Melissa Etheridge Showed the Crowd at the Clyde How to Get Her Done

I think of Bruce Springsteen when I hear Melissa Etheridge. She's an original rocker who can belt it out, and charm the crowd with her swagger. She owns the room. Her emotion, her passion, her presence - she is so great, what a privilege to see her up close and in person.

The Clyde Theatre, a renovated movie theatre on Bluffton Road in Fort Wayne, is an exciting newer venue in the area. On the south side of downtown and right by Foster Park, an architect named A. M. Strauss drew plans for Quimby Village and the Clyde Theatre in 1949. The 1780-seat theatre drew people from the Indiana-Ohio regions when it opened in 1951.

Chuck and Lisa Surack from Sweetwater industries, along with other area partners, renovated the venue beginning in 2017, classily preserving most of the original Art Deco design of the spaces. There's a second-floor VIP gallery, a 7000 square foot artists dressing room and hospitality wing, and space for weddings and other public bookings for events.

Melissa's songs "I'm the Only One" and "Come to my Window" had the crowd on their feet and belting out every word. Melissa has a big backing by the LGBTQ+ community, but her fan base is bigger than that - there were people of all ages, straight or gay, in attendance. Her appeal is mainstream as well as off stream, broad with a wide audience.

Born in 1961, Melissa released her first album in 1988, and the single "Bring me Some Water" from it earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In 1993, she won her first Grammy for the song "Ain't it Heavy." She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. For years she has been a noted advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.

In October 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent surgery and chemotherapy. Bald from chemo, Melissa came out for the 2005 Grammy's and performed Janis Joplin's "Piece of my Heart" as a tribute. This performance has since been considered iconic, and has been highly lauded, commented and tweeted about.

Her current tour, entitled The Medicine Show, supports the release of her 15th studio record of the same name. She's crossing the country to play in cities such as New York, Bonita Springs, New Orleans, Des Moines, and Chandler, AZ.

The Clyde has two onsite bars for concert patrons - one inside the concert hall so you don't miss a note, and one in the lobby, where you can have a conversation and take a breather if need be. It's just the right size - very fan friendly. I have had friends raving about seeing great traveling acts there, and I finally made it to see for myself. We are so fortunate to have such great music spots in the Fort! I can't wait to go back! Peace and love to you all. See you at Sweetwater, at the Embassy, at the Foellinger, at Memorial Coliseum, at the Clyde - or maybe, just see you at the movies.

Average White Band Rocks the Sweetwater Performance Pavilion

People from all walks of life, of all sizes and colors came together on a soft, moonlight night recently to be charmed by the soulful stylings of the world renowned Average White Band. "Pick up the Pieces" is a familiar, chart-topping soul and jazz song from this 1970's band, AWB. Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre are still in the band, which tightly plays a combination of funk, dance music, rhythm & blues, and rock. They started in 1972, with several members coming from the University of Dundee, Scotland. 46 years after their formation, band members have come and gone, but the group is still together and are happily playing venues.

Trumpets, saxophone, percussion, guitar and great vocals come together for a seamless meld. Original members in Dundee, Scotland played venues here and there, but finally gelled in London after a Traffic concert. Jamming together, a friend remarked, " they're just too much (or too good) for the average white man." This was the origin of their name, legend says.

At the concert at Sweetwater mid-August, they were graced by brilliant vocalist Brent Carter (from Tower of Power) and percussionist Rocky Bryant. Horn players Fred Vigdor and Cliff Lyons help make up the band's impressive lineup. At Sweetwater, the crowd could not stay in their seats and were so moved to dance in place and in the aisles.

"Walk on By" was one of their ballads that got the crowd to sing, as did "School Boy Crush." Another crowd pleaser was "Put it Where You Want It," and people in Fort Wayne seemed to know all the words. The sound system at Sweetwater is state-of-the-art, so audiences members could hear band members' words distinctly. "A Love of Your Own" also got lots of vocal "back-at-yous" from the crowd. They responded so brightly to this band they seemed to unabashedly adore.

The outdoor performance pavilion at Sweetwater opened in August of 2017. 24,000 square feet of venue includes the canopy, free parking, and amazingly clean, air-conditioned restroom trailers. In a photo above, one can see a fire truck converted to a Whip and Chill food truck. Other food trucks that night offered pulled pork barbecue, Thai food, crab cakes and more.

The sound system at this venue is truly impressive. Although chairs are folding, apparently it allows for some versatility with room for 2200 seated or 3500 standing audience members. Beer and wine were also available for purchase inside the venue.

Sweetwater itself is, of course, the Fort Wayne business that is one of the largest US dealers in musical equipment. They sell instruments, music technology, and have a beautiful, state-of-the-art campus in Fort Wayne. With 1200 employees, the company started as a remote recording studio out of the founder's VW microbus. Now there's a 44-acre corporate campus, warehouse and retail store on site. The company headquarters is a tourist destination in town, with features such as a lovely cafeteria, hair salon, indoor theater, recording booths and shop. Their website is a resource for upcoming acts and online ordering for musical equipment. Sweetwater itself is a shining star in the mix of what's great about humble Fort Wayne, Indiana.