First up on the co-headlining tour was Melissa Etheridge. I have always found Etheridge to be one of the finest acoustic players on the planet who just doesn’t get the amount of credit she deserves. Etheridge is always engaging with her dedicated fan base. She talked about how she spent the last few days in town walking around and checking out the sights. She also mentioned she was able to hear some wonderful music being played from her balcony. “It’s very important to support live music,” she quipped.
She opened up with “Angels Would Fall” from her 1999 album “Breakdown.” Etheridge as I have previously stated, is known for her acoustic guitar work but played the electric more than usual on this night. She donned the electric on tracks “Don’t You Need,” “Resist” and “I’m the Only One.” I’m not sure if Etheridge was feeling well as she only played 9 songs in the 90 minute set with elongated solos and jams within a bunch of the songs. Her voice seemed to crack on occasion so maybe that was a way to preserve it and not forcibly strain. Even with this she played to her crowd as she talked about the hot day and how important it was to stay hydrated and as it turned out a security guard handed her a bottle of water. This was a perfect segue into the highlight of her set “Bring me Some Water.” She nailed the end of “I’m the Only One” vocally and added a harmonica piece to it as well.
Before Benatar and Giraldo took the stage a 5 minute video was shown to the crowd showing their very beginnings and how they found each other to form a musical team that is going strong 36 years later. They have also been married for 34 years.
They opened up with their usual standard “All Fired Up.” This is the first time they have played Artpark since 2011 and think the fans were eager to see what the duo would bring. As the third song “We Live for Love’ came to a close, Benatar joined her husband giving the “peace” sign to the crowd as he held his fist in the air.
The duo took to the stage without the rest of their band to do an acoustic set and give a storytellers kind of vibe to the 3 songs they performed. The first song was “In These Times.” The 2nd was an ode to the late, great Prince “When Does Cry.” The third was “We Belong.” With the production that this song entails and using a backing track for the sound effects, I don’t think this one was meant to be played acoustically. Of course the song “Hell is for Children” is about child abuse and Benatar took a moment to talk about the meaning of the song and how it still holds importance today.
Her voice along with Giraldo’s timely guitar chords have formed a perfect marriage in and outside of music.
Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo setlist:
All Fired Up
We Live for Love
Invincible
Promises in the Dark
In These Times (acoustic Pat and Neil only)
When Does Cry (acoustic Pat and Neil only – Prince cover)
We Belong (acoustic Pat and Neil only)
Hell is for Children
Let’s Stay Together
You Better Run (The Young Rascals cover)
Hit Me With Your Best Shot (snippet of Jessie Girl –Rick Springfield cover)
Love is a Battlefield
Encore:
Heartbraker/Ring of Fire (Johnny cash cover)
Melissa Etheridge setlist:
Angela Would Fall
No Souvenirs
Don’t You Need
I Want to Come Over
Pulse
Come to my Window
Resist
Bring me Some Water
I’m the Only One
Like the Way I Do
We would like to thank Maria Hays for her assistance in getting the credentials so BackstageAxxess can review the show.
