EDMONTON -- If she could turn back time ... Wait, wait, wait - what do you mean, "if?" Cher has turned back time more successfully than any artist in the history of pop music, bar none, period, thanks for playing. And nothing gives more proof to that statement than seeing the diva of all divas live in concert. About 14,000 fans - young, old, sleek and beautiful, greying and frumpy, but predominantly female -- did just that last night, as "the Cherest show on earth" landed at Rexall Place. Whether you were there as a diehard Cher fan from the Sonny Bono days, a recent convert from her 21st-century disco goddess incarnation, or merely a curious spectator, you can't leave a show like that unimpressed. If only by the ... grandeur of it all. Cher made her entrance to a different Bono's tune, descending from a giant chandelier while signing U2's I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. Call it the miracles of plastic surgery or the diligent work of a team of talented makeup artists and costumers, but GOD this woman is amazing looking. She's fifty-freakin'-eight years old, and she looks just as shaggable as she did in the '60s. Science is incredible. Seriously, how can you not love Cher? That voice, that face, that poise, that attitude ... WE LOVE YOU, CHER! There's an original sentiment. Anyway. A Cher show is as much about the spectacle as it is about the music, which is why she didn't even begin singing the second song of the night until 13 minutes in. But that time was well spent as the self-deprecating diva (wait, isn't that an oxymoron) talked about her never-ending farewell tour, and how, yes, she really is hanging up the rhinestone boa after this one. 'Cause if she came back again, "My boobs would be hanging down to my kneecaps, I'd be toothless, gumming I Got You Babe." I Got You Babe was indeed sung, though in a video retrospective to the late Sonny. After that, Cher came out in a clingy top, furry vest and striped pants, doing a medley of her hits from the '60s, baby. Costume changes galore That's another thing about a Cher show - she changes costumes for almost every song, which means there's lots of filler going on between. If you can call Cirque du Soleil-style acrobatics, gymnastic punk rockers and funny/nostalgic clips from everything from The Sonny and Cher Show to The Carol Burnett Show to The Muppet Show filler. But still. A little more Cher in the Cherest show on earth would have been a good thing. That aside, you couldn't possibly be a Cher fan and leave that show unfulfilled. Every decade was represented in this unabashed celebration of all things Cher, not only in the music but in the costumes, the dancers, the lighting, the video montages. All of the hits were rolled out, plus plenty of cover tunes. Love Hurts was especially heart-melty. Tickets to a Cher concert ain't cheap. But for that kind of spectacle -- and quite likely the last time it will be here at home - well, you can't put a price on that kind of entertainment, can you? Nuh-uh. Perfect mix Opening act Tommy Drake, a stand-up comic from San Francisco, had the perfect mix of material for a Cher audience - relatively clean and consistently funny, but not without straying into sex, drugs and rock 'n'roll. But mostly marriage. And kids. Oh, and sorry about the Red Deer guy who didn't like you and your faux pas, Tom. Not all Albertans are crusty rednecks. As you saw last night. Hey Cher, just so you know: if this turns out not to be the real be-all, end-all farewell tour after all, nobody will hold it against you. Droopy boobs or no droopy boobs.