At the risk of sounding immodest and boastful: I slayed ‘em at Bites Blues Club on my first night. I gave them everything. I cried. I joked. I started the show by walking through the room singing the intro to “Something’s Got Ahold of Me” – a cappella.

Sometimes, I get a feeling, yeah.
I get a feeling I ain’t never, never felt before, no, no, no.
And I just gotta tell y’all
I said Y’all.

At this point the audience screams back:
Y’ALL

I said Y’all!

Y’ALL!
This went back and forth a couple of times.

I’m In!

And I sang standing on the floor with the audience instead of onstage. It just felt right.

Then I dusted off “I’d Rather Go Blind” and sang the hell out of that tune. I got very emotional. I also performed “Amazing Grace” a cappella for a change of pace. I figured that watching an African American singing a spiritual might be a treat for the Latvian audience. I talked about my childhood memories of my grandfather singing “Amazing Grace” from the pulpit and how he had fled a lynch mob from the South and became a prominent preacher. I told them of my mom’s death and how I sang “Amazing Grace” at her funeral. The pain of my mother’s sudden death, the thought of my grandfather fleeing a lynch mob combined with thoughts of the historic oppression of the Latvian people suddenly got to me. It was so poignant. I felt like we were sharing this moment and feeling it together. The emotions boiled over – for all of us.

The room was mine.

The night turned into a Love-fest – a big dancing Love-fest. And of course The LBB was awesome as usual!

Everyone was on their feet!

I was very lucky that the first few tables were filled with receptive, uninhibited people. They got the entire room loosened up also. I met the couple who sat front and center. He (Phillip) is a Australian and has lived in Riga for 15 years and he’s also a reporter from the Baltic Times. She (Sondra) is from Sweden. We sat and chatted for hours after the show. I loved them! They were so much fun!

New friends: Phil & Sondra horsing around!

They did their best to convince me to join them at a Latvian Bath House for saunas and massages the next day.

I thought about it. I said to myself:

Get outta the comfort zone! Have a real adventure, get naked in a bath house in Latvia!

Tempting – but the whole idea of me walking around naked (or even in a towel) in front of a bunch of staring Latvians… well, I won’t even do that at the Spa at the Trump Hotel! (see post: Spa Culture)

Tags: bites blues club riga, latvian blues band, Lynne Jordan, lynne jordan & the shivers, lynne jordan and the shivers, riga, riga latvia, Something's Got Ahold of Me, the baltic times., women's body image
Filed under: In the Life of a Diva