Melissa Slows it Down
The really special moment came when the band went away and Melissa sat on the end of he stage to serenade us with Sleep While I Drive and Precious Pain. Her voice in 2004 is as strong as it was in 1988 when this song first came out.
Whether she ever intended it, Melissa has become as spokesperson for gay and lesbian rights. She spoke of her marriage and how, “It gets personal when it’s things like a constitutional amendment.” She talked about coming up to Oregon to get married when the anti-gay marriage ballot initiative fails in November. “This is a time of change,” she said, “And change is never easy,” before breaking into a gay-rights medley consisting of Silent Legacy, Scarecrow and Tuesday Morning, which brought goose bumps to my skin as Melissa passionately recounted the story of the gay 9/11 hero, Mark Bingham.
Fans are Lucky
But ultimately, the concert was about music. Fans were not disappointed as Melissa spent more than three hours rocking with old and new tunes, from her huge hit, Come to my Window to the sexy Kiss Me off Lucky. She’s got a great band, featuring Kenny Aronoff on drums and Mark Brown on bass.
These days we know all Melissa’s albums by heart and know the lyrics to all the songs. And after reading her tell-too-much autobiography, we know who each song is about, how they done her wrong and even a little bit about how good the sex was. The mystery and intrigue is gone, but like an old friend, we are reminded once again of why we love her and why we’ve stayed fans for so long.
