My husband, daughter and I attended the concert on July 30. We have attended Jazz concerts at Ste. Michelle ever since the Smooth Jazz station started promoting the concerts. It was always worth the drive from Tacoma. Booby Caldwell had a great set as always. But we were VERY DISSATISFIED with the two female artists! Neither of them had anything to do with Smooth Jazz music. It was torture. However, Nellie McKay was actually OFFENSIVE!! The songs she made up with the politically charged lyrics were terrible. It was an insult to anyone who has served in our nation’s military or are a military family member. My husband is retired from the military, and I retired as a nurse from Madigan Army Medical Center. I couldn’t hear all the lyrics, but she spoke of fathers signing their sons up for war and the sons returning in coffins from Iraq and Iran, and “the only good Arab is a dead Arab” etc. Totally inappropriate!! Some people started booing, many just started their own conversations, and many started to pack up their stuff and leave. One woman behind us started a Seahawks chant just to drown out the singing. Certainly Event Management noted the large numbers of people leaving by the end of Nelly’s performance. Her microphone should have been turned off as soon as she started with the rogue lyrics. We should not have been subjected to an hour of that. The only reason we stayed was because Jonathan Butler and Gerald Albright never disappoint. They made the day worthwhile! But it felt like we were held hostage during the approximately two hours of Madelyn Peyroux(sp?) and Nelly’s performances. Local Seattle artists could have done a better job filling that void. I will not attend again unless I know all the artists that are scheduled.
Please bring back TRUE Smooth Jazz to Ste. Michelle!!