Melissa Etheridge’s live show this week in Melbourne was exceptionally good.
Melissa Etheridge, Photo Ros O'Gorman
I shouldn’t be surprised. I never saw her do a dud show but the last shows in Australia were 16 years ago. It’s been awhile.
She had a lot of music to get through. The current Australian setlist stretches across her 12 albums with her new song ‘Falling Up’ also included. She has released seven albums since her last Australian tour so there was a lot of music to debut for the Aussie audience. But this show wasn’t so much about greatest hits, many were left out, it was about who she is, not what she has done.
From the moment Melissa came on stage she owned the audience. They rushed the stage. They worshipped her. She treated the show like a family reunion, telling stories about what she had been up to for the past 16 years, giving the occasional friendly advice and playing that guitar.
The band was stripped back to basics. It was guitar, bass and drums. And it was a rock show. We knew she could rock the first time we heard ‘Bring Me Some Water’. All of those classic rock and blues influences formed the backbone of this show.
Here is the setlist for Melissa Etheridge live in Melbourne:
Fearless Love (from Fearless Love, 2010)
Your Little Secret (from Your Little Secret, 1995)
Chrome Plated Heart (from Melissa Etheridge, 1988)
I Want To Come Over (from Your Little Secret, 1995)
Lucky (from Lucky, 2004)
The Heart Of A Woman (from Fearless Love, 2010)
Come To My Window (from Yes I Am, 1993)
Similar Features (from Melissa Etheridge, 1988)
Royal Station 4/16 (from Brave And Crazy, 1989)
Falling Up (new single, 2012)
Meet Me In The Dark (from Lucky, 2004)
I Run For Life (2005)
Nervous (from Fearless Love, 2010)
Bring Me Some Water (from Melissa Etheridge, 1988)
Like The Way I Do (from Melissa Etheridge, 1988)
Her final two Australian shows are:
July 17, Adelaide, Entertainment Centre
July 20, Perth, Riverside Theatre
