- [Announcer] Presented by the Kansas Arts Commission.

- Across our state and across the world, Kansas artists inspire us and enrich our communities with their talents and creativity.

This program celebrates those Kansas artists, some of whom you may know and others you may not, by bringing you remarkable performances from my office in the beautiful and historic Kansas Statehouse.

Welcome to the LG Desk Concerts.

- I'm Sierra Scott.

Welcome to this edition of the LG Desk Concert series.

In tonight's segment, we feature a Leavenworth, Kansas, native.

Her songs are known all over the world.

In fact, she's won two Grammys, one Oscar, and was ASCAP Songwriter of the Year.

So please welcome Melissa Etheridge.

(crowd applauds) - Aw.

Thank you so much.

I haven't been in the capitol building, the Kansas Capitol Building since, well, it was maybe 1973 when I was a page here.

Yes.

Ah, yes, I was.

I walked around these halls and did some things.

I was so honored and delighted to be a part of this growing up in Leavenworth.

So, here to do some songs for you.

Here's the first one.

♪ Hello, hello ♪ ♪ This is Romeo ♪ ♪ Calling from a jackpot telephone ♪ ♪ Shame, shame ♪ ♪ Oh but I love your name ♪ ♪ And the way you make the buffalo roam ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Fly, fly ♪ ♪ I guess this is goodbye ♪ ♪ Oh you packed up your heart ♪ ♪ And you left no souvenirs ♪ ♪ But if you want me, you can call me ♪ ♪ In the night you know where I'll be ♪ ♪ Broken lover you can touch me ♪ ♪ In the dark the innocent can't see ♪ ♪ You lock it up now, hide the key ♪ ♪ It would mean surrender to let me see ♪ ♪ Oh brave, brave soldier, keep it under cover ♪ ♪ You fell alone like no other lover ♪ ♪ Burn the pictures, break the records ♪ ♪ Run far away to a northern town ♪ ♪ Sell your fear and leave me standing here ♪ ♪ With no souvenirs ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Once, twice ♪ ♪ I thought it might be nice ♪ ♪ To come into your kitchen and play ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ Cool, cool, baby ♪ ♪ I was just a crazy fool ♪ ♪ You know I ♪ ♪ I never saw it any other way ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Wait, wait ♪ ♪ I guess I'm just too late ♪ ♪ Oh you made up your mind ♪ ♪ Love shouldn't be so hard ♪ ♪ But if you want me, you can call me ♪ ♪ In the night you know where I'll be ♪ ♪ Broken lover you can touch me ♪ ♪ In the dark the innocent can't see, no ♪ ♪ You lock it up now, hide the key ♪ ♪ It would mean surrender to let me see ♪ ♪ Oh brave, brave soldier, keep it under cover ♪ ♪ You fell alone like no other lover ♪ ♪ Burn the pictures, break the records ♪ ♪ Run far away to a northern town ♪ ♪ Sell your fear and leave me standing here ♪ ♪ With no souvenirs ♪ ♪ No shirts, no shoes ♪ ♪ No jackets, no blues ♪ ♪ Your car's for sale ♪ ♪ And then you forward your mail ♪ ♪ You're growing your hair ♪ ♪ You don't want to know where I'm calling you from ♪ ♪ Or how come ♪ ♪ But if you want me, you can call me ♪ ♪ Every night you know where I'll be ♪ ♪ Broken lover you can touch me ♪ ♪ 'Cause in the dark the innocent can't see, no ♪ ♪ You lock it up now, hide the key ♪ ♪ It would mean surrender to let me see ♪ ♪ Oh brave, brave soldier, keep it under cover ♪ ♪ You fell alone like no other lover ♪ ♪ Burn the pictures, break the records ♪ ♪ Run far away to a northern town ♪ ♪ Sell your fear and leave me standing here ♪ ♪ With no souvenirs ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Hello, hello ♪ ♪ This is Romeo ♪ (crowd applauds) Thank you.

- [Colleague] Thank you.

- Incredible.

Eight years old, you knew you wanted a guitar.

You wanted to do this.

What inspired that?

Did you just wake up one day or was there somebody who inspired that?

- No.

Growing up again in Leavenworth, we listened to WHB.

It was the radio station.

The AM radios.

We only had AM back then in Kansas City, right?

We got it in Leavenworth.

And they played everything.

They played pop music.

I could hear then Tammy Wynette.

Then I could hear Marvin Gaye.

Then I could hear Led Zeppelin.

And it was all on one radio station.

And the music that was played and the live performances that then I heard on KY 102.

I used to listen to that over, and that was the FM station, more rock.

Then I had the television.

We had "The Ed Sullivan Show".

Mike Douglas.

All this entertainment.

And I just loved it.

Then my father was a high school...

He taught at Leavenworth High School, and he was a coach too.

And he would take me to like the performances and the plays and things.

And I saw this.

It lit something up in me like nothing had ever done.

And I just had a crazy dream that maybe a girl from Kansas could actually, well, grow up and do those things.

- How about that?

You did it.

- How about it?

You can do anything.

Anything.

(crowd applauds) - Would you honor us?

Would you try to play this song?

- Yes, yes, yes.

Ah.

So I eventually made my way to California.

Never forgetting about Kansas.

Nobody let me forget about Kansas.

(crowd laughs) What's that weird accent you have?

That little twang.

What's that?

You know, and I'd say, "Kansas."

And they'd, "Oh, Dorothy, right?"

Aagh.

You know.

How many times I heard that.

But I just never forgot about what it was like in Kansas.

And there was a time that I finally took a road trip in 1982.

I'm sorry, in '86.

I'd been in California for four years, and I just sort of booked my own road trip.

And later, when I finally did get a record deal, I remembered what it was like to drive from California all the way to New York City and back.

And I wrote a song about it when I was actually in Europe, because I was really missing America.

And this is what it's called.

♪ Come on, baby, let's get out of this town ♪ ♪ I got a full tank of gas ♪ ♪ With the top rolled down ♪ ♪ There's a chill in my bones ♪ ♪ I don't wanna be left alone ♪ ♪ And, baby, you can sleep while I drive ♪ ♪ I'll pack my bag ♪ ♪ And load up my guitar ♪ ♪ In my pocket, I'll carry my harp ♪ ♪ Oh I've got some money I saved ♪ ♪ Enough to get underway ♪ ♪ And, baby, you can sleep while I drive ♪ ♪ We'll go through Tucson ♪ ♪ Up to Santa Fe ♪ ♪ And Barbara in Nashville ♪ ♪ Oh she says we're welcome to stay ♪ ♪ I'll buy you glasses in Texas ♪ ♪ A hat from New Orleans ♪ ♪ And in the morning ♪ ♪ You can tell me your dreams ♪ ♪ Oh you know I've seen it before ♪ ♪ This mist that covers your eyes ♪ ♪ You've been looking for something ♪ ♪ That's not in your life ♪ ♪ My intentions are true ♪ ♪ Won't you take me with you ♪ ♪ And, baby, you can sleep while I drive ♪ (Melissa vocalizing) ♪ Is it other arms you want to ♪ ♪ Hold you ♪ ♪ The stranger ♪ ♪ The lover, you're free ♪ ♪ Can't you get that with me ♪ ♪ Come on, baby, let's get out of this town ♪ ♪ I got a full tank of gas ♪ ♪ With the top rolled down ♪ ♪ If you won't take me with you ♪ ♪ I'll go before night is through ♪ ♪ And, baby, you can sleep ♪ ♪ While I drive ♪ (crowd applauds) This song was written about my memories in Kansas.

This song, this was from my fifth album.

Now I'd been in Los Angeles for, my goodness, 15 years when I wrote this song.

And I remember thinking about how I had come home from Boston.

I went to Berklee College of Music for a few weeks, really.

It wasn't much.

But I was in Boston for like a year and a half.

And then I came back to Kansas and kind of trying to get myself together.

I was about 20 years old and sort of learning about myself, how I was a little different.

I would meet people, meet my friends at Havens Hill, which is a little kind of outside the outskirts of Leavenworth.

And you know, we'd all talk.

And then I had an old '64 Chevy that I used to drive.

It was 19...

It was blue.

It was, you know, that car.

(crowd laughs) After we'd all talk, I would get in the car sometimes with others and drive.

Drive those country roads that absolutely never ever end and go on and on.

And I just wanted to remember that in my head.

So I wrote this song sitting in Los Angeles, thinking about Leavenworth.

(pensive music) ♪ I know a place ♪ ♪ Down past an old shack ♪ ♪ On a road that goes to nowhere ♪ ♪ Ain't nobody coming back ♪ ♪ We can go there tonight ♪ ♪ We can talk until dawn ♪ ♪ Or maybe something else ♪ ♪ I'll leave the radio on ♪ ♪ The radio on ♪ ♪ There's no one to hear ♪ ♪ You might as well scream ♪ ♪ 'Cause they never woke up ♪ ♪ From the American dream ♪ ♪ And they don't understand ♪ ♪ What they don't see ♪ ♪ They look through you ♪ ♪ And they look past me ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ You and I dancing slow ♪ ♪ We got nowhere to go ♪ ♪ Past the Walmart and the prison ♪ ♪ Down by the old VA ♪ ♪ Just my jeans and my T-shirt ♪ ♪ And my blue Chevrolet ♪ ♪ Well, it's Saturday night ♪ ♪ Oh it feels like everything's wrong ♪ ♪ And I got some strawberry wine ♪ ♪ I wanna get you alone ♪ ♪ I wanna get you alone ♪ ♪ There's no one to hear ♪ ♪ Oh you might as well scream ♪ ♪ 'Cause they never woke up ♪ ♪ From the American dream ♪ ♪ And they don't understand ♪ ♪ What they don't see ♪ ♪ And they look through you ♪ ♪ And they look past me ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ You and I dancing slow ♪ ♪ And we got nowhere to go ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Down by the muddy water ♪ ♪ Of the mighty Mo ♪ ♪ In an old abandoned boxcar ♪ ♪ Will I ever know ♪ ♪ Dance with me ♪ ♪ Forever ♪ ♪ This moment is divine ♪ ♪ I'm so close to heaven ♪ ♪ This hell is not mine ♪ ♪ Oh this hell is not mine ♪ ♪ There's no one to hear ♪ ♪ You might as well scream ♪ ♪ They never, never woke up ♪ ♪ From the American dream ♪ ♪ And they don't understand ♪ ♪ What they don't see ♪ ♪ And they look through you ♪ ♪ And they look past me ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ You and I dancing slow ♪ ♪ And we got nowhere to go ♪ (crowd applauds) - So how did your Kansas roots help you in your career?

What difference did it make?

How do you think it affected you?

- Oh, incredibly.

A lot.

Because even though I did grow up, my mother and father were lovely, nice people.

But it was also the Midwest in the '60s and everything was just fine.

It was fine.

No matter what, we're all fine.

You know?

It's this sort of, we don't ever get up here or down there too much.

We're all just fine.

And that sort of really resonated to me, musically.

I took all those feelings I had, like as an adolescent, as a young adult, as a LGBT person that didn't understand what was going on.

All those feelings I would put into my music instead of, you know, taking it out on someone.

And taking, then, the values that also came from that, which was my parents worked hard.

They did not complain.

I arrived in Kansas.

I arrived in Hollywood with a feeling.

Is you work hard, you play hard, and you're kind.

That's just what you do.

I didn't feel like anyone owed me anything.

I just sort of walked along and I had these values, as crazy things would happen around me.

I was in Hollywood.

And having those and the willingness to just keep going.

I mean, I remember I was about 18, getting ready to leave and go off.

And I asked my mom, who was never overly supportive, but she didn't say I couldn't do it.

I said, "Mom, do you think I can make it?"

And she goes, "Well, it's a one in a million chance, but who's to say you're not that one?"

I said, "That's enough."

That was it.

That was all I needed right there.

- And you were.

One of the things you get from your fans is that sometimes they say your music sounds angry.

Are you angry?

- Angry?

- Yes.

- No, not at all.

I have nothing to be angry about.

I always believe that if you're angry, you're pushing and giving a lot of energy to something.

And I would rather be for things than against things.

I am passionate.

Yes.

- Yes.

- I can be very passionate.

But I try to.

In my writing and in my singing, even though it's rock and roll and it's, argh, like this, it's a release and it's not against anything.

I guess I don't know what I would do.

My last song for you all.

Yeah, this song has done me well.

I always tell people that sometimes we don't even know our best work.

Because when I was making this album, this album that was called "Yes I Am".

When I was making it, I wrote this song and recorded it.

And I said, "Ah, I don't know, I don't think I'm going to put it on the album.

I don't know if people will understand it.

And it's just kind of simple."

And I had a couple friends go, "Are you crazy?

No, you must put this song on."

I was like, "Okay."

So thank you, friends.

Thank you all.

Thank you fellow Kansans.

Be proud of this state.

Believe me, you're doing so much.

I see it.

Everybody sees it.

(crowd applauds) So proud to be from here.

Thank you all.

♪ I would dial the numbers ♪ ♪ Just to listen to your breath ♪ ♪ I would stand inside my hell ♪ ♪ Hold the hand of death ♪ ♪ You don't know how far I'd go ♪ ♪ To ease this precious ache ♪ ♪ You don't know how much I'd give ♪ ♪ Or how much I can take ♪ ♪ Just to reach you ♪ ♪ Just to reach you ♪ ♪ Oh, to reach you ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Come to my window ♪ ♪ Crawl inside ♪ ♪ Wait by the light of the moon ♪ ♪ Come to my window ♪ ♪ I'll be home soon ♪ ♪ Keeping my eyes open ♪ ♪ I cannot afford to sleep ♪ ♪ Giving away promises ♪ ♪ I know that I can't keep ♪ ♪ Nothing fills the blackness ♪ ♪ That has seeped into my chest ♪ ♪ I need you in my blood ♪ ♪ I am forsaking all the rest ♪ ♪ Just to reach you ♪ ♪ Just to reach you ♪ ♪ Oh, to reach you ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Come to my window ♪ ♪ Crawl inside ♪ ♪ Wait by the light of the moon ♪ ♪ Come to my window ♪ ♪ I'll be home soon ♪ ♪ I don't care what they think ♪ ♪ I don't care what they say ♪ ♪ What do they know about this love ♪ ♪ Anyway ♪ ♪ Come, come to my window ♪ ♪ I'll be home ♪ ♪ I'll be home, I'll be home ♪ ♪ I am coming home ♪ ♪ Come to my window ♪ ♪ Oh, crawl inside ♪ ♪ Wait by the light of the moon ♪ ♪ Come to my window ♪ ♪ I'll be home soon ♪ ♪ I am ♪ ♪ Yeah, I'm coming home ♪ (crowd applauds) Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Woo.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

(crowd applauds) Woo.

- [Fan] Woo.

- Woo.

There you go.

- [Fan] Woo.

Woo-hoo.

- Thank you so much.