By Joanie Cox-Henry
Photo By Larry Marano
Few entertainers can hop on stage and proceed to belt out vocals, slay on the guitar, crush it on harmonica and pound out an epic drum solo but Melissa Etheridge is demonstrating she's still in a league of her own. On May 12, 2023, clad in skintight leather pants and a cowboy hat, Etheridge performed a two hour power set which included all the hits that have become the backbone of her 37 year career.
"It's getting warmer and warmer and we're feeling good. That's what I want for tonight. I want you to feel good," Etheridge said at her Pompano Beach show. "It's a beautiful, safe place and you're gonna hear music. I want it to lift you up and I want you to be inspired."
Melissa Etheridge achieved what she set out to do that night as she performed spirited renditions of "If Wanted To," "Yes I Am," "Come To My Window," "Ruins," "I'm The Only One" and "Bring Me Some Water."
Backing Etheridge up was her wildly talented band: Tim Marks on bass, drummer Eric Gardner and Max Hart on keys and guitar.
Melissa Etheridge is not shy about sharing her love for her live performances. During "I'm The Only One," she urged fans to remember who they came to see as she delivered sultry lead guitar riffs and gritty, blues-fueled vocals with her signature snarl.
Photo By Larry Marano
She also shared a few heartfelt stories in between songs including a childhood trip to South Florida in 1969 which was cut short by Hurricane Camille.
"I was about eight years old," Etheridge recalls. "So my first Florida vacation was cut short. We were here about two days and drove back home to Kansas which is not close. Anyway, Florida is a special place. You know why? Because you are here."
There were a few surprises such as her cover of "On Broadway," which is a tribute to her solo show, Melissa Etheridge Off Broadway: My Window–A Journey Through Life. That show resumes this September. In the mean time, Etheridge is continuing her summer tour which spans across America and is slated to end in Connecticut Aug. 18.
“It's been really amazing,” Etheridge told Dallas Observer of the tour so far. “I have played small places, and I've played Stagecoach [Festival], which was just out of this world. Then theaters.”
The 61-year-old entertainer is also gearing up to release her second book, Talking to My Angels, a follow-up to her 2002 memoir, The Truth Is ...My Life In Love And Music. The seasoned songwriter has had much to write about and focus on healing especially since enduring the painful loss of her 21-year-old son Beckett to an opioid overdose in 2020.
Regarding her latest tour, Etheridge says she's happy to be reconnecting with fans and inspiring a new generation to listen to her lyrics. “I love my concerts,” Etheridge says. “There's nothing like getting up, singing my songs and people listening and singing along, but creatively it's just so much deeper than what I usually have done in my regular concerts.”
Etheridge closed her show with an explosive encore of her hit "Like The Way I Do." She hopped on the drums and played a solo in tandem with Gardner. Judging from the cheers coming from the crowd, it was definitely a highlight of the show. With more than three decades of touring, winning two Grammys and an Oscar under her belt, Melissa Etheridge has honed her musical chops over that time perfecting her lead guitar playing riffs and sharpening her vocals. In addition to her music, she's an LGBTQ activist and continues to use her powerful voice to champion the environment and other causes close to her heart. And she encourages her fans to stay true to what matters to them. And there's nothing more rock and roll than that.
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