Fans who enjoyed the Birmingham NEC Arena concert may remember this moment.
Instead of gifts and flowers, one cheeky fan was different. Much to Shirley’s amusement.
Referring back to blog dated 17 June ‘Blondie’s Tattoo’. The Birmingham babe who asked DSB to sign her arm with a magic marker.
Blondie is Zoe’s nickname on the message board. She is a brunette and ‘drop-dead gorgeous’ (my son’s observant description).
Nobody had ever asked Shirley to sign a ‘body part’ before. She was laughing so much that she couldn’t start the next song on cue.
“Does your mother know you’re out?” she asked, giggling. She slapped her own wrist saying “Cheeky!”
Since then, Zoe has had a real tattoo made over the autograph. What a fan!
Here’s a message from Zoe:
“DSB said when she was signing that the Bassey part was not good enough and she wanted to do it again on the other arm. But I am happy with the outcome.
“The pen was very thick, it was quite funny. I have other signatures on my arm and usually take a good thin nib pen… I forgot and had to go to a service station on the motorway. I could only get the biggest fattest pen going.
“Some of the other things DSB said to me was….I was the first person ever to have her signature tattooed (I didn’t tell her it was being tattooed….she guessed), she told me she had never been that low on stage before and to that I said “That’s right Shirley…on your knees!” to which she really chuckled.
We carried on the fun and banter for quite a while really…if you remember she had some difficulty with the beginning of the next song as she was laughing so much 
Best wishes,
Zoe”
Congratulations Zoe, and thanks for sharing the fun!
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Just to show there are plenty of other great people in Birmingham, the Evening Post wrote the best review of the tour, reproduced below.
One Diva, two frocks and 7,000 adoring fans Jun 9 2006
Shirley Bassey, Nec Arena
Dame Shirley Bassey cemented her reputation as a crowd-pleasing Diva with a vintage performance at the NEC Arena on Wednesday night.
Vintage in the sense of outstandingly good. I haven’t even attempted to research Miss Bassey’s age. To do so would not only be a trifle vulgar, but it would result in a number that would be impossible to reconcile with the agile and flawless persona that captivated the audience for over an hour.
If you’re expecting me to say that Shirley Bassey was anything but wonderful, you’d better stop reading now.
From the start of her set, Miss Bassey radiated a serene pleasure.
“Darling, the pleasure is all mine”, you could almost hear her purr as the orchestra behind her struck up the familiar refrains.
In the age of synthetic pop wannabes, Dame Shirley is relentless in the clarity of her timbre and consistent in her coquettish charm.
She defines what it is to be a real star. Her wide ranging set included some new songs, a medley of her own Bond themes (who else can legitimately do that?) and a wide enough selection of the reliable standards to please every devoted fan.
Big Spender was a favourite of mine, despite the fact I had to concentrate very hard to stop myself from lip-synching and waving my arms extravagantly in the air.
The finale was both predictable and enjoyable. Serene in a sensational, body-hugging, sparkling, scarlet frock, DSB delivered a pitch perfect rendition of the anthem I am what I am with all the vigour and enthusiasm of a first performance, a quality that characterised the entire show.
Steve Bedser
Copyright Birmingham Evening Post
Link:
Birmingham Post
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Shoes charity auction bid is now up to £310
Only hours to go – the auction ends 2 July 18:00 BST
See blog dated 22 June for more info.
