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CONCERT REVIEW: The daffy brilliance of Sophie B. Hawkins

Icon performs at Tally Ho Theater

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Sophie B. Hawkins in Leesburg, Va., on Nov. 5, 2021. (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)

Washington-area fans got an uber-rare chance to hear queer icon Sophie B. Hawkins, mostly known for her ’90s monster hits “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” and “As I Lay Me Down,” live last Friday night when she performed a 90-minute solo set at the Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg, Va. It was her first performance in the region since a mini-set in 2017 and her first full-length concert here in more than a decade. 

There was no band or accompaniment tracks; Hawkins, 57, provided all her own instrumentation, mostly on piano and guitar. Pleasantly, since she hasn’t had an album out since 2012, she performed five self-penned unreleased songs and one delightfully unexpected cover — Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust” — that furnished perhaps the evening’s most poignant moments. Sitting atop a stool with her feet propped on a drum and picking gently at an acoustic guitar, Hawkins kept listeners rapt with Baez’s 1975 story song.

Appearing almost four years to the day since her last D.C.-area appearance, Hawkins was in fine form. I wrote last time that her vocals sounded a bit ragged, as though she were not properly warmed up. Thankfully this time, that was not an issue. There were several full-throttled wails throughout the evening demonstrating both Hawkins’ impressive lung capacity and the slight scratch in her voice that keeps it just shy of crystalline.

She toyed a bit with her various singles and album cuts. Opener “Right Beside You,” a single from her second album “Whaler” (1994), was slowed significantly to solid effect; while “No Connection,” “California Here I Come” and “Walk on Fire” were given more faithful readings. She indulged a request for daffy “Swing From Limb to Limb” with an impromptu, a cappella rendition. 

SOPHIE B. HAWKINS (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)

She was also more candid than ever about “Lose Your Way,” the controversial track from her last major label effort “Timbre” (1999) that found her drawing a line in the sand with label execs and insisting on banjo accompaniment. Introducing it as “the song that ruined my career,” Hawkins offered a lovely and understated performance — on banjo, of course. She also teased a 2022 deluxe reissue of her debut album “Tongues and Tales” for its 30th anniversary. A tour is rumored as well.

Of the five new songs, three were also featured in her 2017 set at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Va. She introduced the other two variously as a song from a musical she’s writing she called “Birds of New York,” possibly titled “I Want to Be Myself With You”; she said she wrote “You Are My Balloon” when her daughter was an infant. It was requested by a hardcore fan who drove down from Ontario for the concert. I didn’t catch his name, but he said he’d seen her many times in concert over the years and this particular night she was “truly on fire.” 

All the new material sounded solid. Despite the bare-bones accompaniment, it was apparent Hawkins’ songwriting prowess has not diminished. The last time Hawkins spoke to the Blade, in 2017, she spoke of having an album in the can. It remains unreleased.

It’s hard to tell to what degree Hawkins’ often batshit crazy stage banter is her true personality or not. She says just about whatever seems to pop in her head; tells snippets of stories, the pertinence of which is not always apparent; remains unperturbed when she fumbles a piano line, etc. It has echoes of Cyndi Lauper’s stage schtick, though thankfully Hawkins spent most of her time focused on the music (Lauper sometimes rambles interminably). She cut off a second performance of “Damn” (once on piano, once on guitar) abruptly saying, “OK, that’s enough of that song.” She introduced her trademark Dylan cover “I Want You” as the encore and told the crowd to just pretend she’d left the stage and come back. 

SOPHIE B. HAWKINS performs ‘Lose Your Way.’ (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)

Though Hawkins has never used the “L” word, most of her public relationships have been with women and her love songs are rife with female pronouns. She has a strong lesbian fan base and there were many female couples in the crowd. I don’t know how many the Tally holds — it’s smaller than the Birchmere, but not tiny — but it appeared to be about three-quarters full. 

A slightly longer set, considering we see her so infrequently in our area, would have been welcomed but that’s a quibble. Hawkins seemed in exceedingly good spirits throughout the evening; she laughed easily, often at herself, and thanked the crowd repeatedly for coming. Despite COVID, she signed autographs and posed for photos after the show. Up close and in person with no special lighting, Hawkins looks like she’s in her 30s. 

Hawkins, who had a strong ‘90s run, is one of the great hitmakers of that era whose catalogue, while limited, holds up astoundingly well. She’s a sonic cousin to Tori Amos, the Indigo Girls, Joan Osborne and the like. All are still touring, writing and recording and have solid fan bases but have long been written off by mainstream pop radio and undeservedly so. 

Hawkins, who got an especially raw deal from industry gatekeepers after “Timbre,” deserved way more industry recognition than she ever got. Here’s to hoping the “Tongues” re-release A. happens (Hawkins spoke of it as a sure thing) and B. reminds the industry what a talent they snuffed out when they put her out to pasture. I suppose show biz is full of similar stories, but hearing Hawkins live last weekend was a reminder of how much she has been missed and how much the world could benefit from the perspectives of queer women in music. 

SET LIST:

1. Right Beside You

2. California Here I Come

3. Walk on Fire

4. As I Lay Me Down

5. I’ve Only Hungered for Love Before*

6. I Can’t Replace You

7. Better Off Without You

• drum solo

8. Lose Your Way

9. No Connection

10. Swing From Limb to Limb

11. I Want to Be Myself With You*

12. Diamonds and Rust

13. You Are My Balloon

14. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover (piano)

15. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover (guitar)

16. I Want You

* title unsure 

8:02-9:29 p.m.

SOPHIE B. HAWKINS greets fans after her Nov. 5 concert at the Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg, Va. (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)
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Music & Concerts

Musical icons and newer stars to rock D.C. this spring

Brandi Carlile, Bad Bunny, Nicki Minaj, and more headed our way

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Brandi Carlile plays the Anthem this month.

Bands and solo artists of all different genres are visiting D.C. this spring. Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight will team up to perform at the Wolf Trap in June, and girl in red will play at the Anthem in April. Some artists and bands aren’t paying a visit until the summer, like Janet Jackson and Usher, but there are still plenty of acts to see as the weather warms up. 

MARCH 

Brandi Carlile plays at the Anthem on March 21; Arlo Parks will perform at 9:30 Club on March 23; Girlschool will take the stage at Blackcat on March 28.

APRIL 

Nicki Minaj stops in D.C. at Capital One Arena as part of her North American tour on April 1; Bad Bunny plays at Capital One Arena on April 9 as part of his Most Wanted tour; girl in red performs at the Anthem on April 20 and 21; Brandy Clark plays at the Birchmere on April 25; Laufey comes to town to play at the Anthem on April 25 and 26. 

MAY 

Belle and Sebastian play at the Anthem on May 2; Chastity Belt performs at Blackcat on May 4; Madeleine Peyroux stops at the Birchmere on May 5; The Decemberists play at the Anthem on May 10; the rock band Mannequin Pussy performs at the Atlantis on May 17 and 18; Hozier plays at Merriweather Post Pavilion on May 17 as part of the Unreal Unearth tour. 

JUNE 

Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight will sing soulful melodies at Wolf Trap on June 8; Joe Jackson performs at the Lincoln Theatre on June 10; the Pixies and Modest Mouse are teaming up to play at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 14; Maggie Rogers plays at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 16 as part of The Don’t Forget Me tour; Brittany Howard headlines the Out & About Festival at Wolf Trap on June 22; Sarah McLachlan plays at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 27; Alanis Morissette performs at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 29 and 30

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Music & Concerts

Grammys: Queer women and their sisters took down the house

Taylor Swift won Album of the Year

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When the late, great Ruth Bader Ginsburg was asked when there will be enough women on the Supreme Court, her answer was simple: Nine. She stated: “I say when there are nine, people are shocked. But there’d been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.” RBG did not attend the Grammy’s last night, but her spirit sure did. Women, at long last, dominated, ruled and killed the night.

Cher, in song a decade ago, declared that “this is a woman’s world,” but there was little evidence that was true, Grammy, and entertainment awards, speaking. In 2018, the Grammys were heavily criticized for lack of female representation across all categories and organizers’ response was for women to “step up.”

Be careful what you wish for boys.

The biggest star of the 2024 Grammys was the collective power of women. They made history, they claimed legacy and they danced and lip sang to each other’s work. Standing victorious was Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, SZA (the most nominated person of the year), Lainey Wilson, Karol G, boygenius, Kylie Minogue and Victoria Monét. Oh, yes, and powerhouse Taylor Swift, the superstar from whom Fox News cowers in fear, made history to become the first performer of any gender to win four Best Album of the Year trophies.

In the throng of these powerful women stand a number of both LGBTQ advocates and queer identifying artists. Cyrus has identified as pansexual, SZA has said lesbian rumors “ain’t wrong,” Phoebe Bridgers (winner of four trophies during the night, most of any artist) is lesbian, Monét is bi and Eilish likes women but doesn’t want to talk about it. Plus, ask any queer person about Swift or Minogue and you are likely to get a love-gush.

Women power was not just owned by the lady award winners. There were the ladies and then there were the Legends. The first Legend to appear was a surprise. Country singer Luke Combs has a cross-generational hit this year with a cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” When originally released, the song was embraced as a lesbian anthem. When performing “Fast Car,” surprise, there was Chapman herself, singing the duet with Combs. The rendition was stunning, sentimental and historic.

Chapman, like many of the night’s female dignitaries, has not been public with her sexuality. Author Alice Walker has spoken of the two of them being lovers, however.

The legend among legends of the night, however, was the one and only Joni Mitchell. Not gay herself, she embodies the concept of an LGBTQ icon, and was accompanied by the very out Brandi Carlile on stage. On her website, Mitchell’s statement to the LGBTQ community reads, “The trick is if you listen to that music and you see me, you’re not getting anything out of it. If you listen to that music and you see yourself, it will probably make you cry and you’ll learn something about yourself and now you’re getting something out of it.”

Mitchell performed her longtime classic “Both Sides Now.” The emotion, insight and delivery from the now 80-year old artist, survivor of an aneurism, was nothing short of profound. (To fully appreciate the nuance time can bring, check out the YouTube video of a Swift lookalike Mitchell singing the same song to Mama Cass and Mary Travers in 1969.) In this latest rendition, Mitchell clearly had an impact on Meryl Streep who was sitting in the audience. Talk about the arc of female talent and power.

That arc extended from a today’s lady, Cyrus, to legend Celine Dion as well. Cyrus declared Dion as one of her icons and inspirations early in the evening. Dion appeared, graceful and looking healthy, to present the final, and historic, award of the night at the end of the show.

Legends did not even need to be living to have had an effect on the night. Tributes to Tina Turner and Sinead O’Conner by Oprah, Fantasia Barrino-Taylor and Annie Lennox respectively, proved that not even death could stop these women. As Lennox has musically and famously put it, “Sisters are doing it for themselves.”

Even the content of performances by today’s legends-in-the-making spoke to feminine power. Eilish was honored for, and performed “What Was I Made For?,” a haunting and searching song that speaks to the soul of womanhood and redefinition in today’s fight for gender rights and expression, while Dua Lipa laid down the gauntlet for mind blowing performance with her rendition of “Houdini” at the top of the show, Cyrus asserted the power of her anthem “Flowers” and pretty much stole the show.

Cyrus had not performed the song on television before, and only three times publicly. She declared in her intro that she was thrilled over the business numbers the song garnered, but she refused to let them define her. As she sang the hit, she scolded the audience, “you guys act like you don’t know the words to this song.” Soon the woman power of the room was singing along with her, from Swift to Oprah.

They can buy themselves flowers from now on. They don’t need anyone else. Cyrus made that point with the mic drop to cap all mic drops, “And I just won my first Grammy!” she declared as she danced off stage.

Even the squirmiest moment of the night still did not diminish the light of women power, and in fact, underscored it. During his acceptance of the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, Jay-Z had a bone to pick with the Grammy voters. He called out the irony that his wife Beyoncé had won more Grammys than any other human, but had never won the Best Album of the Year. Yeah, what’s with that?

But then, it brought additional context ultimately to the fact that the winner of the most Grammys individually … is a woman. And to the fact that the winner of the most Best Album of the Year awards … is a woman.

Hopefully this was the night that the Grammys “got it.” Women are the epicenter of The Creative Force.

Will the other entertainment awards get it soon as well? We can hope.

Most importantly, in a political world where women’s healthcare is under siege. Will the American voters get it?

A little known band named Little Mix put it this way in their 2019 song “A Woman’s World.”

“If you can’t see that it’s gotta change
Only want the body but not the brains
If you really think that’s the way it works
You ain’t lived in a woman’s world

Just look at how far that we’ve got
And don’t think that we’ll ever stop…”

From Grammy’s mouth to the world’s ear.

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Music & Concerts

Janet Jackson returning to D.C, Baltimore

‘Together Again Tour’ comes to Capital One Arena, CFG Bank Arena

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Janet Jackson is coming back to D.C. this summer.

Pop icon Janet Jackson announced this week an extension of her 2023 “Together Again Tour.” A new leg of the tour will bring Jackson back to the area for two shows, one at D.C.’s Capital One Arena on Friday, July 12 and another at Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena on Saturday, July 13.  

Tickets are on sale now via TicketMaster. LiveNation announced the 2023 leg of the tour consisted of 36 shows, each of which was sold out. The 2024 leg has 35 stops planned so far; R&B star Nelly will open for Jackson on the new leg. 

Jackson made the tour announcement Tuesday on social media: “Hey u guys! By popular demand, we’re bringing the Together Again Tour back to North America this summer with special guest Nelly! It’ll be so much fun!”

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