‘The ultimate’: Remember when music legend Tina Turner performed in Kansas?

The legendary rock-and-roll diva Tina Turner has died at the age of 83.

She performed at the Kansas Coliseum, just north of Wichita, on Oct. 23, 1985. Here is a review written by staff writer Leonard Hollie that was originally published in the Wichita Eagle-Beacon on Oct. 24, 1985:

There was no need for crowd control. Tina Turner took total charge of the audience at the Kansas Coliseum last night. Coliseum officials said 7,078 people turned out to see Tina Turner - dressed in a strapless, white jumpsuit and her ever-present high-heeled shoes - strut, prance and sing her way through 90 minutes of her Grammy award-winning songs.

‘’She’s the queen and the soul of rock and roll,” yelled Dyan Goertz, 19, a student at Friends University.

“I saw the Amy Grant concert a couple of nights ago,” said Karen Ambrose, 21, another student at Friends who got the tickets for her six friends at the concert. “I just have to say one thing. Amy Grant was awesome, but Tina Turner is the ultimate.”

Coliseum officials said 10,000 seats were available for last night’s show. They said a brisk walk-up crowd swelled the crowd to more than 7,000.

‘’Ike and Tina Turner used to come to Wichita to the old Hillside Town Club,” said Lavaugh Minnis, a teacher at Truesdell Junior High School. “I saw her there 17 years ago, and she still looks as good now as she did then.”

‘’We sure want to know her beauty secret,” said Joyce Spruell, a teacher at Funston Elementary. “I really like her songs, especially ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It.’ “

Though 19 officers from the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department and three members of the Sedgwick County Emergency Medical Service supervising a medical team from Valley Center were present, no accidents or arrests were reported.

‘’This is not a rowdy type crowd like the audience we had for the AC/DC concert last week,” said Detective Bob Burns of the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department. “They’re well dressed and just out for a good time. We don’t expect any problems tonight.”

Mark Lopez, 31, and his wife Debra, 29, brought their 11-year-old daughter, Rhonda Harrison, to see her first concert.

‘’We wanted Tina Turner to be the first rock star she saw live,” said Debra Lopez. “She had a chance to see AC/DC last week, and she said she wanted to wait and see Tina.”

Cheryl Maxey, 30, came down from Salina with her husband, Tom, 32, to see the concert. Tom Maxey said he saw Turner in Frankfurt, Germany, 15 years ago, and “she still looks great.”

‘’There’s only two concerts I’d ever want to see,” said Cheryl Maxey, “the Rolling Stones and Tina Turner.”

Turner stroked her mane of golden and bronze hair. White light from above bathed the stage as she strutted to the edge of the stage and yelled, “Are you ready for me, Wichita?”

The crowd roared, and from then on, no one sat in their seats. Every one stood and clapped. Delighted squeals of recognition rang out as she sang “I Might Have Been Queen” and “You Got To Show Some Respect” from her triple- platinum “Private Dancer” album. She then launched into such oldies as “Nutbush City Limits” and “River Deep, Mountain High.”

The screaming, adoring crowd was a mixture of races and ages. Young punk rock enthusiasts who were seeing Turner for the first time sat next to middle-aged blues lovers who remembered the old Ike and Tina Turner Revue in the 1960s and ‘70s.

‘’Those legs,” said Jacque Brown from Jetmore, Kansas. “I hope I have legs like those when I’m her age. We drove a long way just to see her.”

Turner pranced to the center of the stage, pointed her finger at the audience and shrieked one of her songs, “You Better be Good To Me.” And they were.