{"id":55626,"date":"2017-12-08T17:02:52","date_gmt":"2017-12-08T22:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=55626"},"modified":"2017-12-08T23:54:59","modified_gmt":"2017-12-09T04:54:59","slug":"melissa-etheridge-brought-christmas-love-joy-bethlehem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=55626","title":{"rendered":"MELISSA ETHERIDGE BROUGHT CHRISTMAS LOVE AND JOY TO BETHLEHEM"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.df-foto.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Story &amp; Photographs by Diane Fleischman<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">If there was one message that Melissa Etheridge conveyed in her \u2018Merry Christmas, Baby\u2019 concert at The <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2gbZvjd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sands Bethlehem Event Center<\/a><\/strong> Thursday night, it was to be joyful and spread it around.\u00a0 For this holiday tour, Etheridge has partnered with the Marines and the \u2018Toys for Tots\u2019 drive.\u00a0 She explained that the donations collected would be distributed to children in the Lehigh Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\"><div id=\"su_carousel_69f42aefb94f9\" class=\"su-carousel su-carousel-centered su-carousel-pages-yes su-carousel-responsive-yes su-lightbox-gallery\" style=\"width:100%\" data-autoplay=\"3000\" data-speed=\"600\" data-mousewheel=\"true\" data-items=\"2\" data-scroll=\"1\"><div class=\"su-carousel-slides\"><div class=\"su-carousel-slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DSC_1294r.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DSC_1294r-182x200.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_1294r\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"su-carousel-slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DSC_1328r.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DSC_1328r-182x200.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_1328r\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"su-carousel-slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DSC_1341r.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-2\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DSC_1341r-182x200.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_1341r\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"su-carousel-slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DSC_1362r.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-3\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DSC_1362r-182x200.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_1362r\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"su-carousel-slide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DSC_1462r.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-4\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DSC_1462r-182x200.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_1462r\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"su-carousel-nav\"><div class=\"su-carousel-direction\"><span class=\"su-carousel-prev\"><\/span><span class=\"su-carousel-next\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"su-carousel-pagination\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">The show kicked off in true holiday fashion as she opened with\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Christmas Time\u201d, full of fa-la-la-la-las and smoky guitar jams.\u00a0 As one would expect, there were plenty of holiday songs, but also a great amount of fan favorites performed.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">With most of her hit songs now skimming the twenty-five year mark, \u201cI Want to Come Over\u201d slid on with ease, like a pair of the most comfortable shoes.\u00a0 From her second album, \u2018Brave and Crazy\u2019, \u201cRoyal Station 4\/16\u201d offered a harmonica intro, later followed by an intense harmonica solo, and in this extended performance, also included a soulful electric guitar solo which brought the crowd to their feet in a standing ovation.\u00a0\u00a0 She paid tribute to Tom Petty in a slower and emotional version of \u201cRefugee\u201d, and also included songs standard to her set lists, \u201cChrome Plated Heart\u201d,\u00a0 \u201cCome to My Window\u201d,\u00a0 \u201cBring Me Some Water\u201d, and \u201cI\u2019m the Only One.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">There was plenty of banter throughout the show, Etheridge stated that she grew up with \u201carmy brats\u201d, as their Kansas home neighbored an Army base, as \u201cChristmas in America\u201d, was written and dedicated to all service men.\u00a0 She performed John Lennon\u2019s \u201cHappy Christmas\/War is Over\u201d, and stated that it was her favorite Christmas song.\u00a0 At one point, Etheridge took us back to her church choir days, as she longed to sing the soprano part in \u201cO Night Divine\u201d that she never got.\u00a0 Instead, Etheridge ripped a guitar solo that would make Jimi Hendrix proud.\u00a0 The set closed with a Christmas standard, \u201cSanta Claus is Coming to Town\u201d.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">Etheridge returned for a one-song encore, \u201cLike the Way I Do\u201d, and rode it for over ten minutes.\u00a0 After performing a smidge over two hours, there was plenty of emotion left for a guitar solo, and also enough energy as she incorporated a drum duet that brought the house down.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">At 56 years old, Etheridge stands strong as a rock and roll veteran, and now a 13-year breast cancer survivor.\u00a0 She\u2019s got a lot to feel joyous about, and that was shared throughout the venue.<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">Want more Etheridge? Join her and Sarah McLachlan along with many more artists set to sail the seas to Puerto Rico March 2018 on Royal Caribbean\u2019s \u2018Rock the Boat Cruise.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">\u00a0Melissa Etheridge Links<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/melissaetheridge.com\/\">https:\/\/melissaetheridge.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/melissa_etheridge\/\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/melissa_etheridge\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/metheridge\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/metheridge<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MelissaEtheridge\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MelissaEtheridge<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/melissaetheridge\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/melissaetheridge<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class='adkingprobanner sidebar banner3023'><a href='http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/' target=\"_blank\" data-id='3023' data-ga='{\"campaign\":\"\",\"banner\":\"\",\"implemented\":\"universal\",\"imp_action\":\"Impression\",\"click_action\":\"Click\"}'><img src='https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/inpostblank.jpg' alt='' \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class='adkingprobanner sidebar banner7036'><a href='http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com' target=\"_blank\" data-id='7036' data-ga='{\"campaign\":\"\",\"banner\":\"\",\"implemented\":\"universal\",\"imp_action\":\"Impression\",\"click_action\":\"Click\"}'><img src='https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/inpostblank.jpg' alt='' \/><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?post_type=adverts_posts&p=7036\" class=\"read-more\">Click here to read more... <\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55633,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2290,69,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diane-fleischman","category-in-the-valley","category-photography"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/ETHERIDGE.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55626"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/55633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}