5 MELISSA ETHERIDGE

Melissa Etheridge

IS THRILLED TO BE BACK ON THE ROAD!

INTERVIEW BY VIRGINIA STILL

MELISSA ETHERIDGE: ONE WAY OUT TOUR TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022, 7:30 PM TICKETS: $49/69/89/99 —LIMITED AVAILABILITY

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One of her most cherished memories, Melissa Etheridge says, was as an 8-year old in the living room of her home in Leavenworth, Kansas. Surrounded by family members, she fondly recalls jumping around to music and basking in the applause and accolades they showered on her. Afterwards, she remembered thinking, ‘this is for me.’

She would go on to learn guitar and write songs at a young age, and it was then that a dream of becoming a rock star began to take hold.

These memories were stirred as Etheridge gave us an interview to connect with local fans in advance of her recently added March 22, 2022, performance at the Gallo Center. Though the singer-songwriter and Grammy Award-winner has been a major artist for more than two decades, with a large discography and numerous hits, she noted that she had never played Modesto.

“I am very excited to be coming up there, and look forward to being in your beautiful venue,” Etheridge commented. She is touring in support of her new album, One Way Out, a collection of songs that did not make the first five albums she recorded between 1989 and 1994.

Of the audience for the show, she said, “You are going to hear the hit songs and you are going to have your fist in the air and you will be hollering. I think you will walk away thinking, ‘Wow that rocked a little harder than I thought it would. I didn’t know she played the guitar like that and these are just the things that I have seen.’ You are going to have a really, really, good time.”

The show will include hits and fan favorites such as “I'm the Only One,” “Come to My Window,” “Like the Way I Do,” “I Want to Come Over,” “Bring Me Some Water,”

“Angels Would Fall,” and “You Can Sleep While I Drive,” to name a few.

Etheridge also expressed her joy at being back on the road performing for both long-standing and potential new fans.

“My whole objective and purpose of bringing music to everyone right now is to lift us up and to sort of forget everything for a moment and exist in that place where music and rock and roll can take us,” she said.

Etheridge had actually been ready to resume touring when COVID hit. With the realization that the pandemic was going to be around for the long haul, she and her wife saw an opportunity to stay engaged with the fans and continue performing through their live streaming and video-on-demand platform, Etheridge TV.

“We started doing it 5 days a week,” added Etheridge. “We really like it. It is a wonderful way to express ourselves the way we like to and also stay connected.” While Etheridge TV remains available, it is live performance that thrills her most.

There is nothing like it,” she says. “I don’t want to do anything else. I love performing. I love creating songs and giving them to people and lighting people up. I love traveling. I get to be the rock star I dreamed of being, what everyone wants to be, and I love it.”

Virginia Still is a writer and photographer for a variety of publications including the 209 Magazine. Check out her stories on 209magazine.com or connect with her on Facebook: Virginia Still, Twitter: @StillVirginia, or ginnistill on Instagram.