It was an intimate night of storytelling and acoustic songs when iconic singer-songwriter, Jewel played to the nearly sold-out crowd at The Egg Theatre in downtown Albany NY! It was just her and her guitars, as she shared stories about her family, childhood, the struggles she’s faced and overcome as a teenager and an adult, including things she faced in her career and getting to where she is today. She admits how she loves to people watch, and some of her stories came from different experiences she had witnessed. She took us on an adventure through her eyes as she shared the inspiration behind so many of her songs.

And many of those stories were condensed versions that appear in her newly released memoir book, “Never Broken” where she goes into detail about growing up on a homestead in Alaska and joining her parent’s musical act at a young age performing in a variety of bars. While on the surface, it may seem like a star in the making, behind her a strong-willed family life, there was instability, abuse, and trauma. Her story is about triumph over those obstacles in life. She also talks about the many ups and downs she went through in her career as well. She’s now a mother and more recently going through a divorce, yet she managed to flourish and find happiness despite all the negative life lessons. She’s very inspiring to keep your head high, stay positive and take control over your own destiny… to never be broken.

Jewel performing hits off her 12 released studio albums, including her most recent release “Never Broken — Songs Are Only Half the Story.” Her strength, voice and beauty within shine bright and illuminated the room. Her stories are down to earth, full of life and very human. The night was almost like she took pages out of her diary and puttin it out for all to hear. She takes you on an emotional roller coaster of humor, sadness, and every other emotion in between. The 1000 seat theatre make for a very intimate setting to her acoustic show.

Below you will find more tour dates and a photo gallery from the show. Watch for her to come to your town. This is a tour you won’t want to miss!

Opening the night was the folk bluegrass band – JD & the Straight Shot. Given how Jewel played bluegrass with her family’s band and many of her stories revolved around that time of her life, it seemed fitting that they opened the show.

You may recognize a few of JD & The Straight Shot’s songs, as several have been featured on tv show and part of movie soundtracks: their song “Can’t Make Tears” is the theme song for AMC’s TV show “Hell on Wheels” and “”Violet’s Song” is part of the “August: Osage County” soundtrack (movie featuring Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and Ewan McGregor).

Live, you can’t help but notice how JD & The Straight Shot have a lot of fun. Their songs are packed full of emotions and I loved how the violin solo carried the melody and feel of the song on their tune “Don’t Waste My Time.” You can tell they really have fun playing and it carries across to the crowd. They are currently out on tour in support of their latest album, “Ballyhoo!”

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PHOTO GALLERIES :

JEWEL :: PHOTO GALLERY :: ALBANY NY

JD & the Straight Shot :: PHOTO GALLERY :: ALBANY NY

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TOUR DATES :

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4/14/16 Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse
4/15/16 Bethlehem, PA @ The Sands Casino Resort
4/16/16 Atlantic City, NJ @ Event Center at the Borgata
4/17/16 Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre
4/28/16 Munhall, PA @ Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead
4/29/16 Wilmington, DE @ The Playhouse on Rodney Square
4/30/16 Morristown, NJ @ Mayo Performing Arts Center
5/11/16 Monterey, CA @ Golden State Theater
5/12/16 Napa, CA @ Uptown Theatre
5/13/16 Saratoga, CA @ The Mountain Winery
5/14/16 Grass Valley, CA @ Veterans Memorial Auditorium
5/15/16 Modesto, CA @ Gallo Center For The Arts
5/18/16 Northridge, CA @ Valley Performing Arts Center
5/19/16 Riverside, CA @ Fox Performing Arts Center
5/21/16 San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s
5/25/16 Missoula, MT @ Wilma Theatre
5/26/16 Boise, ID @ Egyptian Theatre
5/27/16 Sun Valley, Idaho @ Sun Valley Pavilion
9/03/16 Park City, UT @ Deer Park Amphitheatre

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LINKS:

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JEWEL : jeweljk.com

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JD & the Straight Shot : jdandthestraightshot.com

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MUSICIAN PHOTO JOURNAL :

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