Originally Posted by
benross
This was true of her concert appearances as well. She was scheduled to appear in New York in about 1982 [[?) and was terrified to face the audiences and the critics.
On what was to be the opening night show at the relatively intimate Upper West Side room, we were told that she was ill; we were to come back the following night.
On what was scheduled to be the second night of her engagement, we were told that she was ill; we were to come back the following night.
On what was supposed to be the third night of her engagement, she summoned up the courage and performed for the first time. Every word and every note was correct, but she seemed a bit unsure at the end of each song, then surprised and maybe relieved when the audience gave her warm applause. Too, I think she was surprised a bit to learn that most songs received applause at the outset, too, as the were recognized in an instant, whether they were hits or deep cuts. By the end of the evening, she relaxed enough to move a bit, swaying with the rhythm instead of standing somewhat stiffly.
I'm not sure if she completed the engagement, which may have been one or two weeks in length; I seem to recall that she missed at least one other night, along with the first two. People who saw her at some other point during her run indicated that on those later nights, also, she seemed slightly hesitant and surprised until she approached the last few songs and knew she could make it through the show.
She seemed humble but had no need to; she was far better than some of the singers who would slink into town back then, thinking they were the greatest thing since Elvis, The Beatles or Sophie Tucker, even if they were among the many who were one-hit wonders and were incredibly lucky to make it even that one time, based on the lack of presence and talent they manifested in person.
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