TORONTO - She's simply the best. Better than all the rest.

Tina Turner, the 60-year-old legendary soul diva, performed in front of 17,000 fans last night at the Air Canada Centre as part of her final stadium world tour.

Turner has said this current road trip, in support of her latest album Twenty Four Seven, will be the end of her touring career.

So why not go out in ultra-sexy and slick style while she's sounding her best?

The singer first appeared looking absolutely incredible in a black latex bustier-capri pant jumpsuit and black stiletto heels.

The shoes didn't slow her down for a second.

Shaking her trademark, blond-streaked tousled hair, Turner belted out the show-opening I Wanna Take You Higher on the middle platform of a three-tier, compartmentalized chrome stage, which housed seven musicians.

Turner, however, was surrounded by a female chorus line consisting of her three dancers and two back-up singers, including Toronto actress-turned-singer Gloria Reuben (ER), who got big round of applause from the audience when she was introduced.

The women played a large part in the retrospective, revue-like show that was big on costume changes, fireworks, strobe lights, film clips from Turner's movies -- Tommy and Mad Max: Beyond ThunderDome -- and just good, old-fashioned energy and showmanship.

But nothing could take away from the astonishing talent of the still robust, vital and extremely sexy Turner.

It almost makes you wonder why she's packing it in when she still looks and sounds so good.

"I'm going to take you on a journey of my career," said Turner at the beginning of the two-hour evening.

That meant hearing her first-ever recording from 1960, Fool In Love, and the Ike And Tina Turner Revue classic River Deep, Mountain High before delving into '80s comeback songs like Private Dance , Let's Stay Together and What's Love Got To Do With It?

Judging from the cover-heavy set list, Turner has also decided to pay tribute to the artists she's admired along the way -- Sly And The Family Stone, Al Green, The Beatles, Otis Redding and Robert Palmer -- as she goes out.

In fact, one of the night's biggest highlights was her soulful, slowed-down rendition of The Beatles' Help!

Still, nothing could compare to the the explosive, set-ending rendition of Turner's signature song, Proud Mary, or the encore of Nutbush City Limits in which the singer -- dressed in a white leather halter jumpsuit with fringe -- was carried out over the crowd on an elevated catwalk that swung out from the stage.

Meanwhile, opening act Lionel Richie -- who Turner opened for 16 years ago when he was still headlining stadiums as a hugely successful solo artist -- laid on the hits from the '70s and '80s with the help of a six-piece band.

It was hard to resist the pure schmaltz factor of the opening number, Hello or songs from his fun and funky Commodore days -- Easy (Like Sunday Morning), Three Times A Lady and Brick House.

Richie even put on a big afro wig and trotted out a pair of silver sequined high-heeled boots for the occasion.

If nothing else, there's a showroom in Las Vegas with his name on it.

Set List

I Wanna Take You Higher

Absolutely Nothing's Changed

Fool In Love

Acid Queen

River Deep, Mountain High

We Don't Need Another Hero

You Better Be Good To Me

I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Private Dancer

Let's Stay Together

What's Love Got To Do With It?

When The Heartache Is Over

Baby I'm A Star

Help

Whatever You Want

Try A Little Tenderness

Addicted To Love

Simply The Best

Proud Mary

ENCORES:

Nutbush City Limits

JAM! Rating: 5 out of 5