Etta May

Etta May's show is described as having Southern Sass, and I'll add, Southern Sass without being crass. How nice to attend a show where I could cringe at the situations talked about by the two comedians, and not at the constant barrage of foul language that never adds anything to a performance. I'd read that Etta has great comic timing, and observed this throughout the show! Her details would go on for a while and then she'd get a little quiet, and finally drop the perfect comedic ending. There were other things that made Etta's show stand out for me. She started her show earlier than most. Yet there was ample time to have dinner nearby and make it without encountering big-city traffic. Even with an opening act, I was on my way home by 9 PM. I truly appreciated that. Driving after dark is no longer pleasant. The second thing was that she chose a venue outside the city of Milwaukee. The Saber Center was a lovely, large site attached to a high school. It was immaculately clean there, and the seating was comfortable with great leg room. Parking was easy; getting there was easy; getting out of the lot and headed home was EASY, making the entire evening perfect. No expensive parking or waiting for an hour in a high-rise lot to get lost in the city once you hit a side street needing 16 turns to get you to the interstate because everything is one-way. Overall, this was a show that is in the top tier of any I've gone to, simply because the patron was valued rather than the artist. Etta's a hard worker. She is personable, and greeted her fans after the show while selling her swag. She shook my hand because I'd dressed as an Etta-head with a print blouse, sweater, and bandana. She posed for pictures and didn't rush anyone. Finally, ticket prices were reasonable, and she allowed the students to sell refreshments, so a bottle of water was a dollar! She "gets" her followers. No breaking the bank to enjoy her performance and enjoy a fun evening out.