LIVE: MELISSA ETHERIDGE – November 9, 2021

Venue: Ruth Eckerd Hall

City: Clearwater, FL

Date: November 9, 2021

Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)

Melissa Etheridge brought a packed setlist, a great attitude, and a ton of energy to Ruth Eckerd Hall on a Tuesday night as she inched closer to not only the end of the One Way Out tour, but also to cap shows on land before settling on her sea legs for the Melissa Etheridge cruise.  Without any flashy entry or pomp and circumstance, her band took their respective places on stage as we all heard the familiar acoustic guitar opening to “No Souvenirs” flow through the venues sound system.  Once the scene was set, Etheridge strolled to her position center stage under the spotlight and in front of the mic… exactly where the packed venue wanted her.  With a monstrous catalog to pull from and an ever circulating setlist on shows leading up to tonight, it was anybody’s guess as to what we had to look forward to.  Another acoustic guitar filled track followed with “Similar Features” making an appearance early in the set.  The opening tracks were two of her first three US Hot 100 charting singles.  From there Melissa armed herself for the first time this evening with an electric guitar and she took us on a journey of the 90’s sonically with 1993’s “If I Wanted To” bridging the gap between some of her biggest albums and hits and her 1988 debut, which was spotlighted with three tracks in tonight’s set.  The 1999 album Breakdown gave us the non-single deep cut “Into The Dark” before shifting to the 1995 smash album Your Little Secret for a of chain of killer tracks that culminated in the Top 10 hit with “Change,” “Shriner’s Park,” and the aforementioned hit “I Want To Come Over” sparking the crowd as Etheridge snuck in a new one from the almost two month old One Way Out, “You Have No Idea.”  The real treat for me dropped later in the set as she highlighted three songs from my favorite Etheridge disc This Is M.E.  While the albums lead single didn’t hit the set, the songs selected well represented this often overlooked gem of an album.  It was awesome hearing “A Little Bit Of Me,” “Like A Preacher,” and the discs second single “Monster.”  There is no doubt as the evening dwindled song by song that Etheridge had each of us where she wanted us; she knows her crowd and loves to please them As the evening rolled toward the close, she undoubtedly plowed through her biggest hits with a powerhouse filled end to the set with “Come To My Window” and “I’m The Only One” sandwiching “Bring Me Some Water.”  dialing back to her debut to close out the evening, Etheridge sent us into the night with the chorus of “Like The Way I Do” running through our brains like an earworm and trailing across our lips.  Another killer show from Melissa Etheridge that I was pleased as hell to have witnessed.

Setlist: No Souvenirs – Similar Features – If I Wanted To – Into The Dark – Change – Shriner’s Park – I Want To Come Over – You Have No Idea – Chrome Plated Heart – A Little Bit Of Me – Like A Preacher – Monster – Come To My Window – Bring Me Some Water – I’m The Only One – Like The Way I Do

[Show as slideshow]

FULL SET OF MELISSA ETHERIDGE SHOW PHOTOS HERE

MELISSA ETHERIDGE LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

TOUR DATES

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries