DISCLAIMER 1: Quotes only to specify that Melissa is talking. I am NOT quoting, only paraphrasing :-). I opted for note-taking instead of bringing my camera. There should be lots of pics and video 'cause there were plenty cameras there :-). Still, she talked A LOT, so I couldn't write everything fast enough... Others can fill in the blanks wherever I missed something :-).
DISCLAIMER 2: I spent over two hours typing this sucker on my BlackBerry and do not feel like re-reading/correcting it, so what you see is what you get :-)
Show started at around 7:35pm. With the "All There Is" music playing, the guys walked in and took their spots. Then Melissa came in. She was wearing comfortable gray pants, a lighter gray t-shirt with a light blue shirt over it, and brown tennis shoes. She opened with I TAKE YOU WITH ME, which made me very happy :-). She went into ALL WE CAN REALLY DO, and this is when she introduced the band. A couple of gals walked in late and took their seats... Melissa teased them about being late since they had front row center, telling them she was gonna give out their seats. I reckon one of them showed her a tattoo 'cause MLE said "Oh, you have a tattoo of me... OK you win" and then said something about fans' dedication, I think :-).
She talked the about how she was wearing comfortable clothes, and how the older you get the more comfortable you want to be (I think :-). She said women with children could relate to dressing comfortably... And men with children too...
She went on to tell a funny story about the night before. She was wearing her "man shorts" (said "men got the best clothes... right?"), her "man shirt" - a polo shirt, her "don't recognize me" baseball hat :-)... she, Philip and Paul were walking around sometime after 11pm, and as they were about to go in the hotel, the sheriff drove by... The he stopped and sounded the siren. He looked at Melissa and said "YOU!" Melissa was like "me?"... The sheriff said "YEAH, YOU! COME HERE!" (She was thinking why me? Why not Paul... He looks like trouble :-). The doorman was concerned because the sheriff didn't seem to know who he was addressing, so he said "Sir...?" to which the sheriff replied "GO AWAY!". Then he told Melissa "we had a call about a suspicious person matching your description" (LOL!)... Then he took another look at her, and kept looking at her and finally said "Oh... Oh... NEVER MIND!" (ROFL).
Melissa was like... "You should see my wife! She dresses just like me! You know how it is, you don't think you dress alike, but you do..." :-).
OK, and this is where the journey began... "My story... I was born... 47 years ago...!!! Family, other than being strange, was fine... Liked to pretend that everything was fine... Like all kids I had dreams, I had a recurring dream of falling down the stairs, or a big wave, fire...". She the sang INTO THE DARK! Wow!!! :-). I could not believe I was listening to this song live!!!
She then thanked the audience, said "I know it's not easy, with the gas prices and I know my tickets ain't cheap (rolled her eyes :-) so I just wanted you to know it's appreciated"
So... "At 21 said bye to mom and dad and headed west for fame and fortune. It was 1982... You remember 1982...?" Then she pointed to her head and signaling the mullet she had those days... and said "you know what I looked like!" Cute :-). I had 5 cassette tapes, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, Joan Armatrading... I can't remember what the other 2 were... Anyway, I ended up in California... On my aunt's couch in Silver Lake, Los Angeles." Next song: CALIFORNIA
"So I'm in California, and I say "well, I'm here!"... And I was told "There are 10 million musicians in LA, get in line!". She said something about offering to play at a bar and being told she's had to pay admission, and she was like "no, you pay me!" :-) "I was running out of money, but I kept up my social life... We all know I'm gay, right? All the gays people, clap! Straight people, clap! All those who don't know, clap... I know you're out there :-)... Back to the social life... Down the street from my aunt's was a bar... The Pink Flamingo... that's a good name for a gay bar, huh? :-)"
"Got a gig playing the piano on the corner at a Long Beach bar... right before the disco :-). I made lots of friends (smirk)... between 21 and 27... Maybe it was my repressed upbringing? :-) I made some poor choices... But I wrote some great songs :-)". She sang one of my favorites then... DON'T YOU NEED... Then went into SIMILAR FEATURES and back to DON'T YOU NEED... It was cool!!! :-) moreso with Philip doing a pretty neat solo.
"It was do as I say, not as I do... I was 24... If you are 24, well enjoy it because after a while you get too tired. Oh well, I gained some maturity, and I have the memories... memories are good :-). I met a nice lady... She was smart... And you know what happens with smart people... mmmm... BYE!" (LOL, the way she said it, it was funny) "She said I has some baggage..." :-). Then came NO SOUVENIRS.
"See... When we grow up... the things that we did, the things that we do, they come right back... That's OK... That's how we learn... As long as we are open to that feeling... We can learn, we can grow..." AN UNEXPECTED RAIN. After Philip did his solo she told him "what's wrong with you, man?" And then to us "He's a freak!" :-).
"27... Changes... OK, gonna find someone to settle down... Maybe :-). I found someone, but they were not ready..." BRING ME SOME WATER.
"OK, give me impossible... Someone's who's married... Hello Melissa, this is your future calling... Get away!... I know there are some out here doing it... Get out of it now... It will not work, you're gonna lose them the way you got them" she joked about people calling and breaking up because Melissa said it's not going to work :-). I WANT TO COME OVER
She made fun of us since we kept sitting down every time she started talking... "Up down, up down" ;-) BTW, we had 4th row center and a lot of the time the peeps in the pit were sitting down, giving me a perfect view of Melissa like... right in front of me... Not too shabby! :o)
"So there I was in a non-monogamous relationship... No, no... In a MONOGAMOUS relationship as far as I was concerned. I was 30something, people buying my records, it was 1993... Wow, that was 15 years ago... Nothing like being in a bad relationship to see how nice other people are... Am I depressing you? :-) I got crushes all the time..." ANGELS WOULD FALL
"What was I asking for...? With the universe you gotta be specific... By the end of the 90's everything went POP!... Oh, I left out happiness... we think that if we make enough money we'll be happy. But they are two very separate things...". ENOUGH OF ME ("there's gotta be another"... "Gave you the Mercedes, the house, the money... Take it, I don't want it, I don't want it...". It's all behind me... Hit rock bottom... And I was drawing the line... I'm outtahere, walk out that door, I'm through!". I'M THE ONLY ONE.
"It's about intentions... We can do anything if we wanted to... Was I trying to tell myself something..." IF I WANTED TO
"I was 39 and single... So I went back to the bar... Funny... I found somebody... Before that, I was driving and talking to myself... 'Cause that's what you do... I was telling the universe... I want someone nice... Nice is important... I want someone who makes me laugh... someone who does not freak out with the "famous" stuff... I want someone pretty :-) somebody to share all this with... 'Cause I have a lot and I am a good person... We're all good people..." LUCKY
"And there it was... Happiness... I'm enough, I am good and I am strong... And I deserve to be happy. Love and happiness... When you have both, it's real love and it's deep and it goes a long way... I need to love there (the other person) and I need to love here (pointing to herself) love myself... We buy things, pay $5 a gallon -that's crazy, eh?- and buy more things and we are miserable, and think if I just made more money I would be happy. It's not about money, it's about love..." I'VE LOVED YOU BEFORE.
As far as I was concerned that was it. But the universe had other plans... Lucky, mercy baby oh yeah... I'll go play with my kids... I was in Ottawa, Canada... Taking a shower... (People were whistling and stuff, so she said "thank you, but...no ;-) so I'm in the shower and I find this lump, and I wonder how I didn't notice it the day before, because it's not small... And it's cancer. (Total silence from the audience)... That's what cancer does. Cancer sucks the air out of the room. I know you're out there survivor sisters... Cancer gives you instant perspective. Cancer is about vibrating in balance (?)... 10 weeks of that nasty chemo, and they gave me the super duper stuff, I guess 'cause I could take it... There is glorious riches in the still. I appreciate you coming here and giving me your attention. I don't underestimate it... And I love you... (Something about the) path... I love my body, I love myself... Thank you cancer for waking me the F...reak up!". She talked about how cancer is part of so many of our lives and how many of us will have to deal with it personally at some point, but how it would be better and yes, we've lost many to it, but it will be more and more survivors... "Cancer is going to be different in the future, I promise you this...". I RUN FOR LIFE
"So during those weeks of chemo I didn't watch TV (a good thing! Watch less TV :-) and I was still. I listened to all my songs from beginning to end... And I realized I was sending myself messages... Wow... This blackness that seeps into my chest... So, if I sent messages..." MESSAGE TO MYSELF... Went into a short version (YAY!) Of COME TO MY WINDOW.
"If all this stillness and happiness works, what else can I do? I want to work with people who can change the world..."
This is where I did the one thing that annoys me the most... You know those people who scream at the most inopportune times? Melissa started singing, and everybody was quiet... When suddenly I realized what song it was... And this yell came out without my permission! It was involuntary and coming from like... my freakin' soul, man!!! :o) it was 2001! She was singing 2001!!!!!!! And a great slow version... OMG, I loved it!!! (When I screamed, Melissa looked at me, but I couldn't read her expression... I hope she knows I wasn't being rude ;-) Maybe she actually understood that I just couldn't believe she was singing 2001!!!!!!
So, from 2001 she went into I NEED TO WAKE UP...
"I woke up and I got an Oscar. When Al Gore called, I thought it was a slide show to show at high schools...I never saw the Oscar coming... We need balance inside and out... Not only inside our bodies, but outside... The environment... We use biodiesel... Gas is almost as expensive now... Biodiesel may be cheaper than gas soon... We also have these energy saving lights... And Tibetan flags decorate the stage"
While she was talking, the guys were playing the intro music to Kingdom of Heaven... Then she turned to talked to Fritz and let us know that she had forgotten to do the other song... She said it's the first show... Do we have time... Do you want me to do the other song...? "Raise your hand if you're from Florida... If you came to live here from some other crazy place... If you're a Gemini" (I whoohooed and she said something about us Geminis being crazy... I can't remember if it was at this time that she also said "If you're under 35, raise your hand... and then "if you're over 40..." Ack... I'm 40... yikes! :o) Anyway...) "We're all different..." GOD IS IN THE PEOPLE.
"What freaked me out about writing that song... Being from Kansas, a good Methodist... God was someone out there who was gonna hurt me or something. God is in you... You... Me... God is the absence of fear, fear is the absence of God..." KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, OPEN YOUR MIND
"Thank you for coming on this journey with me... I love you, I do. We need to say that more often." THE UNIVERSE LISTENED
She commented on how she decided to bring her message (I think :-) to all the people that are waking up...
IMAGINE THAT
WHAT HAPPENS TOMORROW ("...and be the vice-president... What!?" :o)
"Thank you... Remember, you can do anything... Anything. If you intend to..."
She gathered the guys (almost missed them 'cause they were leaving the stage) and they took a bow together and left...
For the encore she started with NOT TONIGHT and finished with a beautiful PIECE OF MY HEART... She was tired!
"Go home... Make love., coffee, french fries. Love what you do, love who you do :o) where you do it" etc... :o)
After the guys left the stage, I went up hoping to get a pick... The new sound guy (NO CHAINSAW!) threw some out, but I didn't catch any... So I begged a little and it worked :-) the new pick has the YLS key and on the other side this tour's *motto* - "THE DREAMS WE CREATE"
|
Graphics courtesy of
