Melissa Etheridge's life has been built upon the foundation of the blues: her rock & roll was born out of them.
One of her idols, Janis Joplin, was also purveyor of them, and Melissa's six-decades of life have been punctuated by blue moments: two divorces, a battle with breast cancer, and the death of her son Beckett to opioid addiction during the pandemic.In her only Queensland performance at Blues On Broadbeach this May alongside a national tour visiting Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, Melissa will share her secrets for blowing the blues away: music and connection.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it triggered a very brief pause in two-time Grammy Award and one-time Academy Award winning rock icon Melissa Etheridge's 4 decade, 16 album career, which began in a bars around Boston, then hit the stratosphere with her self-titled 1989 release featuring hit 'Bring Me Some Water'.
"[The pandemic] was such a halt in my life and career that I'd had of making records and touring," Melissa says. "I'd been doing that my whole life and just to stop all of a sudden was a little crazy; and then my son passed away from an opioid overdose and that'll really send you into a bit of a funk.
"I turned to music and what I love and to my family and we started singing and playing. It's what heals me."
As refuge from/ or medicine for the grief, Melissa turned to creating and performing in the only ways that were possible amid lockdowns and border closures – she launched the Etheridge TV streaming platform and reflected on her life and career by writing Broadway show 'My Window', and a book 'Talking To My Angels'.
Etheridge emerged from this journey with more wisdom that can only be earned by enduring and overcoming suffering.
"I think that there's just a basic understanding that can help and that is that we're all here living separately, and we're all very diverse, everyone is, but we're all connected; there's a part of us that's all connected up and we're experiencing this individually," Melissa says.
"When things come at us, when it seems to be contrast and dark or impossible to get over a great loss, these things happen to guide us.
"People do die every day and are born every day, and none of us are getting out alive and I think we should all understand that, but while we're here, when people transition and become non-physical, we're still connected. You don't lose them."
One way Melissa maintains her connection with Beckett is through the establishment of the Etheridge Foundation, which seeks to use psychedelic and plant medicines as a treatment for opioid addiction.
As with her LGBTIQ+ advocacy, which started in the early '90s, she is again blazing a new path for others to follow. This May, her path will lead to Blues On Broadbeach, which she is honoured to play.
"I have a deep love and respect for the blues, understanding that my rock & roll is built on the foundation of the blues and always love celebrating that.
"You guys love your music so much. You love rock & roll, you love the blues and I'm just so excited to play my songs and rock you."
Blues On Broadbeach (Gold Coast) takes place at various locations 16-19 May, 2024, and is absolutely free to attend.
Blues On Broadbeach 2024 Line-up
Melissa EtheridgeSamantha Fish & Jesse Dayton
Ana Popovic
Eric Bibb
Lloyd Spiegel
Hat Fitz & Cara
Shaun Kirk
Checkerboard Lounge
Sweet Felicia And The Honeytones
Li'l Chuck The One Man Skiffle Machine
The Mezcaltones
Don Hopkins
C.J. Lee
Rod Paine & The Fulltime Lovers
The Band Ham
Rory Ellis & Christian Marsh
Slips And The F.W.'s
Kerbside Collection
Plus many more to be announced
Melissa Etheridge 2024 Tour Dates
Fri 10 May - Riverside Theatre (Perth)Sun 12 May - AEC Theatre (Adelaide)
Wed 15 May - Forum Melbourne
Fri 17 May - Darling Harbour Theatre (Sydney)
