She spoke fondly of her two Bowl appearances, calling them among her proudest moments, having stood in the footsteps of such figures as Billie Holiday (who had the first hit recording of “Summertime” in 1936) and Garland.
She was looking forward to recording a new song that would again expand her musical range, Kris Kristofferson’s “ Me and Bobby McGee” - an uplifting, country-flavored sing-along about recapturing faded good times. When I spoke with her a few months later, she was more upbeat. Together, “Piece of My Heart” and “ Summertime” represented the Rosebud of Joplin’s journey.Īs I remember it, Joplin left the stage far differently than she arrived, frequently pausing to wave to the audience, trying to make the set last just a bit longer. The song felt out of place alongside the aggressive “Piece of My Heart” on “Cheap Thrills,“ her 1968 album with Big Brother and the Holding Company, but it was absorbing live as Joplin’s vocal achingly expressed the deep longing for comfort promised in the song. George Gershwin composed “Summertime” in 1934, with lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin, for the opera “Porgy and Bess,” one of the monumental pieces in American music. Though most of her songs were supercharged blues numbers, she changed the pace with a softer song that was familiar to older Bowl regulars, the few who were spread throughout the mostly young, capacity audience. It’s a rush.”įrom my third-row seat that night, Joplin was so joyful at times in the blaze of audience affection that she broke into giggles. It’s more excitement than you expect in a lifetime.
But what the hell?”įor the next hour, longer than she would be onstage, Joplin addressed the reasons behind the pain in her voice - her years as the ugly duckling who was treated as an outcast in high school - and how music was the one thing that she could count on. Maybe it would add a couple of years to my life. I suppose I could eat organic foods, get eight hours of sleep every night, stop smoking - things like that. Sure, I could take better care of myself. Maybe they can enjoy my music more if they think I’m destroying myself. “People seem to have a high sense of drama about me. “That’s what I mean about writers,” she said. The 26-year-old ragged-voiced singer from Port Arthur, Texas, who was known to take swigs of Southern Comfort between songs, was associated with sweaty blues clubs and rowdy rock venues. On paper, Joplin and the Bowl were a mismatch. The Bowl, which celebrates its 100th birthday this summer, had been built with the loftiest of intentions - the elegant summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the gorgeous gathering spot for the annual Easter sunrise services and a showcase for highly respected stars of Broadway, pop and jazz. In the most gripping moment, she later screamed (sang is too tame a word), “Come on, come on, come on, come on and take it / take another little piece of my heart now, baby.”įor 40 minutes Joplin was electrifying, and the experience was all the more striking because of the setting. She slowed only to grab a microphone from its stand before resuming her dash to the lip of the stage to be as close as possible to the fans. Janis Joplin raced onstage at the Hollywood Bowl on a September night in 1969 with the urgency of someone fleeing a burning building, her long reddish hair blowing in the wind.
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