{"id":332974,"date":"2026-08-30T01:46:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T01:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/332974\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T01:46:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T01:46:13","slug":"melissa-etheridge-brings-more-love-to-the-new-york-state-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/332974\/","title":{"rendered":"Melissa Etheridge Brings \u201cMore Love\u201d to the New York State Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Great New York State Fair<\/a> celebrated LGBTQ+ Pride Day on Friday, August 28, bringing a day of community, visibility, and self-expression to the fairgrounds. Closing out the celebration at Suburban Park was queer icon and Grammy Award-winning artist Melissa Etheridge.<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo: Mandy Lain \u2013 Melissa Etheridge at Suburban Park<\/p>\n

Starting with \u2018Don\u2019t You Want a Woman\u2019<\/a>, the crowd knew they were in for a good night. Not long after, during \u2018Matches\u2019<\/a>, Etheridge played snippets of \u2018Jolene\u2019 to pay tribute to the late Dolly Parton. The crowd cheered even louder, ready to celebrate such an iconic musician.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before playing \u2018To Be a Woman \u2019<\/a>, Etheridge introduced the song: \u201cI wanted to write something about the last few years of my life, which have been very interesting, and all the things I have learned now in my wisdom. Another word for being over 60.\u201d Etheridge wrote the song with fans in mind; she knew that after all these years she could write albums, but that\u2019s temporary; singing them for her fans will last forever.<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo: Mandy Lain \u2013 Melissa Etheridge at Suburban Park<\/p>\n

Her song \u2018Tomboy\u2019<\/a> also had a light-hearted speech about embracing and taking back the nickname Etheridge was called growing up. Before the song started, fans cheered at the sentimental message and even more once the lyrics \u201cain\u2019t nothing weak when little girls are strong\u2019 and she flexed her bicep. At the end of the song, she even picked up a kazoo, impressively matching the melody and adding a playful touch to the performance.<\/p>\n

As the show moved forward and the audience danced and laughed at Etheridge\u2019s jokes, she transitioned into \u2018Come to My Window\u2019 <\/a>effortlessly by telling the crowd how she and the interpreter had been watching the full moon go up, referencing \u201cClaw inside, wait by the light of the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo: Mandy Lain \u2013 Melissa Etheridge at Suburban Park<\/p>\n

During \u2018I Want to Come Over,\u2019 <\/a>Etheridge reflected on the enduring connection she has built with her fans over the years. \u201cMelissa, I love your music,\u201d she recalled hearing from fans early in her career, followed by, \u201cMelissa, my mom loves your music.\u201d Now, she joked, the message has evolved to, \u201cMelissa, my crazy grandma loves your music.\u201d The playful reflection highlighted just how many generations have grown up with Etheridge\u2019s music and continue to carry it with them.<\/p>\n

\u2018Like the Way I Do\u2019<\/a> is one of Etheridge\u2019s most recognizable songs, and toward the end of the set, she reminded the crowd exactly why it has remained a fan favorite. She jammed with the show\u2019s interpreter, Amber Galloway, on guitar before making her way to the drum kit, where she joined drummer Eric Gardener for an energetic duet that became one of the standout moments of the performance.<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo: Mandy Lain \u2013 Melissa Etheridge at Suburban Park<\/p>\n

For her last song, Etheridge left everyone with a heartfelt message in which the song \u2018More Love\u2019 <\/a>reflected, \u201cAbout life and after you\u2019ve lived 60 years, you learn some things. Every moment is looking for more love.\u201d\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

No replies yet. Be the first to comment on Bluesky!<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Great New York State Fair celebrated LGBTQ+ Pride Day on Friday, August 28, bringing a day of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":332975,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[110104,125240,9,11,10,49,51,50],"class_list":["post-332974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-great-new-york-state-fair","tag-melissa-etheridge","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-state","tag-new-york-state-headlines","tag-new-york-state-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332974"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332974\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}