Poor Folk

When Rickie Lee Jones played the Belly Up Tavern on January 5, a person in the audience was overheard saying, "Wow, she's fat! She's a bad looking 52." Another guy said, "Chunky's in love," a pun referring to her 1979 hit song "Chuck E's in Love."

Before starting a song, she warned the audience that she'd forgotten some lyrics. Then, during the song, she hummed a few bars and did the "scat" thing, spouting a few sentences of nonsensical words.

While introducing her band, she forgot the names of her bassist and keyboardist. She approached each of them individually, exchanged whispers, and then she introduced them to the audience.

At one point during the show, a guy stood up near the back and said, "Rickie, can you do that song again?" She said, "If you buy me a drink." He went on to explain that he couldn't hear it because some people were talking next to him. I then pointed to the people next to me, and said, "You guys are, too."

After the next song, she lectured the crowd in a soft-spoken way about being disruptive.

Jones did hear an electrical appliance at the bar and stopped a song a few minutes into it. When she resumed singing, she heard a drink being shaken. Instead of stopping, she made it a part of her song, singing "Shake, shake, shake..."

The club was maybe half full of people. At rickieleejones.com, it states: "The hard financial times have taken their toll on Rickie Lee's funds.... WE simply do not have enough money to create new music. So, we are asking our fans, friends and family to send us money, and in return, your name will appear on the next CD, as well as, of course, we will send you the CD in advance of the release."