Royalty graced the stage at the Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock in the form of Rickie Lee Jones; The Duchess of Coolsville. She brought her unique vocal styling and eclectic arrangements to the intimate gathering of dedicated fans on Monday, June 23.
Her band members were Mike Dillon on percussion; Petra Haden on vocals and violin; Ben Rosenblum on accordion, piano and vocals.
Jones appeared wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap and her trademark infectious smile. She made it clear to all, through her performance and her storytelling between songs, that she loves to be on stage and engaging with her audience once again.
Following her hit “Chuck E’s in Love” Jones launched into a soulful ballad accompanied only by Ben Rosenblum on accordion. The song highlighted her incredible vocal range in both volume and tone. The audience was so enrapt that during the quieter interludes, you could hear a pin drop.
Between songs Jones joked with the audience on a multitude of topics. Her discussion of geniuses and idiots prompted her to being ad-libbing a song on the spot about the latter. When the subject of the song turned toward television personalities, she lightheartedly stopped before she got too carried away.
Before launching into a cover of David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” she recounted an interview with the late musician. Bowie praised Rickie Lee Jones’ cover of “Rebel Rebel” as his favorite version of the song, in Jones’ words, “Because she’s a f—ing genius!”
Age was also a recurring theme of several of Jones’ musings between songs. She tried to tell her fans that her voice is no longer as strong as it was in 2019 before COVID struck the world. However, the crowd wasn’t buying it, her voice sounded as clear as ever as member of the audience yelled out, “We love you Rickie!”
Jones also sparked a round of laughter from the audience when she pondered why there is no book for old age sex. The laughter also made her ponder why people are so shy. “We’re old people, why do we still hoot and giggle when someone mentions sex,” she teased.
Her closing number “The Last Chance Texaco” was dedicated to her friend and fellow musician, Sal Bernardi.
Rickie Lee Jones will again be on the stage at the Levon Helm Studios on June 24 as well as the Rochester International Jazz Festival on June 25 and Sony Hall in NYC on June 30.
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