That was the first time I saw Jewel live. Somehow I ended up in the first row of the center section, a single seat chosen by "Best Available". Naturally, I was in a state of total panic weeks before the concert. I envisioned myself carrying a box of Kleenex and wearing some kind of disguise. Besides, I was totally in love with Jewel and rather convinced that she was totally in love with me. After all, who else would she be singing to?
[I know everyone thinks Jewel is singing to them. That's part of what makes her wonderful.]
But I made it. My hotel was only a couple of blocks down Broadway, as it happened. And I just wore everyday clothes, not a handmade "#InfiniteLove" tee of which I'd fantasized. I got to the theater and stood outside, right at the curb so I could watch the other fans. They looked distressingly normal. The show started quite late, for some reason. A bunch of people wandered around setting up tables beyond the locked glass doors of the theater. We waited patiently outside.
My seat was way too close for comfort, first row center, but at least it was an aisle seat (and there *were* the obvious benefits
). Finally the theater went dark, and then Jewel appeared and there was beauty everywhere.
The problem is, I don't remember anything that happened after that. I'd forsaken the Kleenex for three large hankies, but didn't need one. I know I was 100% focused on Jewel the entire, but I'm blank about the music. Mostly I remember her dress and the flowers and her hair and her facial expressions and how beautiful she looked. When I saw the video of "Hold Me Down" a few days after the concert; it completely floored me and left me baffled and amazed. It changed me.
I know Jewel's songs, of course. But I still haven't seen videos from the L.A. show, and I am really looking forward to it now. (I'll have to do it over a couple of days, probably.)
Thank you!
Ashley
