The setting was Toronto ’s Air Canada Center, and although the concert area was smaller than usual, the intimacy and the bond that was created between us and our Diva was enough to amaze us again.  A love that transcended the parameters of the stadium and radiated beyond. 

At forty five past eight we were all still sitting in our seats anticipating the arrival of our beloved Googoosh who was supposed to have graced the stage at eight sharp.  However the real reason for the late start was the Persian audience (us) who are always late!  Just as we thought that the anticipation was unbearable, the lights went out and the crowd roared.  Consistent with tradition, the band began to play the instrumentals to “Talagh”.  It was like a recurring dream and a blissful deja vu.  However, as Googoosh began to emerge and made her way to center stage (where she will always belong), the realness of her presence was undeniable.  The crowd roared and she soared.  Like a star, she shone throughout the night.

She led a beautiful and memorable nigh in celebration of love, life, struggle, and liberation.  She sang “Talagh” , “Ay Mardom Mordam”, “Otaghe man”, “Gol bi Goldoon”, “Kavir”, “Bemoon ta Bemoonam”, “Komakam kon”, “Kaj Kolahkhan”, and a series of other timeless hits while persistently raising her own standards as an artist extraordinaire.  Her musicianship was complemented by her internationally acclaimed band mates who never fail to keep up with her.  The melody of the flute danced gracefully with the rhythms of the keyboard.  The deep bass shook the rolling drums.  The percussion beat to the classic sounds.  Although the guitar player was missing in action as a result of border problems, as they say “the show must go on” and so it unraveled itself harmoniously; a true testament to the invincibility of our beloved Googoosh. 

            The stage was shared with Mehrdad who managed to shake us and move us with his uplifting hits.  He possessed a youthfulness that was contagious and one could not help but smile at his excited joy.  He got the audience on their feet and out of their seats as he moved from one end of the stage to the other while singing and dancing. 

Mehrdad’s stylish wardrobe-changes were only surpassed by the one and only Googoosh who once again left us stunned with her timeless beauty.  Googoosh began the night with a classy, pistachio green, strapless, delicately embroidered gown.  This was followed by a more traditional looking flower patterned black and white dress.  She turned up the heat with her third outfit.  It was a fitted tuxedo, which showed off her stunning figure not to mention her expressive dance moves.  She moved flawlessly in all her outfits and displayed moves that put all of us to shame.  At one point she said “man sen o saal haalim nist”.  She is timeless!  She ended the night in a beautifully embroidered silk shirt and a pair of styled jeans, which happened to identically match Mehrdad’s outfit.  This was only one of the signs of the duos congenial and good natured professional relationship and friendship.  

The night ended at 11:15 pm with a tribute to the motherland, Iran .  After proudly holding up a “shiro khorshid” Persian flag and singing the song "Vatan", Googoosh and Mehrdad walked off the stage while Googoosh wrapped in the flag.  It was so powerful and so symbolic of the embrace that all Iranians hold her in through their love and devotion.         

Throughout the night Googoosh made us laugh as an expression of the joy she instilled in us.  She made us cry as an expression of the empathy and compassion she shared.  The beauty lay in the fact that we were all sharing the night.  While the large stadium feel of the past had shed light on Googoosh’s larger than life nature, the smaller setting yielded a more intimate and personalized night with our Queen of Pop.  She was not merely a Pop Diva.  Tonight she was our mother.  Our sister.  Our friend.  She was one of us.  Her voice was ours and ours was hers.