12     August 25, 2009 - 11:26am | ms_iceangel

Disappointment in Jewel

Hi, I was there for this so called concert.....what a MAJOR disappointment and waste of hard earned money. My friends and I left about mid way thru the show. Sorta wished she had canceled this show too.

  11     August 22, 2009 - 11:06am | Then_I_said

Seems she held back

I was disappointed at Jewel's lackluster effort, and the ragged edges of her vocal range. As another poster pointed out, she just had to show off her range every chance she got, but it might be that she's surprised that some of the highs and lows aren't there anymore. Some of her incredible (read: "not credible") stories ran wwwwaaaaayyyy too long and didn't really seem to have a point. I was surprised at her encore: yodeling. Yodeling! I'm not kidding!

It was the type of performance you would expect at a coffeehouse or a smokey bar, where you wouldn't have to give her your full attention. She just plain doesn't have the charisma to draw you in. The show did have its highlights, such as her father's cameo and Jewel's treatment of some of her bigger hits (I appreciated that she didn't just regurgitate her songs verbatim), but overall I was left wondering if being "home" tired her out a bit.

I was sorry to see so many people skip Melissa Mitchell's performance. You missed a very solid--but too short-- set. Melissa is truly talented, and I hope the rest of the world discovers her soon. If you get a chance, catch her at Humpy's or some other small venue. She's great at connecting with her audience and her joy at making music comes shining through.

  10     August 21, 2009 - 11:24pm | webster3

A True Original...

Having seen Jewel in concert many years ago at the Fourth Avenue Theater, I was looking forward to her Friday night show, and I was not disappointed. Her voice is a most incredible instrument with an amazing range--both in octaves and styles--and she knows how to use that instrument to entertain, enchant and move an audience. There was a refreshing honesty to her performance in her selection of songs and her apparent desire to revisit her connection to Alaska, her family and herself, and this acoustic show offered the perfect format to showcase her gifts. From her opening with a crystal clear a capella version of "Over the Rainbow," to her closing yodeling number, she was clearly happy to be on stage back in Alaska. Many recording artists strive to recreate the exact sounds of their hits in their concerts; Jewel sang some new songs and some familiar ones...but on the more familiar songs, she did not present them as carbon copies of her recordings, but instead, gave a sense that she was performing them as she relates to them now, in this moment, and that, in doing so, she was giving us a piece of herself. This provided a sense that, while she surely has a regular set of songs for each concert, you still never see the same show twice. It takes an artist of exceptional ability to retain that sense of freshness on songs she has sung so many times. Jewel is a true original. I hope she comes back again soon.

  9     August 21, 2009 - 7:33pm | JoeJuneau

Huh?

Jewell who?

  8     August 21, 2009 - 7:23pm | elfbkr50

WHOA

I was able to sit in the front couple of rows to watch her, and she is amazing. The voice, the face, the personality. An incredible show. She made it so authentic and personal through the night. I wish she'd have come back up earlier.

  7     August 21, 2009 - 6:04pm | ak_flydude

Honestly Disappointed

Sadly I was really disappointed. I had been looking forward to see one of my favorite singers and felt let down. She has a tremendous vocal range as she showed last night, but she didn't need to prove it with every song. I loved the stories that was great but by the time she got to the songs we all know and love she varied them so much that they were hardly recognizable. It sounded like she was trying to yodel through them. I really wish I could have given a great review but I can't.

  6     August 21, 2009 - 4:09pm | sugarmagnoliaak

Delightful!

I liked how the concert was a family affair. Jewel's brother, Atz, opened before Melissa Mitchel. He was down to earth and had the talent of the family. He hinted that Jewel has offered to assist getting an album out. Jewel's new In-laws introduced her, which was sweet. Jewel's dad got up and sang a couple songs with her. But, Jewel, she was a breath of fresh air. I loved the new songs and of course the old songs. She kept us interested between songs with her pithy stories. It was a nice evening.

  5     August 21, 2009 - 2:15pm | baffled

Great Concert

The concert was great. We had a great time. Jewell you need to get your brother to record a CD he was also really good. I am so glad that I took my daughter to see you. There is a lot of music out there that is not as pure and wholesome. Come back to Alaska soon.

  4     August 21, 2009 - 12:58pm | eeyore1958

Jewell

Saw the show last night. Jewell has got it all. Singularly the most spectacular voice I have ever heard. Add to that she is gorgeous and she has a brain. Her husband is one lucky guy (Note to Jewell: I am not one of those wierdos you talked about last night. I simply appreciate and respect beautiful, smart, and talented women like yourself).

  3     August 21, 2009 - 12:49pm | trapper

Jewell

She didn't marry a rodeo clown, go back to sleep in your car.

The show was first rate!

  2     August 21, 2009 - 11:58am | mnm12118

Going tonight

We'll see!

  1     August 21, 2009 - 11:41am | twittertweet

I would have gone...But...

I couldn't afford tickets... I am broke and living in my car... I hope someday to become a famous singer, marry a rodeo clown, and move to Texas... Someday...