asked Me To” to Celine Dion (who covered the song after LaBelle in 1992).

LaBelle’s vocal prowess was particularly prominent on the ballad “If Only You Knew” (which was surprising, as it was not on the Bowl setlist) – which earned her a standing ovation – and on the closing song, “Lady Marmalade.” For the latter, she chose several men from the audience to join her onstage and attempt to sing the hit themselves, which was met with cheers and laughter from the audience. Her nearly 90-minute performance also included classics such as “Love, Need and Want You,” “On My Own” (her duet with Michael McDonald) and “You Are My Friend.”

Next stops on LaBelle’s 8065 junket include Sacramento (July 20), Phoenix (August 11) and Memphis (September 12). In between, she’s busy with her successful food business, Patti’s Good Life, which recently added a new pancake and waffle mix to its menu. And coming soon: Patti LaBelle wines. In an interview with Billboard Before her performance at the Hollywood Bowl, LaBelle reflected on her career, the new wave of female R&B artists and the R-word: retirement.

What else can fans expect when they see you on this 2024 tour?

I’m very versatile and very spontaneous. I’m going to do a whole lot of different kinds of music. You never know what I’m going to do, but it’s going to be nice. The shows are about who I am: a Bluebelles girl, a member of Labelle and then Patti LaBelle. It’s going to be a reminder of what I’ve done my whole life, you know? I just want to publicly thank people for all the years that they’ve been on my side with me. I can’t take that for granted because people can spend their money elsewhere, on other entertainers. But if they choose to go see a Patti LaBelle show or buy a Patti LaBelle record, I feel blessed.

Are you working on new music?

I’ve been working on something for the last two years. But you know, sometimes when you’re recording, of course, you start and then stop. Or something comes up where you say, “Oh my God, I have to stop right now and then start recording again when I have good music.” I’m very picky. I want to make age-appropriate music for an 80-year-old young woman. I can’t do anything where I feel like I’m overextending myself with something I shouldn’t. So it has to be something that’s well thought out. It’s hard for me to find good material that I want to put out. But I’m not going to stop. I hope to have something come out in the next six months.

Did you ever imagine that you would be working for 65 years? Many people can’t say that.

Because my three sisters died before they turned 50, I always prayed that I would live to 50. When I did, it was a miracle. God gave me grace and I’m still here. And to say that at 80, I’m still here, still doing what I did at 20, 30, and 40…that’s another blessing. Because you can’t always assume that you’re going to be here at 80, still performing, still sane. So every day I say, “Thank you, God, for another day.”

Please describe the feeling you have when you prepare to enter the stage.

It’s an adrenaline rush that I’ve had my whole life. I’ve never been nervous before a show, I’m always petrified. Especially when you walk out and see the crowd stand up or say your name and make you feel amazing. That doesn’t happen to a lot of people all the time, but it still happens to me. My band and I pray before we go on. They keep me going and keep me feeling good for 75 to 90 minutes on stage. I always say to myself, “God, I wonder if they’re going to take care of me tonight like they did years ago.” That’s always in my head because I don’t want to become an afterthought, like, “Why is she still singing?” I just don’t want to be that person. So every time I go out there, I pray that they (the audience) will accept me.

Where do you get your energy from?

That’s God, girl. Like I said, I’ve outlived most of my family, but I have a show tomorrow, the next night, and the night after that. That gives me energy. Sometimes my body hurts, but I go out and do my thing. I don’t feel any pain when I perform, you know? And I thank God for that after a show. And it makes me feel great that I can still do it. I don’t know what 80 should feel like, so I don’t know if I feel 80. Maybe I feel 40 inside (laughs). For exercise, I have a pool that I go in. I can’t swim, but I can kick. And I walk my dog. I move my body to do things that I know will help me.

What lesson have you learned in your 80 years? And what lesson from your music career still stays with you after 65 years?

First, don’t hold grudges. In 80 years, you can experience a lot of things that upset you or put you in a situation where you say, “I hate this. I hate that.” But in my life, there is no hatred. I have learned to forgive those who have put me in such horrible situations that you can’t believe anyone would forgive someone. But I have always chosen the noblest path. The older I get, the more I forgive. Because I always say there must be a real reason why a person is hurt, why they are so ugly inside. So those are the people you pray for, and sometimes I bring them closer to me. It won’t hurt you to be nice to someone who isn’t nice to you.

And second, that not everyone will accept me. In my 65 years in show business, there have been times when Patti LaBelle has faced a lot of rejection: for my music, my shows, my acting, whatever I’ve done in my life. I know that not everyone will accept her; that sometimes I’ll get rejections and sometimes I’ll get acceptances. All of these things have happened in my life and will continue to happen because not everyone will love Patti LaBelle.

Is there a song you still enjoy playing after all these years?

I like “If Only You Knew.” It’s a difficult song, but I can still sing it. Those notes at the end: I’m amazed every time they come out. That’s why it’s one of my favorite songs. And I didn’t change the key of (my) songs; they’re in the original keys.

What do you think about the new wave of female singer-songwriters in R&B right now?

There are a lot of great singers among young women like Coco Jones and Victoria Monét. I continue to bless them, honey. Don’t stop, don’t stop. And of course, Beyoncé, my girl. I’m just happy for her and everything she does and will continue to do. I see a lot of good in these young ladies that perform and sell themselves the way they sell themselves. When Beyoncé came out with her country album, I said, ‘Let’s go, girl,’ because music is music. And she’s from Texas and she’s got her arms around it. I just want her to continue to make whatever kind of music she wants to make. Music has no color, it has no race. Music is music, period.

When I was coming up, it (the industry climate) wasn’t anywhere near what it is today. As a black singer, it’s much better, much better than when we – Sarah, Nona, Cindy (Birdsong, a member of the Bluebelles) and I – were doing it. So I’m very happy about the climate where black women can sing anything they want. I wish it had been that way when we were coming up. But then again, if it had been, maybe I wouldn’t appreciate what I have now as much as I do. We’ve done our duty.

Does the word starting with R – retirement – ​​sound familiar to you?

How do you spell that? (laughs). I don’t have that. Absolutely not. I’m going to keep going. There’s no reason to stop unless you just can’t do anything anymore, right? And how can you retire from something you love?