and on the long wail at the end of the chorus the crowd joined her, almost 16,000 voices strong, howling “Hooooonky Tonk Broad!” with her. They stood at the end, cheering the group, cheering for themselves, cheering being young and finally being done with school.
Brandee didn't let them sit down before she rolled into “Your Ass is Mine”, a sassy fast number designed to get the crowd clapping along. Again, they responded. When Diane started it off by crossing her sticks over her head and clapping them together, the crowd was as one with her almost immediately. Suzi switched from bass to electric axe for this one and stepped forward to join Brandee at the front of the stage for the chorus line. No one knew whether it was because she was playing for two, or the roar of the crowd, but Suzi had never been better as her fingers flew over the strings. Brandee stepped back to let her take some of the adulation of the crowd at the end.
Next was “12 Gauge”, the classic speedball that had been done by so many artists before. Brandee's growl came into play now, and the crowd loved it. Brandee was with the crowd now, feeding off their energy. She came back to the stage and made a quick change in the set.
This was usually the time that she made love to the wind machine. Tonight, she waved it off. She wanted to keep on rocking! She turned to her band mates and mouthed, “Bad Girl in Town”. This was one that they had only used once before on stage and never yet on this tour. It featured Bruce's best and fastest keyboard artistry, surrounded by the highest notes in Brandee's voice arsenal. It was a risky choice, since they already had the crowd where they wanted them. Brandee could have sung the yellow pages by now and the crowd would have roared their approval, but she wanted to give them something truly special of herself to take on summer break with them.
“Bad Girl in Town” started with some fairly simple syncopation with an underlying medium beat. After about 12 bars, it picked up steam. By the time Brandee got to “I'm the bad girl in town and you'd better give me plenty of rooooooom,” she was going to have to be in mezzo soprano range under a strong whip from Bruce's keyboard and Diane's drum. Could she do it without cracking or giving up on the high A that she needed?
Damn straight, she could! She had been born for this moment! With a band behind her at the top of their talents and a roaring crowd in front of her, she never wanted another moment on stage that didn't feel like this, only bigger and better. Hell, she thought. I don't want another moment in life that doesn't feel like this, only bigger and better.
Diane's drum solo was next. It gave Jake a chance to step to the side of the stage and meet Brandee there with her water while the spotlight was on Diane. He was so very proud of his wife. She thanked him for the water and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, her face blazing hot against his. Her eyes were agleam with what was going on, the shine from them glowing in the shadows at the side of the stage.
As she turned to go back to the center of the stage, Jake said, “It's all you baby! It's all you.”
Brandee nodded to him and went back to the center of the stage. After Diane's drum solo, Brandee did something that she hadn't done before on stage. She pointed her microphone toward the drum kit and shouted, “Diane E. Hoover, ladies and gentlemen!” The crowd roared its approval. Next Brandee introduced, in turn, Suzi and Bruce to the crowd. Suzi waved her axe over her head, acknowledging the crowd. Bruce gave the crowd a smart salute.
The time that it took to introduce the rest of Brandee had given the lead singer a few extra moments to catch her breath. She had laid it all on the stage tonight and wanted to have something left for her final two numbers.
Her second-to-last number was
Brandee didn't let them sit down before she rolled into “Your Ass is Mine”, a sassy fast number designed to get the crowd clapping along. Again, they responded. When Diane started it off by crossing her sticks over her head and clapping them together, the crowd was as one with her almost immediately. Suzi switched from bass to electric axe for this one and stepped forward to join Brandee at the front of the stage for the chorus line. No one knew whether it was because she was playing for two, or the roar of the crowd, but Suzi had never been better as her fingers flew over the strings. Brandee stepped back to let her take some of the adulation of the crowd at the end.
Next was “12 Gauge”, the classic speedball that had been done by so many artists before. Brandee's growl came into play now, and the crowd loved it. Brandee was with the crowd now, feeding off their energy. She came back to the stage and made a quick change in the set.
This was usually the time that she made love to the wind machine. Tonight, she waved it off. She wanted to keep on rocking! She turned to her band mates and mouthed, “Bad Girl in Town”. This was one that they had only used once before on stage and never yet on this tour. It featured Bruce's best and fastest keyboard artistry, surrounded by the highest notes in Brandee's voice arsenal. It was a risky choice, since they already had the crowd where they wanted them. Brandee could have sung the yellow pages by now and the crowd would have roared their approval, but she wanted to give them something truly special of herself to take on summer break with them.
“Bad Girl in Town” started with some fairly simple syncopation with an underlying medium beat. After about 12 bars, it picked up steam. By the time Brandee got to “I'm the bad girl in town and you'd better give me plenty of rooooooom,” she was going to have to be in mezzo soprano range under a strong whip from Bruce's keyboard and Diane's drum. Could she do it without cracking or giving up on the high A that she needed?
Damn straight, she could! She had been born for this moment! With a band behind her at the top of their talents and a roaring crowd in front of her, she never wanted another moment on stage that didn't feel like this, only bigger and better. Hell, she thought. I don't want another moment in life that doesn't feel like this, only bigger and better.
Diane's drum solo was next. It gave Jake a chance to step to the side of the stage and meet Brandee there with her water while the spotlight was on Diane. He was so very proud of his wife. She thanked him for the water and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, her face blazing hot against his. Her eyes were agleam with what was going on, the shine from them glowing in the shadows at the side of the stage.
As she turned to go back to the center of the stage, Jake said, “It's all you baby! It's all you.”
Brandee nodded to him and went back to the center of the stage. After Diane's drum solo, Brandee did something that she hadn't done before on stage. She pointed her microphone toward the drum kit and shouted, “Diane E. Hoover, ladies and gentlemen!” The crowd roared its approval. Next Brandee introduced, in turn, Suzi and Bruce to the crowd. Suzi waved her axe over her head, acknowledging the crowd. Bruce gave the crowd a smart salute.
The time that it took to introduce the rest of Brandee had given the lead singer a few extra moments to catch her breath. She had laid it all on the stage tonight and wanted to have something left for her final two numbers.
Her second-to-last number was
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