My Melissa Etheridge Summer Tour Experience

[Nicks Fan]

Melissa Etheridge Montreal July 21 2008 Place Des Arts Salle Wilfred Pelletier

For Starters we already knew going in that this tour was going to be different then prior tours. It was a band tour with the addition of a Keyboard /Piano/Guitar player named Paul. As well her new album “The Awakening” is a concept album dealing with her life up to now. As well instead of her usual head set microphone she chose to have a standing mike where she spoke and sang to the audience most of the night, when she wasn’t having guitar duels with her guitarist Phillip Sayce who hails from Toronto. The purpose of this tour is to tell her life story through her many songs. We were warned going in by Claudia and Cheryl that the show is very scripted compared to other tours simply because she is telling her story. By the time I had gotten there we had received conformation that we were meeting her in Quebec!!! I couldn’t wait.

We began out trip by hopping on the Via Rail train bound for Montreal where we arrived around 5:00. After a quick bite to eat we met up with our two friends Claudia and Cheryl and to our surprise we also met Karen, Camille, UK Angie, Mare, and some of the other MEIN members that like us are groupies who go to a lot of shows. However later on I would find out just how much a lot shows is to them. We had fan club tickets and we were in the 5th row, but that wouldn’t do so we just crowed around the front area and rushed the stage when the lights went down. The show started around 8:05. She opened with the song All There is from her new album, a song that only lasts for about a minute or so. Then greeting her fans she launched into Chrome Plated Heart from her self-titled 1988 debut which was quickly followed by Ruins which I had heard unplugged on her last tour. This time it was fully plugged in. Next she talked about heading off to California in 1982 to try and make something of herself. This lead to the performance of California from her new album. For this tour she is incorporating some songs into one long medley where the songs are performed either entirely or shortened with no break in between the two songs Tonight she combined Don’t You Need with Similar Features, 2001/ I Need To Wake Up (The song she won the 2007 Oscar for best original song) and Message to Myself /Come To My Window (which was shortened) During the show Claudia and Cheryl had requested a song at the Poughkeepsie NY show called When You Find The One from 2004’s “Lucky” and she had said that she would do it in Canada so tonight she did. It was a great moment for them as the song is special to them. At one point she saw my sign that said Montreal Loves Melissa Etheridge and she laughed and then said “Am I seeing Double?” It was funny. She closed the main set with The Awakening which is three songs from the album performed together one right after the other with no breaks. For the encores she performed a song called Not Tonight which is a new song she made available as a CD sampler for people who renewed or purchased a MEIN membership this year. During the song there is a line that ends with her saying something about singing one more song which segued into Like The Way I Do. Overall the show was great, but not quite as good as the 2nd Montreal 06 show. The energy for that show was smoking hot. When the show was over we got the set list and noticed that Skin Deep/Secret Agent was stroked off of the list. I think that had to do with the cold she was said to be suffering from. At the end I had a sign that said “Thanks for Rocking Montreal see you in Ottawa” and she laughed and said “See you there”. The show lasted almost three hours!!! I can say for certain that at 47 she has still definitely got it. We had requested a cab to pick up and take us home when we arrived by bus at 2:00 at the bus station in Ottawa, but they never showed so 90.00 later a blue line cab arrived and took us home. That ticked me off, but oh well.


The Set list
1. All There Is
2. Chrome Plated Heart
3. Ruins
4. California
5. Don’t You Need /Similar Features
6. The Angels
7. Unexpected Rain
8. Bring Me Some Water
9. I Want To Come Over
10. Enough of Me
11. I’m The Only One
12. If I Wanted To
13. When You Find The One
14. I Run For Life
15. 2001/ I Need To Wake Up
16. Message To Myself /Come To My Window
17. All We Can Really Do
18. Kingdom Of Heaven
19. Open Your Mind
20. The Awakening

21. Not Tonight –Like The Way I Do

The songs in bold I have either never heard live before or have not heard this version.

Melissa Etheridge NAC Southam Hall Ottawa Ontario July 22 2008
For night two it was great because I worked at the Main Library till 4:30 so I didn’t have to worry about being late for the show as I was right in the area. This time out fan club tickets were front row dead center!!! At the last minute I had gotten two extra tickets that I gave to my parents who when the show was over said that they thought it was excellent. I may have just converted two more people into fans. The show started a little after 8 and she opened with All There is which for this tour so far is the set list opener. Ain’t It Heavy followed which was great because I had not heard that song live before (In 2004 at the Hull Casino she had it on the set list but it was dropped and she played Don’t You Need instead). We met up with Karen (Giant on the message board who is from Houston Texas) and had dinner at the Elephant Castle. She was so over the moon about how much she enjoyed Canada (Except for the rainy weather she had throughout her stay) Before the show I had made my usual signs requesting certain songs and one of the songs that I have wanted to hear for a long time is Shriner’s Park from 1995’s Your Little Secret. I didn’t even have to request it as it was on the set already. It was probably the highlight for me from this whole tour. It is such a beautiful song and when she sang it you could hear a pin drop. Another interesting moment came when for the first time to my knowledge she abandoned her guitar and grabbed the microphone and walked along the stage as she sang Dance Without Sleeping from 1992’s Never Enough. I also got to hear plugged in electric with the band (As opposed to acoustic with the band in 06) Yes I Am from the 1993 album of the same name. At one point she talked about how sometimes she has conversations with her front row at her concerts. This came about because allot of us were holding up signs and yelling out requests for certain songs. One thing that she always seems to talk about when she plays Canada is how much farther ahead we are in things like gay marriage, environment issues etc. Also she always thanks us because we were the first ones to take to her music and in Montreal at the Forum she played her first arena show in 1990. The set list was a mixture of the new album and some of her lesser-known songs but overall it was another great show. She played for around 2hrs 50 minutes. I held my sign up saying, “Thanks for rocking Ottawa. See you in Quebec”. She laughed and waved back and said “see you there”.

Ottawa Set list

1. All There Is
2. Ain’t It Heavy
3. Shriner’s Park
4. California
5. You Used To Love To Dance /Dance Without Sleeping
6. Unexpected Rain
7. Bring Me Some Water
8. I Want To Come Over
9. Let Me Go
10. I’m The Only One
11. If I Wanted To
12. Simple Love/Yes I Am
13. Heal Me
14. I Run For Life
15. 2001 / I Need To Wake Up
16. Message To Myself /Come To My Window
17. All We Can Really Do
18. Kingdom of Heaven
19. Open Your Mind
20. The Awakening
21. Not Tonight/Piece of My Heart

Melissa Etheridge Grande Theatre Quebec City July 23 2008 When I first heard she was playing Quebec for the first time since 1999 I was very excited as I have never been to Quebec City before and we said that if she doesn’t play 4-5 shows in Canada we would go to the states and see her once. We took the train to Montreal and then had a little over an hr to kill before the next train to Quebec City. When we finally arrived it was after 4. I had booked a hotel called the Clarion and only when we asked a Via Ticket agent did we discover that our hotel was actually in Ste Foy not Quebec City as the itinerary had told us. We hailed a taxicab and during his insane and erratic driving he hit the bumper of a car and then sped off. I was scared!!! Luck was on our side though as after we had checked in we were going to go back upstairs and when the elevator doors opened Karen stepped out It was too weird a coincidence. Since she had rented a car she drove us to the venue. During the drive she was telling us how many times she had seen her over the years (It was like 30+ and she seen her all over the states) When we arrived at the venue we discovered the venue is located in a part of town that has no restaurants around it except this one fancy place across the street. We had no choice since it was pretty late and My brother and I didn’t want to be late for our meet and greet at 7:15 PM. It was too funny as we were in Jeans and Karen had shorts and all of these people around us were in fancy suits and dresses. When we arrived to get our tickets we had scored front row dead center again!!! Later on when went to where we had to go for the meet and greet there was no one around. The venue staff didn’t know anything about the meet and greet. We were frantically looking for anyone when finally Stephanie one of her crewmembers recognized us and took us to a holding room where we waited. We had to wear these stickers that were green with a big white E that said Melissa Etheridge Revival Tour 2008 and in this blank white space in marker they had written the date. I guess that tells them what show you are meeting her at and prevents you from trying to get in again at a later show. I thought I was going to be a blabbering idiot, but when she arrived and shook my hand I was so relaxed. As soon as she saw us she was like "Hey I know you guys”. We talked about the crowds including the woman in Ottawa who was sleeping at the stage with her arm resting against her forehead. I asked her if she would play The Boy Feels Strange, which is all time favourite song from her and she said that her next tour which would a solo tour like her 2001 Live and Alone tour would feature all of her lesser known songs including that one. She even said that she hadn’t sung that song since like 1989 (I think she was mistaken since the song wasn’t released until 1992). I had brought a 45 Vinyl single of Bring me Some Water and she was like “Wow where did you get this from?” So I got her to sign my record!!! It is now in a Ziploc bag never to be opened. The meet and greet was over so fast but I know I will never forget meeting her. Out instructions for the meet and greet had told us that we couldn’t bring a camera and we couldn’t ask for a picture. We were allowed one thing to get signed so naturally I brought he rarest thing I had. She so kind and is very down to earth. One thing that I liked was how at all the shows both of us were recognized from the last tour by many casual fans and some die hard fans who remembered us from Toronto 06 when we became famous. When we took our seats we realized that unfortunately this venue has a very small pit in front of the stage so it was hard to let others in to be close to the stage as there was little to no room. Karen tried to peak at the set list but one of her crew members yelled out “That’s what the towel is there for!”(A towel covers her set list until show time). From what we did see it looked like she was opening with “I Take You With Me” (After doing All There Is) from the soundtrack to 1995’s “Boys on the Side”. Instead she did “All American Girl” which I had never heard and dropped the other song. Then she did Nowhere To Go from 1995’s Your Little Secret. It was a great performance. She talked about allot of things having happened since the last she time she was here one being the 400th Anniversary of Quebec. This set list was probably the weakest since except for one song I had already heard her sing all of the other songs. Still it was another great night rocking out with fans. I have yet to attend a bad performance from her yet!!! After the show we all went for drinks at a bar called Loge Bar. Mare started saying that with all of the shows she was doing she could have remodelled her bathroom and paid her mortgage off!!! (Later on Karen said on the drive home to the hotel that you don’t want to know how much money mare has spent on tickets and other things since she became a fan). Then UK Angie said that she has half a million dollars worth of Melissa merchandise that she has collected over the years. Since Melissa hasn’t played the UK since 2004 they flew out to attend allot of shows. When I asked what she did for a living, she said that she owned a music store and did reviews for the BBC. I can only imagine how much money she and her friend dawn spent to go to all of these shows. I noticed how they kept pounding back the ale and buying rounds for all of us. I love Melissa Etheridge, but after a few shows I get tired of the travelling and want to be in my own bed. In the end I am glad that I have met these people as they are super nice and we have made plans to visit one another on the next tour. Unfortunately this was Karen’s last show till later on in August when she sees her in Texas. Quebec City Set list 1. All There Is 2. All American Girl 3. Nowhere To Go 4. California 5. No Souvenirs 6. You Can Sleep While I Drive 7. Unexpected Rain 8. Bring Me Some Water 9. I Want To Come Over 10. Angels Would Fall 11. I’m The Only One 12. If I Wanted To 13. The Different 14. I Run For Life 15. 2001/I Need To Wake Up 16. Message To Myself/Come To My Window 17. All We Can Really Do 18. Kingdom of Heaven 19. Open Your Mind 20. The Awakening 22. Not Tonight/Like The Way I Do

Melissa Etheridge Shelburne VT Ben and Jerry’s concerts On The Green at Shelburne Museum July 26 2008

At the last minute my friend Angela who we had met in Quebec said that she was going to the Shelburne Vermont Show on Sat July 26 so I tagged along. The drive was Ok until we hit the states at which point it poured rain. When we got to the border the man was like “Where is she playing in Shelburne?” “The lawn of the museum” we said and he laughed. We got lost trying to find the venue, as it was an outdoor show behind the Shelburne Museum part of the Ben and Jerry’s Concerts on the Green as it was called. We had to wait for the rain and lightning to stop before we could enter the lawn. By the time we did I think everyone was soaked. It was supposed to start at 6:30 which seemed like an odd time for a concert. However due to the nasty weather she didn’t come on till after 7:00.the venue staff were real jerks as they kept saying that that show wouldn’t start until we all sat down to avoid obstructing the view for those sitting in lawn chairs. There was a woman who tried to get the crowd separated by asking those who wish to stand come to one side and those who wish to sit go to the other side. It didn’t really work. She even said to the guy “Have you ever been to a Melissa concert?” he replied “no” and so she said something about Melissa expects you to stand and have a good time. Finally she came out and the crowd was on its feet for which most of them stayed during the show. Some of the crowd was very rude as while she was trying to speak they kept yelling out requests. Finally she gave them one request playing You Can Sleep While I Drive. At one point these two women got into it when one of them wouldn’t let the other in front of her to take pictures. There were a few nice people audience though including one woman who had brought her children and held up a sign because it was a birthday for one of them. She did acknowledge them. It started to rain again but it wasn’t too bad. The show was great in spite of the weather and some of the crowd. As we were leaving Angela and I both remarked how we wished we could do allot more shows and Camille said, “Just Do it.” When we asked her how many shows she was doing she replied “Allot more”. I guess some people have no shame in spending allot of money. I budget for the shows that I go to making sure that all of my other expenses are paid for before I go to any shows. Still I think 4-5 shows of the same artist is enough for me.

Shelburne Vermont Set List
1. All There Is
2. I Take You With Me
3. Mama I’m Strange
3. California
4. Brave and Crazy
5. Unexpected Rain
6. Bring Me Some Water
7. You Can Sleep While I Drive
8. I Want To Come Over
9. Unusual Kiss/Threesome
10. I'm The Only One
11. If I Wanted To
12. The Different
13. I Run For Life
14. 2001/Wake Up
15. Message/Window
16. All We Can Really Do
17. Kingdom Of Heaven
18. Open Your Mind
19. Like The Way I Do

20. Not Tonight /Piece Of My Heart

Melissa Etheridge Toronto Ontario Massey Hall July 22 2008
My final trip consisted of a car ride with Angela and my brother from Metcalfe To Toronto for the last stop on our tour. The drive was great as we didn’t get much traffic till downtown TO. At the last minute I changed my plans and scored a 4 store hotel for 100.00 bucks on price line which I split with other friends who shared the suite with me. I organized a pre show dinner with fans at a pub called “Scotland Yard” where about 20 or so showed up to talk all things Melissa. The food was good but unfortunately there were out of two things on the menu and they neglected to tell us that because of our large party it was all on one bill. I was glad to see Chris our friend from Montreal 06 who had brought her niece who had a leg cast one but was being the trooper and accompanying her aunt to the show. They were from Pennsylvania where she has a cottage. Our friend Angela was mad though as before the dinner we all lucked out when the tour bus pulled up to Massey Hall and we got autographs from Melissa and her band. She really wanted to meet her and get an autograph but she didn’t think that they would be signing autographs before the show. After the dinner some walked and others hailed a cab to the venue. I split a cab with Chris and her niece since I was meeting someone from the board had bought my extra fan club ticket. This time my ticket was 2nd row but since I refuse to sit down I jumped over the seats with Joanna (the one I had sold my ticket to) once the lights went down. This was even after the guards assured us that we wouldn’t be able to move unless they said. It annoys me when they act they run the show and try to over rule the singer. Tonight’s show was hot … literally. The venue was poorly air conditioned and I was getting very hot. The show started with Phillip coming out alone and playing O Canada on his guitar. Then she along with the other band members emerged and launched into All American Girl. This was followed by Into The Dark from 1999’s Breakdown. A great moment came when she played My Lover from 1999’s Breakdown which saw Melissa sit down on the stage and grab a strobe light shining it on Phillip as he did an amazing solo. By request from my brother for his friend Amber who was attending her first show she played Don’t You Need/ Similar Features. She talked about staying here overnight and admiring all of the beautiful people in Toronto. This was her last show in Canada and for some us it was the last show on the tour. She rocked hard all night playing a wide variety of songs from her extensive catalogue. At one point she played Down To One from 2001’s Skin and by the end of the song she really was down to one as the band members left the stage. While alone on the stage she played another song from the same album I Want To Be In Love where towards the end the band joined her back on stage and then segued into Mercy from 2004’S Lucky. I felt spoiled since I had never heard her sing those songs. She closed the show with The Awakening and then returned for one encore which was Like The Way I Do. The curfew is 11:00 PM so she had to finfish up the show fast. I was sad once it was over but thankful that I was part of an amazing Rock and Roll Revival. I have had people ask me why I go to so many Melissa Etheridge shows and I always say because every night is different. She makes an effort to mix up the set list and also the crowd for the most part is very respectful and allows everyone to rock out and enjoy the show. Her shows to me are like one wild party you don’t want to end. I am already saving up for the next tour and plan on holding her to the promise that she would play my favourite song next tour.
Toronto Ontario Set list

1.O Canada
2.All American Girl
3.Into the Dark
4. California
5.Don’t You Need/Similar Features
6.Unexpected Rain
7. Bring me Some Water
8. I Want To Come Over
9. My Lover
10.Let Me Go
11. Please Baby Please /I’m The Only One (The first song is a riff she performed at this part of the show)
12.If I Wanted To
13. Down To one
14. I Want To Be In Love
15.Mercy
16. I Run For Life
17. 2001/I Need To Wake Up
18. Message To Myself/Come To My Window
19. All We Can Really Do
20. Kingdom of Heaven
21. Open Your Mind
22.The Awakening

23. Like The Way I Do

Matt

[Johnny Stew]

Glad to hear you had such an awesome time at each of the shows, Matt. Sounds like a lot of fun.

How's life been treating you these days? Everything going well at the library?

[skcin]

She didn't do Like The Way I Do in Ottawa? Ripped off! Great setlist, but that's a tune I think should be in every one of her shows.

[Nicks Fan]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

Glad to hear you had such an awesome time at each of the shows, Matt. Sounds like a lot of fun.

How's life been treating you these days? Everything going well at the library?

All is very well. I have a slew of interviews lined up for the job that I told you about earlier. One is a full time job and the other(s) are part time. However this time I am confident that I will get the job.

Matt

[David]

Originally Posted by skcin

She didn't do Like The Way I Do in Ottawa? Ripped off! Great setlist, but that's a tune I think should be in every one of her shows.

Paula, how are you doing? I haven't seen you in a long time. I like seeing you around here. Remember that goofy GOLD & BRAID dance you guys did on some Stevie tour? You threw your tambourine & brained somebody? (I mean, not really) The whole thing was so funny. As much as I like strand, I wish he had been the one brained! (He would have been ok.) Right in the middle of one of his political lectures, WHAM.

[Nicks Fan]

I had so much fun on this tour that I can't wait for the next one. She said that her next tour (2010) would likely be a solo acoustic tour which for me would be great. The fact that she plays for a lot longer then Stevie and changes her setlist nightly really make her shows a real treat. I have to say if you wantt to see a great show you must see MLE. She is the best !!!

[David]

Did she sing COME TO MY WINDOW?

[Musicman408]

Glad to hear that you had such a good time.!!!

[Nicks Fan]

She sang the middle part ('I Don't care what they think .... Then preceeded to start the first verse with the chorus which she then repeted to fade out. She said in of the interviews she did for the tour that she was getting tired of that song. She could drop it for all I care since it is old and stale now. I am hoping for "The Boy Feels Strange" on the next tour as that is myall time fav song of hers and she hasn't performed it in ages.

Matt