Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 25, 1994                   TAG: 9403250218
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ETHERIDGE IS AT HER BEST ON STAGE

She proved that with a blistering, crowd-pleasing performance Wednesday night at Virginia Tech's Burruss Auditorium in Blacksburg.

In the music business, that is a real tribute, particularly in an era in which too often recording studio gimmickry is such a ready substitute for talent.

Remember Milli Vanilli?

Well, Etheridge is certainly no Milli Vanilli.

Her brand of all-out, sometimes melodramatic rock seems to connect more with a live audience than perhaps it does coming from a record. On disc, such drama doesn't always ring true.

But on stage, Etheridge's conviction and earnestness is riveting - and rings completely honest.

Etheridge worked hard Wednesday. She played nearly two and a half hours and never coasted. Almost with every song, she outdistanced her recorded versions in intensity and raw emotion. Left them smoldering in her wake, in fact. It was an exhausting display.

Vocally, the raspy-throated Etheridge was solid all evening. She also had a magnetic stage presence, again a quality that doesn't come through on record. Etheridge was fun to watch, and she clearly was having fun herself.

For its part, the audience of an estimated 2,400 was rabidly enthusiastic, standing for nearly the entire show and bringing her back on stage for two encores.

The crowd often howled with pleasure at some of Etheridge's more suggestive lyrics, like: "I guess I'm only addicted to the pain of delight." Most of the response came from women in the audience. Last year, Etheridge publicly stated that she is a lesbian.

Coyly, she added one cover song to her set, Rod Stewart's "Maggie May."

The song was a concert high point in a show filled with high points.

Another highlight was one extended funky foray between Etheridge on acoustic guitar, John Shanks on lead guitar and Mark Browne on the thumping bass. A short acoustic set concluded with Dave Beyer's drumming on Shanks and Etheridge's two guitars and Browne's bass, rather than on his drums. It was a truly special moment.

Matthew Sweet opened Wednesday's show.

With Sweet, imagine Neil Young at his most grungy, only more sonic, if that's possible.

Sweet and his backing trio offered up a ferocious, guitar-driven 45-minute set that was effectively abrasive, while maintaining a certain melodic undertone.

In other words: they were noisy and in-your-face, but still oddly musical.

Among the songs Sweet played was: "Devil With The Green Eyes," "I've Been Waiting," "Girlfriend" and "Time Capsule."

Arguably, his best number, however, was a powerful "Someone to Pull the Trigger," punctuated by Richard Lloyd's searing lead guitar. Lloyd is a former member of the influential alternative band Television.

Not so good was an obnoxious "Superdeformed," where Sweet and Lloyd took the abrasive approach maybe a level too far.

Otherwise, Sweet proved a suitable opener and nothing really more.