Richmond, VA – It was a lazy April RVA Monday. The April forecast called for a calm and quiet, with no rain. Unbeknownst to the forecasters, Melissa Etheridge was in town ready to energize the Dominion Energy Center crowd with a downpour of her most inspiring music and stories.
The night started with Melissa belting the classic “All American Girl“, immediately bringing the seated crowd to their feet. Having seen Melissa before, I knew it was going to be a powerful performance and we were off to a wonderful start.
If you have ever been to one of her shows, you know that Melissa’s music has a story and is all from the heart. The next three, “Angels Would Fall“, “Don’t You Need“, and “I Want to Come Over” told such stories.
In a quieter moment, Melissa brought out her piano and played, “Meet Me In The Dark” before going into “I Want To Be In Love” and “No Souvenirs” Melissa had the audience eating out of the palm of hand as she delivered songs of love and betrayal; wants and desires.
One of the most fascinating stories Melissa told was about how, when she was a child, the Man in Black, Johnny Cash, came to her hometown of Topeka, KS. She really wanted to see him perform, however, he was not there to perform for the free, he was there to perform for the inmates at the Topeka prison. This inspired Melissa, and in 2023 she performed at the women’s prison in Topeka for the purpose of lifting the incarcerated with a message of healing and redemption. The docuseries can be seen on Paramount+. The performance was also recorded on her I’m Not Broken album. While she did not mention it in the show, she also has established the Etheridge Foundation to fund research into the causes and effects of opioid addiction. She then sang “An Unexpected Rain“.
As the night wound down, she performed “Come To My Window” with the majority of the audience singing along, and a powerful “Bring Me Some Water“. She introduced her band consisting of Eric Curtis (bass), Eric Gardner (drums) and Max Hart (keys, guitar) before finishing the set with “I’m The Only One“. She left the stage to a somewhat rowdy and very enthusiastic standing ovation.
Reappearing to greet the standing crowd, she performed an encore, “Like The Way I Do“, the song that introduced me to her music in the days when the M in MTV had meaning. Having a little fun, she proved to us she was not just the queen of 6 and 12 guitar strings; or even (about) 230 strings in a piano, she could play the drums too, joining Gardner for a fun percussion duel.
When I left for the night, returning home in the darkness, the night sky lit up with lightning, the harbinger of the rain to come. As I said, the forecasters had called for a calm, rain free night… they were wrong. It was almost ironic, after a powerful night of music and stories, mother nature delivered an unexpected rain. It was almost like it was scripted.
Melissa Etheridge Gallery
Learn More About the Etheridge Foundation
Melissa Etheridge Setlist
All American Girl
Angels Would Fall
Don’t You Need
I Want to Come Over
Meet Me in the Dark (piano)
I Want to Be in Love
No Souvenirs
Watching You
Chrome Plated Heart
An Unexpected Rain
Come to My Window
Bring Me Some Water
I’m the Only One
Encore:
Like the Way I Do
Show Date: April 14, 2025
