When: Sunday
Where: Royal Theatre
Rating: 4/5 stars
Melissa Etheridge is nothing if not a ball of manic energy and she proved Sunday at the Royal Theatre that her feisty spirit hasn’t ebbed a bit, even as she turns the corner on a quarter-century as a performer.
Sporting a gold-coloured leather suit, Etheridge, 53, wowed 1,200 fans during her return to the Broughton Street theatre, a venue she visited during her 1989 tour. That was a lifetime ago, Etheridge noted on Sunday, but her memory of the Royal was still vivid. "It was the nicest place I had ever played,” the rocker joked.
How times have changed.
Etheridge is now one of the most decorated rock singers of her generation, female or otherwise, with a devoted fan base to match. They were out in full force Sunday, supporting the Grammy-winner on her first official solo tour since 2001. Without a backing band, she operated seemingly off the cuff, satiating longtime fans of her early work with a setlist that drew almost exclusively from her first four albums.
Of the 14 songs she performed Sunday, four were pulled from her self-titled 1988 debut, with an additional three from 1989’s, Brave and Crazy. Two each from 1992’s Never Enough and 1993’s Yes I Am filled out the bulk of her setlist. On almost every song, the Kansas-bred, California-based performer accompanied herself on percussion, thanks to a looping software that created rhythms in real time.
She recorded and synced together various instruments — tambourine, hand drum, electric and acoustic guitar — through what she called her "magic box." The approach, which many performers employ on solo tours at the moment, approximated a full band, but did not have the same visual appeal or underlying oomph. That was perhaps the lone drawback on an otherwise excellent night.
The first strums of Bring Me Some Water emanated from the side of the stage and when she eventually emerged from the shadows to kick off the two-hour concert, it was to a huge cheer from the audience. She played another song, You Can Sleep While I Drive, solely on guitar, before the tone of the night was set on Similar Features, her first kick at the looping-software can.
It wasn’t as tech-heavy as it might appear. She never abandoned that which made her famous — old-fashioned music ability — and some of the night’s most vivid accents came courtesy of her guitar, harmonica and piano. Each instrument, recorded or otherwise, took a backseat to her unmistakable voice, however. Seemingly cut from gritty sandpaper, it gave resonance to her most emotionally complex material. Only once, during the higher-register chorus of I’m the Only One, did her vocal abilities not shine through.
She engaged the audience with The Weakness in Me, a jaw-dropping version of the Joan Armatrading original, whose lovesick poetry was paired perfectly with Etheridge's piano. It was the lone cover of the concert, but it counted as perhaps the night’s best moment.
Etheridge has a new album due Sept. 30 and by all accounts it will be a stylistic about-face. Perhaps, then, her return to Victoria was her way of closing a chapter on the past, if only for the time being. Should she embark on a new direction in the coming months, fans in attendance Sunday were given a final look at one of the finest female rock performers of the modern era. Etheridge, for her part, left no doubt about her abilities, especially on guitar. She used at least a dozen in concert, including numerous 12-strings. She also played a double-necked Gibson (she called it “the girls”), a Fender electric mandolin, and a resonator guitar.
The audience remained on its feet after the main set, which gave her extended encore - consisting solely of her authoritative take on Like The Way I Do — the feel of a long-awaited celebration. The crowd matched Etheridge emotion for emotion, which seemed fitting. For those who give, there is much to receive in return. Suffice to say, both performer and fan couldn’t have asked for more on this night.
Set list
1. Bring Me Some Water
2. You Can Sleep While I Drive
3. Similar Features
4. Don't You Need
5. The Letting Go
6. Brave and Crazy
7. Take My Number
8. Come To My Window
9. The Shadow of a Black Crow
10. The Weakness in Me
11. I Want To Come Over
12. Chrome-Plated Heart
13. I'm the Only One
Encore
14. Like The Way I Do
