Joining Melissa Etheridge (etheridgefoundation.org) on a 25+ date, two-part tour, sharing a band between them, Jewel blew the crowd away at her Los Angeles YouTube Theatre show. The petite songstress appeared as feisty as ever in her self-described ‘Texas anime-meets-Stevie Nicks-meets-Salem witch trials’ ensemble, performing for almost 90 minutes (despite having laryngitis). Captivating the crowd in a stripped-down acoustic performance for the majority of the night, she held nothing back with her beautiful vocal runs, powerful range, and no-holds-barred approach to storytelling and fan interaction – highlighted in the unreleased anti-misogyny war cry of “My Pussy Ain’t Weak,” which included a reference to the ‘circle jerk of bigotry.’
Despite its 6,000-seat capacity, the energy in the venue felt intimate and comfortable, with Jewel easily connecting to everyone in attendance. Sharing songs from her career-launching Pieces of You, This Way, 0304, Goodbye Alice in Wonderland, and 2022’s Freewheelin’ Woman, she shared new interpretations of her classics alongside her raw and spicy conversation with the audience. Opening with “Standing Still,” Jewel led with gentle guitar work, “My Hands” followed on with her trademark ethereal lines, beautiful runs and projection, and a great unison of vocal lines and guitar riffs. “Intuition” brought a great pull on the drum rhythm and some syncopated beats with a Shakira-esque sound (which differs from the well-known radio edit).
Shifting to an acoustic run, “Little Sister” showcased Jewel’s beautiful vocals, while “Almost” highlighted a lullaby sound that brought the theatre to a palpably captivated silence, before the reemergence of her elegant slow vibrato on “Goodbye Alice in Wonderland.” Incredible bluesy runs, gorgeous melismas, and octave leaps demonstrated her incredible vocal control in “Life Uncommon,” transitioning to a gentle love song on “Morning Song.” Playing audience request, “No More Tears,” Jewel further highlighted more stunning vocal control, with “Foolish Games” adding a dramatic keyboard intro and a patient, pensive vibe to her storytelling.
Returning to the full band performance, “Satellite” saw Jewel hopping onto the electric guitar with rockstar style, moving into country sound in the poetic political poke of “The New Wild West.” A funky syncopated rendition of “Save Your Soul” (her first hit, written at age 16) closed her show with an incredible tradeoff with guitarist Stanton Adcock.
Committed to change in the world, Jewel’s non-profit work continues in her non-profit Inspiring Children Foundation (recently raising $1.5m in their second annual #NotAloneChallenge, see ICF), and as Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of mental health platform Innerworld (recently awarded $2m grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, see inner.world/home/). More at jeweljk.com.
