Diana Ross brings lightness to her legend at Miller High Life Theatre show in Milwaukee

You’ve got to do something really special to impress Queen Bey.

A surprise Diana Ross appearance to sing "Happy Birthday" will definitely do the trick.

"There would be no me without you," Beyoncé beamed at Ross from the stage at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium Sept. 4, her 42nd birthday, during one of her "Renaissance" tour stops. "And thank you so much for all of your sacrifice and your beauty and your grace. Thank you for opening the door for me."

Six days later, onstage at the Miller High Life Theatre in Milwaukee, Ross still seemed to be riding the high of that moment.

"Did you all see me on TikTok singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Beyoncé?” Ross quizzed the crowd with elation Sunday.

I’m assuming many in the older crowd don’t scroll through TikTok on the regular, but they sure screamed like they did.

But what Ross said moments later was greeted with even louder cheers, and said with even greater pride: She'll be turning 80 in about six months.

Ross' impact on a superstar of Beyoncé's caliber doesn't scratch the surface when it comes to Ross' impact on the world. There's good reason she was the first woman this year to win a second Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (for her solo career and work with the Supremes), to say nothing of her staggering record sales, strings of hits and Oscar-nominated acting career. Heaven knows she has nothing else to prove.

But Sunday's 93-minute set also showed there's still no place Ross would rather be than on the stage.

It took a little bit for that to be apparent.

Ross came onto the stage looking fabulous in a shimmering dress with a million-dollar smile for "I'm Coming Out" — but it was cut off after about 30 seconds, followed by an abbreviated version of "More Today Than Tomorrow." Then came a breathless barrage of punchy Supremes gems, one after the other: "Baby Love," "Stop! In The Name of Love," "Come See About Me," "You Can't Hurry Love."

The tight band was polished, Ross' vocals were ebullient, and those timeless songs haven't lost any of their luster. It would be impossible not to love it. But the somewhat rushed efficiency at that point lacked the more poignant, personal touches that fellow Motown legends like Smokey Robinson and the late, great Aretha Franklin brought to their powerhouse Milwaukee shows in the past decade.

It was when Ross stepped off stage the first time for a wardrobe change that the show became a little looser. The band transformed Supremes hit "Love Child" into a four-minute salsa jam, with Ross' sax player and guitarist, her drummer and percussionist, and her two backing singers taking turns riffing off each other.

And when Ross returned, the show felt more relaxed, the singer and band taking more time to bask in her catalogue and savor the moment. There was the emboldened confidence of "It's My House"; the infectious optimism of "If the World Just Danced" from 2021 album "Thank You"; the nostalgic warmth of "Ease on Down the Road" from "The Wiz"; the choppy guitar funk and bass grooves of "Upside Down," with Ross at one point spanking her bedazzled behind.

And at least three times Sunday, she called for the house lights to come on, stressing at one point that she didn't want to sing into the darkness. The smiling faces and joyful high fives from fans in the front seemed to fuel her, and in turn the audience's reverence, even toward the back where I sat, felt deeper in the wake of those connections.

But across a setlist that touched on 22 songs, two in particular stood out. The busy wall of sound that accompanied Ross throughout the evening was stripped apart for a simmering, striking rendition of Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain," with the backing singers taking a breather, and various band members — her pianist, sax player, keyboardist guitarist and bassist — each taking turns with sultry solos around Ross' remarkable voice, her most soulful vocals of the night. She probably should have that won that best actress Oscar after all for playing Holiday for 1972's "Lady Sings the Blues." (It was Liza Minnelli who got the gold, for "Cabaret.")

And near the night's end, each member of Ross' band, and the singer herself, flexed their skills for a euphoric, eight-minute rendition of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive."

Toward the end of "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)," Ross shared her mantra that's helped her survive, and thrive, as she approaches 80 trips around the sun, inviting the audience to repeat after her.

"I'm so thankful for all of the blessings of my life, for there are many. All is well. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Words to live by — and a sweet complement to songs we'll be living with for generations to come.

5 takeaways from Diana Ross’ Milwaukee concert

• Ross continued the birthday wishes six days after the Beyoncé bash by wishing a happy birthday to the mother of a fan near the stage.

• During "I Will Survive" near the night's end, a security guard tried to get fans who filled the aisle and crowded around the stage back to their seats, only for Ross herself to shoo him away with a fold-out fan. On the boss' order, he walked off with his hands up.

• Ross sported five outfits at Sunday's show. The first four were shimmering gowns — peach, lime green, gold and silver from my viewpoint in the upper section, her arms and back wrapped in ornate robes for each one, with Ross whipping out a complementary fold-out fan for each one. The fifth, I don't suspect, may have been intended for the stage. The crowd applause after "I Will Survive" was so loud for several minutes, with no signs of quieting down, that, in a rarity for Ross, she appeared on stage dressed in a black shirt and pants to sing one more song, the title track for "Thank You." But even if this was the most down-to-earth ensemble of the night, Ross made sure to kick up her legs and show off her Ugg boots.

• The Pabst Theater Group did a last-minute, 50%-off deal to try and sell more tickets a few days before the show, but alas, there were still scores of empty seats up top Sunday. It was a shame more people didn't turn up to see such a living legend.

• If you missed out on Ross Sunday, you've got another chance to see her before she leaves Wisconsin: she'll be performing at the Orpheum Theater in Madison Tuesday.

Diana Ross’ Miller High Life Theatre setlist

1. “I’m Coming Out”

2. “More Today Than Yesterday”

3. “Baby Love”

4. ”Stop! In the Name of Love”

5. “Come See About Me”

6. “You Can’t Hurry Love”

7. “Love Child”

8. “The Boss”

9. “It’s My House”

10. “Upside Down”

11. "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)"

12. “Love Hangover”/“Take Me Higher”

13. “Ease On Down The Road”

14. "The Look of Love"

15. "Don't Explain"

16. "If the World Just Danced"

17. "Why Do Fools Fall In Love"

18. "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)"

19. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"

20. "I Will Survive"

21. "Thank You"

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Diana Ross brings lightness to her legend at joyous Milwaukee concert