Jones Beach.

[nicksphan]

Like many here, I've seen a ton of shows (about 70 in total since 1986) but I don't think I've ever posted a review. After last night's show though, I must. At the end of Stand Back, Stevie said this is the second to last show and then they were done for the summer, so she expects this show to be nothing short of extraordinary (If anybody can quote her exactly, please do). I've seen Stevie enough to know right from that moment that we were in for a special night. Then, as she's been saying every night, she turns to Waddy and said, "Ready, Wad?...LET'S GOOOOOOOOO!!!!... and it sounded like her voice carried clear across the Great South Bay.

The weather was perfect and the amphitheater, much to my surprise and delight, was packed (not a full house, but very few acts sell out completely because it is quite large). Jones Beach shows have always been a favorite of mine for two reasons...it's my "home venue" and it is clearly a favorite of Stevie's (the ocean is her blanket!). And in Stevie's mind, Jones Beach is part of NYC (I'll never forget one night after the opening songs, she said, "Welcome NYC!!!!") which gets her even more pumped.

I saw the two Borgata shows last week and enjoyed them both, but was coming to the sad realization that Stevie's gusto and ability to truly rock out with genuine enthusiasm and spontaneity may be gone. Thankfully, she proved me wrong last night. As trite and cliche as it sounds, she ROCKED THE HOUSE in a very big way and had the crowd in the palm of her hand from the very start. I went with a group of friends, three of whom had never seen her live (and two of whom are not even the slightest of fans and wouldn't have attended if the tickets weren't free). Well, the three of them were BLOWN AWAY... two of them were in tears during Landslide and they were all amazed that they knew and loved almost every song. And they couldn't believe they were watching a 60 year old woman.

I won't go into detail about how unique of a performance we saw last night, but I will sum it up as best I can. Vocally, her voice was a force like I haven't heard in quite a while and there was not one moment she went into autopilot. She was totally immersed in her performance and "played with" the songs as if she was singing them for the first time showing intense emotion and passion, moving and swaying with fluidity, grace and confidence I don't think I've ever seen from her (at least not for an entire show start to finish).

At the end of "Has Anyone," my knees actually buckled and and I lost my breath. I was reacting not only to the power and emotion with which she delivered that last line, but at the total connection Stevie made with her music and her fans last night. There truly was a connection and Stevie truly was INSPIRED!