Patti LaBelle — The 80/65 Tour | The Show at Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage | January 16, 2026
Rancho Mirage, CA
I have to admit: I couldn’t have named one of Patti LaBelle’s hit songs on command. But then—with the exception of a few people—I can’t name a song by anyone and get it right, and lyrics have never been my strong suit either. So what does that have to do with walking into the showroom at Agua Caliente, where Patti LaBelle was, without question, the belle of the ball?
Everything.
Because the first thing you learn at a Patti LaBelle concert is that you don’t need a perfect playlist memory to understand what’s happening. You just need to be present in the room while a legend shows you—note by note—why she earned her place in American music history.
The room knew exactly what it came for
Before we left, I asked my husband who he thought would be in the crowd. He said, “Black women and gay men,” and… he wasn’t wrong. The audience had that unmistakable feeling of people arriving for someone they love—not casually, but personally. It didn’t feel like a random “night out.” It felt like a gathering.
And later, that context made even more sense. LaBelle has spoken openly for years about the love she’s received from LGBTQ+ fans and how much it has mattered to her career and her life—she’s described still standing because they loved her when others “tried not to.”
Patti’s gift: she doesn’t just sing at you—she talks with you
Between songs, Patti talked to the audience like she was in her own living room—warm, direct, funny. At one point she gave flowers to people in the front row, a small gesture that landed like a signature: a reminder that for her, performance is not only a craft—it’s a relationship.
Then came one of those moments you can’t script.
She recognized a woman dressed in an almost identical emerald-green costume. Patti called her out, invited her up, and asked who she was. The woman was a drag performer who honors LaBelle by impersonating her—and had reportedly attended more than 100 Patti LaBelle concerts.
Later, Patti invited more people up to the stage, giving audience members turns singing and dancing. I can’t remember seeing another major performer hand over the spotlight so willingly, so playfully, and with such control of the room. It wasn’t chaos. It was communion—Patti conducting joy like an orchestra leader, letting the crowd become part of the show without ever losing the show.
The 80/65 idea isn’t branding—it’s the point
LaBelle is touring under the “80/65” banner—80 years of life, 65 years in entertainment. And the most important thing to understand is that the evening’s power didn’t come from her doing backflips across the stage. At this point, the “production value” is something deeper: it’s the intelligence of how she builds a show around what still matters most—the instrument of her voice, and the talent of the musicians and singers she surrounds herself with.
The band and backing vocalists weren’t filler. They were part of the story. The sheer amount of music coming off that stage—tight, big, alive—created its own kind of spectacle. Her set also made space for featured moments from the ensemble (solos and showcases that felt like Patti saying, Look who’s helped me build this.)
And just when it felt like the night couldn’t get any more personal, it did.
Supported by her backup singers—Debby Henry, who has been at her side for 45 years, and Aaron Marcellus—Patti built a sound that felt bigger than the room. What really brought down the house, and got everyone to their feet, was the duet Patti did with Marcellus—her rendition of “On My Own.” It’s one of the few songs I actually know, and it’s personal—probably for anyone who’s ever had a relationship they thought would last forever, something that was meant to be, until it wasn’t.
And then there’s that moment.
That shiver. That surge of energy that moves through my body—something physical I don’t control—that tells me I just experienced something with all my senses that I can’t explain. It’s my system saying: take notice. This is beyond excellent. This is something important—something that hits an emotional and physical place at the same time. Almost like an out-of-body experience. A moment I won’t forget.
Then the night opened outward again—from the personal to the collective.
Gratitude, projected larger than life
One of the strongest emotional arcs of the night arrived near the end, when Patti paid tribute to Black performers, actors, musicians, and other important figures—faces appearing on the big screen behind her, often shown in younger years and later years. The sequence landed as more than nostalgia. It felt like a living thank-you note—Patti acknowledging lineage, influence, and the long road behind her.
It made something clear: she’s grateful. Not in a PR way—in a human way.
What the desert got, for one night
We’re living in a time of political division and real economic stress, and it’s easy to forget how badly people need a place to exhale together. The most impressive thing of the evening wasn’t even musical—it was social. It was watching patrons visibly excited and happy to be there, focused for 90 minutes on a voice that has been part of their lives for decades.
If you don’t understand the power of the arts to improve and enhance people’s lives, you may simply not have been in a room where something like this can happen.
And in this case, that room was The Show at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage. Stay tuned as they may just have another event that you won’t want to miss. Whatever the motive, the result was the same: a rare kind of night, the kind you won’t experience in quite the same way again—no matter how many concerts you attend, even if you see Patti LaBelle more than once.
Because some performances aren’t just “good.”
They’re a once-in-a-lifetime reminder of what it looks like when a career becomes a living thing—and the artist still knows exactly how to give the crowd what it came for.
For Tickets to The Show
Go to Agua Caliente’s The Show entertainment page and click into the event you want (it routes you to Etix the official site for tickets)
Agua Caliente ticket line: 800-514-3849.
Or Purchase in-person at the Box Office
For directions, The Show is at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage:
32-250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
About the Author
Marty Treinen is the co-founder of Creative Core International with Wesley Spencer. They co-developed Universal Creative Intelligence™ (UCI), a groundbreaking framework that teaches people of all ages the creative, emotional, and cognitive skills needed for lifelong success. An artrepreneur, arts/museum educator, and project leader, Marty draws on a decades-long career spanning fine arts, theater, film, design, and museum education.
Their mission is unwavering: to restore creativity, personal agency, emotional intelligence, and human responsibility as the foundation of education, leadership, and community life.
As a columnist for The Palm Springs Tribune, Marty covers theater, film, visual and performing arts, human-centric AI, arts education and cultural events throughout the Coachella Valley. His reviews are known for their honesty, authenticity, clarity, and deep respect for the power of the arts, to enhance our lives.
service.to.others.cci@gmail.com