Jessica Simpson's Breakdown

I am a bit fired up at the moment. Normally I don't say things like this, especially publicly, but something about this just really struck a nerve with me. A few nights ago, I heard about the "disastrous" opening Jessica Simpson had for Rascal Flatts in Grand Rapids, Mi.

Let me start out by saying:
I was so excited when I heard that Jessica Simpson was "going country" because I thought it could be a good thing for country music. She's just the kind of person that could take country to an even wider audience for people who may not have given us "southern folk with our simple talk" a shot. Jessica is one of those people that I think has an incredible voice. I do get a little frustrated sometimes with how she uses it, but she has a natural gift and range that is undeniable.

When she started, her ability to belt out a song was impressive to me. And as a teenager who was also saving myself for marriage - I fell in LOVE with her. The song she wrote at the end of her first record for her future husband (before she knew who he was gonna be) was so beautiful.

I have loved many of her songs along the way. And her country songs are even better. "Come On Over" Good Lord. Adorable. Hooky, catchy, fun to listen to. (but not easy to sing!) The writers she got to co-write with for her her record are people that I have looked up to for years.

The reports of the Rascal Flatts concert talk about her forgetting lyrics, letting her background singers take over for her, mouthing "I'm sorry" into the video monitors, sulking around on stage, being visibly flustered, and even crying in between songs. Part of me didn't want to believe someone as talented and successful as she is would ever act like that, but the part of me that was tweaked wanted to see it for myself. I decided to do some research and try to find actual video footage from the concert.

The thing that makes me crazy? It's not that bad! Yeah, she was having a rough vocal night, but if she wouldn't throw her arms up in the air in the middle of a chorus and just STOP singing.... you'd never know she was having so much trouble. There are so many things she could have done to cover up her rough vocal night. In the chorus of "Come On Over" she is obviously having problems hitting the high notes. So what? That's not the worst thing in the world. Just DON'T SING THE HIGH NOTES... take the melody down... OR hold the mic out and let your fans help you sing it...

If she could have let go and had a good time, she still could have had an amazing show. It's such a shame. It breaks my heart, actually. As a fan and someone who is rooting for her, it disappoints me. It makes her seem so self-centered (even if she isn't). Like the show is "all about her". It's not about having a perfect voice. There are singers out there that have had MUCH worse vocal nights, but they knew how to play it off so the audience didn't know. You guys in the audience understand that we aren't perfect. If you can't cancel the show, you just find a way to make it work. No matter what's going on backstage, onstage, or at home, there is no excuse to give up on your audience like that.

As another performer who is far from perfect, I have performed sick, thrown up between sets... songs... done 5 hour shows with so little voice - all I could do between sets was cry... broken down backstage because of boyfriends... And it's not because I'm so cool... God knows I'm not... It's just what you have to do as a performer. There's a responsibility that comes with being blessed enough to do this for a living. And the really funny thing? Those shows weren't even for 9,000 people.... not even for 900... Sometimes not even close. The only thing that matters is that, no matter how many of you there are, YOU GUYS don't know how sick or upset I am during the show. If you find out later, fine. But I will do my very best while I'm on stage to give you everything I've got, even if its not as much as I want it to be. Why? BECAUSE IT'S MY JOB. And I love what I do SO much. When it comes show time - it's not about me anymore. It's about making sure you are having a good time. And if I am lucky enough to get the point where I am so famous that the media is printing lies about me or "fat pictures" (though I can't imagine how upsetting that would be), I hope I never lose sight of what really matters.

I'm human, my band can attest to that... There are times where I have had to remind myself of all things I have said here. All the things I wish I could have said to Jessica right before she went out on stage.

You know what's amazing, though? When performers get out of our ego-centric little worlds - it is AMAZING how much better we do if we just rely on you guys. The audience is what helped me make it through one of the biggest and most difficult shows of my life. We had our National showcase for NACA in St. Louis last year... I had been in the ER for flu 14 hours before the show in Nashville. It was awful. I was so sick and I had such a thin little voice. I was throwing up in the bathroom 15 minutes before the show listening to some girls talk about how they heard this "Natalie" girl can play "Devil Wen Down to Georgia" and that they hoped it was good... I was laying down on the cement off stage until the moment they introduced me. We were even doing "Sweet Child of Mine" in that set - and Sweet Child is one of my toughest songs even when I'm 100%. It was FAR from perfect. I had a coughing fit in the middle of "If I Run To You Now... But with all that stuff going on, all I had to do was look out and see the audience up in the front, jumping around and screaming. It kept my adrenaline pumping and kept me on my feet. And I know way too many performers that would have done the exact same thing.

You guys expect us to do our job for YOU because you are doing your job for US. That's why when I hear about this whole Jessica thing, it gets so frustrating - for all the people out there who haven't "made it" yet that would never act like that. It doesn't matter that she had a bad night. I just can't believe someone I've liked as much as her gave up like that and let her audience down...

If you come to my show - there's a reason you're there. Sometimes I may need to lean on you for a little support. But no matter what happens, I won't ever give up during a show. I may not be in tip-top vocal condition every night, and I may not always be able to hit the most impressive notes. But I promise you won't care and hopefully not even notice because I will give you my all... Every time. I promise.