Cher — or rather, the Cher tribute show, “The Beat Goes On” — took the stage at the Luhrs Performing Arts Center on Thursday night, leading the audience through six decades of the singer’s biggest hits with elaborate performances and costumes.

Cher, also known as the “Goddess of Pop,” is a singer and actress who first gained fame from the duo “Sonny & Cher.” Now, the performer Lisa McClowry delivers the iconic essence of Cher in the tribute show “The Beat Goes On.”

McClowry is a singer and entertainer with over 30 years in the entertainment industry, 25 albums and roles in theatrical productions, movies and commercials. In October 2023, she won the award for Tribute Artist of the Year for her portrayal of Cher at the Josie Music Awards, the world’s largest international independent artists awards ceremony.

The show opened with Cher’s “Strong Enough,” and as soon as I saw McClowry’s outfit and heard her voice, I knew she was going to do the singer justice. 

I was pleasantly surprised when McClowry greeted the crowd as Cher. I have seen a couple tribute shows at Luhrs, but none have talked like the artists they are tributing. The resemblance was almost uncanny — she had the walk, talk, singing voice and mannerisms down pat. “Cher” gave the crowd background information on the songs she would sing. There were also video interludes that told Cher’s story while McClowry did one of her eight costume changes. 

When introducing Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe,” McClowry said she had been performing this song since she was 16. She told the crowd that Sonny wrote the lyrics on a piece of cardboard, and he told her that it was going to be a hit. She chose someone from the crowd to be her Sonny and they sang the iconic song. 

The show had a brief intermission, during which audience members discussed McClowry’s performance. 

“She’s good, isn’t she?” one woman said. “I didn’t think she would be that good.” Another woman responded and said, “I’m impressed.”

McClowry continued to play some of Cher’s iconic songs from the past six decades, but my personal favorite segment of the show was when she performed songs by ABBA and from her film “Burlesque.” In a silver sparkly outfit and bandana, McClowry performed “Fernando” like her character in “Mamma Mia 2.” She also wore an identical outfit what Cher wore in “Burlesque” as she performed “Welcome​​ to Burlesque” and “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me.” 

A female empowerment segment was introduced with a slideshow of Cher’s iconic quotes. McClowry invited women from the crowd to dance to Cher’s rendition of “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss).” One woman said the show was similar to Cher’s show in Las Vegas, and McClowry humorously said, “Well, you’re with Cher right now.” McClowry ended the segment by performing Cher’s “Woman’s World.”

McClowry concluded the show with the iconic “If I Could Turn Back Time” and an encore of “Believe.” Audience members even had the chance to meet her in the lobby after the show.

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