About 15 years ago, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge drove her RV to Brown County and spent time here as a tourist.
This month, Etheridge is coming back, but this time to attract attention. She will perform Friday night, March 27 at the Brown County Music Center.
Few tickets remain for that show in the 2,000-seat auditorium, which is set to start at 8 p.m. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster by visiting the music center’s website, BrownCountyMusicCenter.com.
Etheridge has been recording music and performing for crowds for more than 30 years. She has received 15 Grammy nominations over the course of her career, winning two. She also won an Oscar.
She said she’s looking forward to singing a variety of her classics and new hits. Her 15th studio album, “The Medicine Show,” was released last year.
Brown County is the third stop on her tour this year.
When not on the road, Etheridge has been keeping busy raising her four children and working on a new album.
“I’m really looking forward to that,” she said about the tour. “It’s just such a big part of my life. It’s so much of what I love, and what I do is making music, and I always think how I can make it fresh and better, just to really entertain people. I am looking forward to getting out there.”
In the summer of 2005, Etheridge had just completed cancer treatments. She decided to buy a 35-foot RV and drive across the country. Her wife at the time was from Lafayette, and Etheridge asked where the two should go in Indiana.
“She said, ‘Oh, Brown County. That’s the place.’ We stopped and stayed there. I saw all of the beautiful things,” she said.
Adding Brown County as a tour stop was an easy decision. “I am always thrilled to get to Indiana, and Brown County is just really a special place,” she said.
Fans can expect to hear their favorites at her BCMC show, along with new hits. “That’s what I love to do,” Etheridge said about playing a mixture of both.
“I know the people who come see me, some of them, this will be the only time they have ever seen me. I want to give them the songs they know and love. There’s always that great experience of singing ‘Come To My Window’ at the top of our lungs. It’s just a lot of fun.”
She said she has five or six songs she performs every night of the tour. “The rest is really up to me. I’ll sort of craft the set list around the last time I played there, what songs, how I am feeling and what the theater is like,” she said.
The music center opened last summer. Etheridge is one of the bigger names to grace the stage so far.
“I’m always delighted when people are opening new places to house live music. I think it’s really important for all of us, and I love being a part of that,” she said.
Playing a smaller venue like this one also allows Etheridge to reach fans on an intimate level.
“I cannot just do the rocking songs, which we will, but I can also get dynamic and really bring people in and have an opportunity to have a wide range of emotions. Just the concert itself can be very dynamic,” she said.
As the music center continues to host new and classic artists alike, Etheridge said it’s important for new artists to write music they love, always. “If, by some chance, some great popularity comes, you’ll be still making the music you love. I’ve seen too many artists that they hate their hit song, and that’s just a horrible situation to be in,” she said.
“I would say, make the music you love, and believe in music as a powerful agent for healing and change.”
“Live music, it’s just never going to go away. The human soul and spirit will always need to be brought together by music,” she said.
“I do not mind singing ‘I’m the Only One’ every night. I do not mind.”
Etheridge said if time allows on her schedule, she will explore and visit Brown County again while she’s here.
“My wife and I love to check out especially female chefs and food. We’re big foodies and we love to check out the farm-to-table opportunities. Hopefully, there will be some time for that,” she said.
So, what has kept Etheridge creating and performing music for three decades? The answer is simple: It’s what she loves to do.
“It’s a constant journey for me,” she said.
“I can’t get it wrong and I never get it done. Creating is what we do, and to actually create music, I’m just honored and pleased to be able to have that be my work and my living. I’m forever grateful for that.”
