Another night of old-school music at Grand Falls
Back to Grand Falls Casino for another taste of what old school music looks and sounds like.
This time, the Event Center was graced with Melissa Etheridge taking the stage, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my trips to Grand Falls, it’s that they know how to bring in artists who’ve stood the test of time. From one legendary act to another, the Event Center continues to be a place where you can see artists who helped shape the soundtrack of multiple generations.
Etheridge has been a major presence in American rock music since the release of her self titled debut album in 1988. Over the decades, she has collected two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for “I Need to Wake Up,” which was featured in Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth.
But her story is about considerably more than awards.
In 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer, which she beat after she went through treatment, including chemotherapy. Even so, she continued performing, even appearing at the 2005 Grammy Awards. Her career continued, and decades after first stepping onto the national stage, she’s still writing, recording and touring.
That perseverance is especially fitting when you look at her newest album, Rise. Released March 27, 2026, the album is Etheridge’s 17th studio album and carries themes of pain, loss, love, acceptance and resilience.
And on September 25, she brought that experience to Larchwood, Iowa.
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‘We’re gonna get crazy’
To start the show, Etheridge announced something that seemed particularly appropriate considering this was the final show of the tour.
She told the audience that because there was nothing left after this, they were going to get the crazy.
And did we ever.
For someone in her 60s, Etheridge can still bring it.
She might not spend the entire night jumping around the stage or running from one side to the other, but honestly, she didn’t need to. There’s a confidence that comes from spending decades doing something at the highest level, and Etheridge carried that confidence throughout the night.
More importantly, she still has the pipes.
That might have been the most impressive part of the entire evening for me.
I can scream along to a concert for a night and completely destroy my voice for the next couple of days. Meanwhile, these artists go out night after night, sometimes for decades, and somehow still sound fresh.
That’s the difference between singing for fun and singing for a living.
Your voice becomes your instrument.
You have to take care of it, learn how to use it and know when to push it. Etheridge demonstrated all of that throughout the night. There was power behind the vocals, but there was also control. After nearly four decades of performing, that’s something pretty remarkable to witness.
A guitar, a guitar tech and a moment that felt personal
One of the most unexpected moments of the night happened during a guitar change.
If you’ve ever watched a professional concert closely, you know there’s an entire machine working behind the scenes to make everything appear seamless. The artist finishes a song, the lights shift, someone comes running out with another instrument and suddenly everything’s ready for the next song.
Etheridge’s longtime guitar tech was a busy man that night.
Song after song, he was bringing out freshly tuned guitars and keeping the transitions moving. But during one of those changes, Etheridge took a moment to tell the audience about their relationship and how long they’d been working together.
She then handed him a guitar.
The story behind it made the moment even more meaningful. Etheridge explained that it was a guitar she had lost at one point but eventually found again. Rather than simply keeping it for herself, she gave it to her longtime guitar tech.
It was a small moment compared with the production of the entire concert, but it was one that stuck with me.
I found myself wondering whether this was something she’d planned specifically for the final show of the tour, whether she had done something similar at previous shows, or whether this was simply one of those spontaneous moments that happened because the circumstances were right.
His reaction certainly made me wonder.
Maybe he was completely shocked. Maybe he was already thinking about the next guitar that needed to be tuned. Or maybe there was a history between the two of them that made the gesture mean even more than the audience could understand.
Whatever the case, it was a heartfelt moment, and I’m glad I got to witness it.
A little Dolly Parton
Another story that stood out came when Etheridge talked about Dolly Parton.
September 25 had been recognized as Dolly Parton Day in several places in 2026, with the date intentionally tied to Parton’s iconic song “9 to 5.” Parton passed away on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80, making the September 25 celebrations part of the early tributes to her legacy.
Etheridge mentioned the significance of the date during the show, and I have to admit, at the time I was wondering how much of the story was serious and how much was Etheridge having a little fun with the audience.
Either way, I can definitely get behind it.
There was something fitting about hearing Dolly Parton remembered during a night celebrating another artist who has spent decades making music, breaking barriers and building a career that has crossed generations.
And the fact that this concert happened on September 25 made the story that much more special.
‘Tomboy’ and taking back a name
The final highlight for me personally came with “Tomboy.”
Before performing the song, Etheridge told the story behind the nickname and what it meant to her growing up.
Sometimes a song can simply be a song.
Then an artist gives you the story behind it.
Suddenly the lyrics have another element to them.
That was the case with “Tomboy.”
The combination of Etheridge’s story, the lyrics and the performance created a moment that felt much more personal than simply another song in the setlist. It was a reminder that some of the songs artists write aren’t just entertainment. They’re pieces of their own history, identity and experiences.
Being able to hear that story directly from the person who lived it made the performance hit differently.
Afterglow
Overall, it was another amazing night at the Event Center at Grand Falls Casino.
What continues to impress me about this venue is the variety of artists they’re able to bring through the area. There’s something special about seeing artists with decades of history performing in a relatively intimate setting rather than having to travel to a massive arena to experience them.
Melissa Etheridge was another example of that.
You have an artist who’s been doing this since 1988, who’s won Grammys, an Academy Award and earned a place in rock history, standing on a stage in Larchwood and still sounding like she’s something left to say.
And that’s probably my biggest takeaway from the night.
Getting older doesn’t mean the music stops.
If anything, sometimes the stories behind the music become even more meaningful.
Grand Falls has plenty more of those stories coming.
As of this writing, the Event Center’s upcoming lineup includes Rick Springfield on October 16, Blue Öyster Cult on November 7 and Wilson Phillips on November 14.
So if you’ve not checked out the upcoming shows at Grand Falls Casino, I would highly recommend taking a look.
If Melissa Etheridge was any indication, there’re still plenty of blasts from the past waiting to remind us why these artists became legends in the first place.
I hope to see you there!
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