Women Who Rock benefit concert with Melissa Etheridge blazed its way to big bucks for women’s health

A sold-out crowd flooded Stage AE on Wednesday night to hear great music that benefited a great cause.

The 2024 Women Who Rock benefit concert was headlined by musician and activist Melissa Etheridge, who is also a breast cancer survivor. It was an apt choice, considering the event was held to raise money for Magee-Womens Research Institute.

As the crowd filtered in — many stopping for photos on the pink carpet — they were treated to an energetic set by Pittsburgh’s DJ Femi. The DJ really got the party going, with lots of dancey tunes and hits like “Dontcha” by The Pussycat Dolls and, of course, “Run The World (Girls)” by Beyoncé.

Kicking off the performances was local dance company Attack Theatre with an entrancing number to Alicia Keys’ “Girl On Fire” and Margot Bingham, the evening’s emcee, who brought enough bubbly energy and stunning vocals to fill the whole room

The evening’s Rising Star was singer-songwriter Grace Campbell, who captivated the audience with just her guitar and her voice and the bouncy “Blue-Eyed Boy.”

This year’s Impact Award from Women Who Rock went to WDVE icon Michele Michaels, who has been with the radio station for 40 years.

“She has always had that belief in the mission that women’s health research is critical and it speaks to the generosity that she encompasses in her entire personality both on and off the air,” fellow WDVE broadcaster Abby Krizner said in her introduction for Michaels.

“For you guys, just coming here tonight, it’s very powerful,” Michaels said. “You guys are making it possible for a mom to be here for her kids, for a young woman to live a long life, for a couple to have kids. If you think you’re not a big deal for making that happen, you are wrong. Everyone who’s here tonight is doing something magical for the future of all of us.”

Related

• Melissa Etheridge embraces hope ahead of headlining Women Who Rock benefit in Pittsburgh
• 2024 Pittsburgh area concert calendar

The evening’s main event was guitarist-singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, whose almost four-decade career has spawned several top-40 hits and made her an icon, especially in the LGBTQ community. Her bluesy rock and distinctive, gravelly voice have meshed together for memorable songs like “Come To My Window” and “I’m The Only One.”

Etheridge is now 63 but still going strong — she was most recently touring with ’80s and ’90s indie rockers the Indigo Girls. Her fiery 12-song set was just as powerful as the occasion required.

She strutted onstage to the boom of drums to start off “Must Be Crazy For Me,” a rock-country banger that showcased her expressive voice. “Hello, Pittsburgh! I think I’m supposed to rock tonight, so I’ll get the job done,” she declared at the song’s bridge, before the band kicked it up another, even rockier notch.

Before “If I Wanted To,” she reminisced a little. “Those of you that were there in the ’90s, rock ‘n roll was alive. I was proud to be a part of it.”

The tune kicked off with a big sing-along by the crowd who remembered the song — and the era —well.

“Gonna take you back to the ’80s now … In my first album, I was just young, crazy, on fire, single-minded. But I meant it all. Thank God there was no social media back then,” she laughed. That introduced “Don’t You Need,” her rough voice taking on the texture of later Joni Mitchell and her guitar wailing out a guitar solo that would make Mark Knopfler proud.

She came back to the ’90s, dreamily saying, “I made some really great poor choices, real expensive ones. But that’s okay because we’re all learning.”

“I Want To Come Over,” a hit for her in the mid-’90s, was passionate and fun, and she even inserted a chorus from current rising pop star Chappell Roan’s song “Red Wine Supernova” at the bridge.

She was excited to play some of her favorite songs at Wednesday night’s show, and that included the funny but intense “Monster,” about the power of women who don’t seem to belong.

Etheridge took a moment to tell her own breast cancer survival story, “Twenty years cancer-free! … Today I visited the Magee-Womens Research Institute. An amazing place, very happy to be associated with them.”

After her own cancer went into remission, Etheridge wrote a song for a breast cancer run that was held by the Ford Motor Co. called “I Run For Life.” Her performance of the song was a real tear-jerker, mixing personal with inspirational and hammering home the importance of Women Who Rock’s mission.

After “Ain’t That Bad” she sang “A Burning Woman,” a song she wrote for women in correctional facilities like the one she grew up near in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Then the opening chords to her hit “Come To My Window” sounded from her guitar and the crowd went wild.

Many of Etheridge’s songs are romantic, even sultry, and the rough maturity in her voice now makes them even more poignant. “Come To My Window” was a great example of that — seeing it live really gave the song new life. It induced goosebumps.

Speaking of sultry, the burning “Bring Me Some Water” included some growling guitar solos and on-fire lyrics that got the whole crowd moving. Before closing with the angry, bluesy “I’m The Only One,” she said, “Thanks for rocking with me tonight. I love you all. Speak truth, spread the peace and choose only love. Take care of yourself. Make sure you’re registered to vote.”

She and the band took a bow before disappearing for a minute and returning for the solo-filled encore song “Like The Way I Do.” After firing off her own guitar solo with some impressive finger-work, she went back to bang out a two-minute drum solo next to drummer Eric Gardner. She was grinning all through it.

With her cowboy hat, blonde hair swaying and guitar slung low, Etheridge made everyone see how powerful women who rock can be.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised for women’s health research on Wednesday night, and hundreds of people left Stage AE feeling empowered to help and spread hope for the future.