Cher plays Barclays Center on farewell tour

Cher performs in concert during her Dressed to Kill 2014... — Cher performs in concert during her Dressed to Kill 2014 Tour at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday, April 28, 2014 in Philadelphia. Credit: AP / Owen Sweeney

By GLENN GAMBOAglenn.gamboa@newsday.comMay 8, 2014

Is this it?

Cher says yes. Her "Dressed to Kill" tour, which stops at Barclays Center Friday night, is her final farewell tour. Yes, she's said that before, but judging from her recent statements and her daily Twitter dispatches, it seems like the 67-year-old is ready to hang up her giant feathered headdresses.

Last month, a fan directly asked her: "Is this really farewell?"

Cher replied: "I really hate that it is because I never thought I would have to say goodbye." She said that in her final number, where she is lifted above the crowd on a platform, "I fly over the audience and think goodbye."

She says she hasn't fully recovered from her foot surgery last year and that her doctors are unhappy that she's onstage for nearly two hours each night. And the road takes its toll on every performer.

"The road is horrible, but the concerts are great," she said on NBC's "Today" show, announcing the tour. "I understand why guys in bands tear up hotel rooms and throw TVs out the windows, because it's a very lonely place. The only time you have fun is at the concerts."

It's not that Cher is ready to retire. She is currently working on a Broadway musical about her life and is still cranking out videos and dance hits from last year's "Closer to the Truth" album, which has already spawned two Top 3 hits and is going for a third with "I Walk Alone."

SEE PHOTOSCher through the years

"The road is TOUGH," she tweeted last month. "Thank God, I'm TOUGHER. I AM KICKING ITS [expletive] RIGHT NOW, but can't kick it 4ever!"

WHAT CRITICS SAY

* " has been her own singular brand of spectacle since Sonny & Cher of the '60s. . . . Her quirky take on genres and musical mood-swings was on full-feathered display Monday at Wells Fargo Center."

-- A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Inquirer

SEE PHOTOSRock stars then and now

* "She's talked up her latest road trip as her farewell farewell tour . . . the rest of the evening, even for its many fun and melancholy moments, indicated she should stick to her words."

-- Dave McKenna, Washington Post

* "Cher is a pop diva supreme with a timeless quality and an overworked Vegas patter with just enough titillating sexiness to send everybody home giddy."

-- Tony Lofaro, Ottawa Citizen

SETLIST

SEE PHOTOSWomen in rock music

Considering all her costume changes and big-production numbers, Cher's set is pretty much locked in for the tour. Here is what she played at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C., last month:

* "Woman's World"

* "Strong Enough"

* "Dressed to Kill"

* "The Beat Goes On"