Etheridge Still Has That Touch

Melissa Etheridge Thursday, Dec. 12, Spokane Arena

For a little while, I thought Melissa Etheridge had lost her common touch. She was relatively aloof onstage, not connecting with her audience the way she had in earlier tours.

Boy, was I wrong. Suddenly, Etheridge and the other three members of the band disappeared from the main stage and materialized on a tiny stage at the back of the Arena floor, and proceeded to thoroughly connect with the crowd in the cheap seats. In fact, one over-excited young woman had to be hauled off by security guards after she jumped onto this little in-the-round platform and attempted to join the fun.

What had been a routine concert turned into a vintage two-hour-plus Etheridge crowd-pleaser. The crowd of about 3,200 (smallish, for the Arena) responded with wild enthusiasm to her big, arena-sized classics, including “Bring Me Some Water,” “Come to My Window,” “All-American Girl” and “Yes I Am,” as well as numerous songs from her most recent album, including, “I Really Like You,” “An Unusual Kiss,” “I Want to Come Over,” “Shriner’s Park” and “Your Little Secret.”

During the back-of-the-Arena segment, she borrowed a fan’s soap bubbles and blew bubbles over everyone in her band. Then she said, “By the way, yes, I am a L-L-Lawrence Welk fan.”

Few performers can boast such a warm relationship with their fans. Earlier in the concert, she said, “I know its only Thursday. But you don’t have to go to work tomorrow. I’ll write you a note.”

You get the feeling she would, too.

As for the music, Etheridge is an expert at delivering her Springsteen-Seger-style rock anthems with an exceptionally intimate and emotional voice, as if she is speaking directly from her soul to ours. This is a formula that, when done with complete honesty, will never go out of fashion.

And when I discovered that Kenny Aronoff is her drummer on this tour, I felt as if I had been given an early Christmas present. Aronoff is a drum god, best known for his work with John Mellencamp. Nobody plays with such muscular precision. His drumming constitutes a full aerobic workout.

Even on the small drum kit on the small stage, Aronoff sounded like a freight train pounding down the tracks. In fact, the highlight of the show came on that small drum kit when Aronoff played a wild and inspired solo from the front of the kit, while guitarist John Shanks sat on the drummer’s stool and simply watched in awe.

“Spokane does this to you?” asked a delighted Etheridge. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo