Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Great TV Musical Moments, Part 1...

This performance came up on my iPod on the way to work this morning, and I remembered how amazing it was to watch.

At the 2005 Grammy Awards, as a tribute to Janis Joplin, Joss Stone and Melissa Etheridge (returning to the stage for the first time since being treated for breast cancer) performed a medley of Cry Baby and Piece of My Heart.

While the former song suited Stone's soulful style well, Etheridge truly shone on the latter song. Head shaved (coping with the effects of chemotherapy), voice raspier than usual, she gave what she later said was every ounce of energy she had into that performance. And the primal scream she gave toward the end of of the song felt truly symbolic of her howling anger at the disease. (When she re-recorded the song for her greatest hits album a few months later, although she kept the scream in, it didn't seem as passionate nor as raw.)

If you missed it or don't remember it, check it out.

No comments:

Post a Comment