Classy Bonnie Raitt knows how to communicate with audience

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<$>All the stops were pulled out this past Friday as Bonnie Raitt, along with Bruce Hornsby, rolled into town and performed in front of an enthusiastic packed house. Raitt, being her classy and graceful self, put on the show just for the audience. Her inte<$>raction with the audience and her style of music made you feel like she was playing just for you.

<$>Raitt commented on how nice it was to be in Tennessee with all the changing colors of fall. "This is a nice change for a girl from California where nothing changes," she said.

<$>She performed Thursday night in Memphis and dedicated her song "Love Letter" to everyone from Memphis. "Where they grow barbeque people," she added.

<$>The crowd loved her music, but it was obvious they loved her personally, giving her two standing ovations during the middle of the concert for her songs "I Can't Make You Love Me" and "Love Sneaking Up on You ."

<$>Before singing "If You Want To Love Me You Gotta Give It Up," a song she wrote when she was younger, she told the crowd about her earliest idols. "When I was 21, I used to stay up all night trying to sound just like Etta James," she said.

<$>Bruce Hornsby opened the show. Raitt invited him to accompany her on the keyboard for the song "I Can't Make You Love Me." She attributed the success of the song to Hornsby, saying she couldn't have done it without him. She stood all alone in the center<$> of the stage while Hornsby played the keyboard. She made you feel like you were one with the music. This, as I stated earlier, was well worth the standing ovation she received.

<$>Raitt asked that the audience drop by a table set up outside in the hall. She explained that a woman named Ann Harris, who was a whistle blower, was protesting the nuclear industry. Raitt put her own two cents worth in about nuclear energy.

<$>"It is a ridiculous form of energy," she said. "In a democracy, you should be able to say whatever the hell you want." As a result of her whistle-blowing, Harris has had her life threatened many times. Raitt was very impressed with her because even with<$> all that has happened to her, she is still fighting for what she believes in.

<$>If you didn't catch Bruce Hornsby and Bonnie Raitt this go around, you definitely missed out. If you ever get the chance to see her live, go for it. You won't be disappointed. This was money definitely well spent.