I am pleased to announce that Melissa Etheridge will be appearing at the Lowell Summer Music Series on Saturday, August 29! This should prove to be one of the highlights of the 26th season, and possibly of all 26 seasons!

“Academy Award and GRAMMY winning artist, Melissa Etheridge, will take the stage with her band to perform songs from her new album, This is M.E., as well as some of her greatest hits like “Come to My Window”, “I’m The Only One” and “I Want To Come Over”.  Known for her iconic voice, profound lyrics and riveting stage presence; Melissa will share personal stories about her remarkable journey through life and the inspiration behind some of her most beloved songs.

Melissa Etheridge (Official Photo)

“A billion stars out in an endless sky, and I won’t be alone, won’t be alone, won’t be alone tonight…. That resolute yearning, that longing for connection, for contact, for touch. These are the core forces powering Melissa Etheridge’s cherished songs throughout her singular career. But as the rousing chorus of “I Won’t Be Alone Tonight,” the opening song of her album This is ME, it holds some new meaning, new context.

“With this album, her 12th collection of new material, she is not alone as a songwriter. For the vibrant collection she teamed with some of the most creative, inventive figures on the music scene: Jerrod Bettis (Adele, One Republic, Eric Hutchinson, Gavin DeGraw), Jon Levine (Nelly Furtado, K’Naan, Selena Gomez), JerryWonda (Grammy Award-winning producer of the Fugees, Mary J. Blige, Akon) and Roccstar (Usher, Chris Brown) at the forefront. It was a very new way of doing things for the artist, who counts two Grammy Awards and 17 nominations, an Academy Award (for “I Need to Wake Up” from the Al Gore documentary An Inconvenient Truth) and a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame among her many accolades.

Melissa Etheridge (Official Photo)

“Recording the new album proved an inspiring, electrifying experience for her, the best kind of challenge. And the resultant energy is clear in the songs. “I haven’t been this excited about making music and creating in ages,” Etheridge says. “Song after song was a great experience.”

“Make no mistake, the album’s declarative title is fully fitting— not despite the collaborations, but because of them. The powerful lyrics and incomparable voice, the indelible melodies, the blazing guitars could be from no one else. And same for the soulful joy and unbridled passion powering every note, from the big sing-along pop hooks of “A Little Hard Hearted” and “Do It Again” to the greasy, swampy sounds of “Ain’t That Bad” and “Stranger Road.”

“These are songs right from her heart, the frisky flirtation of “Take My Number” and mystery-trip “Stranger Road” among those drawing on scenes and settings of her Kansas upbringing. And “Who Are You Waiting For” closes the album on the most intimate, emotional, personal, lump-in-the-throat note of her entire career. It’s the song she wrote for and debuted at her wedding earlier this year to Linda Wallem. As the album title says, this is all Melissa Etheridge— ME. It also marks the debut of her independent label, ME Records, a venture that gave Etheridge new freedoms to explore creative avenues. The whole process, she says, has been invigorating.  “It’s a liberating responsibility,” she says, noting that it’s not a contradiction in terms. “I was liberated to make my own choices, to be in charge of where every dime went, who exactly I wanted to record with. And it was a responsibility to say, ‘How can I get the best out of me and get the end result I’m looking for.’

This is ME comes in a very active stretch for Etheridge, even by her seemingly tireless standards. In addition to her steady touring, both with her band and as a solo act, she did a week stint in the role of St. Jimmy in American Idiot on Broadway in 2011, continued her noted activism speaking to the United Nations on LGBT rights as human rights, sang her own “Uprising of Love” and John Lennon’s “Imagine” as part of this year’s New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square and performed at the opening ceremonies of the WorldPride week in Toronto. But the making of the album was inspired and inspiring, energized and energizing. It’s there in every note. The bottom line, she says, simply: “I’ve made an album I love.””

Tickets for the Melissa Etheridge show are priced at $64 in advance (fee-free!), $70 on the day of the show (if available – this show is expected to sell out early), and children 12 and under are always free courtesy of Eastern Bank. There are also premium seats – beach chairs are provided by the Series – set in two rows directly in front of the stage for $164 (half of these sold through Melissa’s fan club pre-sale.  Tickets go on sale Wednesday, March 25, through Lowell Summer Music Series.

For those of you who are unaware of the  Series, or if you are aware of it but have never attended a show there, it is an outdoor (weather permitting) concert series held on National Park Service grounds in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Series is not-for-profit, which helps keep the ticket prices reasonable.

Surrounding Boarding House Park are old mill buildings, part of the Lowell National Historical Park, which you can tour if you arrive early enough. They provide an unusual setting for an evening of great music and ambiance.

The Series generally runs from late June to early September.

This Series is dear to my heart. I have been a season pass holder since 2007 and it is one of the highlights of the year (and of summer in particular) for me. Many lasting friendships have been made there. I expect this will be another excellent year!

I will post additional announcements for the Series as they are made.

Shows announced to date are:

June 19 (Friday) – Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jonny Lang

June 20 (Saturday) – Ani DiFranco

July 17 (Friday) – Chris Robinson Brotherhood

July 31 (Friday) – The Official Blues Brothers Revue

August 7 (Friday) – Lyle Lovett and His Large Band

August 28 (Friday) – Lake Street Dive

August 29 (Saturday) – Melissa Etheridge