HispanicBusiness

THERE ARE CERTAIN PERFORMERS -- an increasingly dwindling number of them -- who possess unquestioned ownership of the soundtrack of the world's popular music.

Paul McCartney, for instance, is the one guy on the planet most qualified to play the songs of the Beatles. (Sorry, Ringo.)

In the same way, Diana Ross -- the headliner on Saturday at Universal's Mardi Gras -- carries the legacy of the Supremes, one of the cornerstone acts of Motown Records, the legendary label that had incalculable influence on pop music. Heck, even the Beatles covered Motown songs before they conquered the world.

For her contributions, Ross just received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys, but a better testament to her influence is the music that was shaped in her image.

Without Ross, there might not have been a Michael Jackson --the child star adored her and her music.

Expect many of those timeless hits to be revisited on Saturday, judging from the set list at Ross' 2007 concert at Hard Rock Live in Orlando.

"My World Is Empty Without You," "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "Stop! In the Name of Love" all were delivered early in that 80-minute show. Also, it wouldn't be surprising to hear "I'm Coming Out" again as the opening number again on Saturday as it was in 2007, a fanfare with an introduction that lasted longer than the song itself.

We're talking about a diva, after all.

At age 67, Ross still sports an hourglass figure in the glittery gowns that constitute the handful of costume changes in her shows. Aside from the wardrobe changes, the focus is on the songs. Beyond the Supremes, Ross typically tosses in the significant solo releases, including "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" or "Touch Me In the Morning." Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" is a favorite closer, and the sentiment somehow seems appropriate.

That survival has been touched by unflattering episodes, including a spotlight-hugging reputation among her original Supremes partners, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard, and the insensitive treatment of Ballard when she was replaced by singer Cindy Birdsong in 1967. In 2000, Ross embarked on a Supremes tour, but replaced Wilson and Birdsong with singers who had never performed with her at the height of the group's success.