I have to admit, the last few times I've gone to see Melissa (I've seen her every tour since 1999), I've come away a little disappointed. So much so that I almost didn't go to see her this tour. But at the last minute, I decided to go and boy am I glad. I managed to get 8th row off to the side (sometimes going by yourself has its perks), which was just close enough to be able to see her facial (and eye) expressions really well. I definitely feel like it's a whole different experience if you can get within the first dozen rows or so.
Melissa was amazing. She's started playing a lot of lead guitar, which is definitely a treat. In fact, she played everything buy bass at some point. And her voice was in great form (it usually is). Her backing band is great and the guys do an amazing job of letting her shine while still adding their own flair to things. They played 19 songs (by my count) over 2 1/2 hours.
She played primarily from the new album, of course, but had room for a lot of classics including Brave and Crazy, Chrome Plated Heart, You Can Sleep While I Drive, and of course Come to My Window, I Want to Come Over, I'm the Only One, Bring Me Some Water, and Like the Way I do. One of the great things about her is that she puts a different flair on songs each time she plays them. It makes it worth going to see her in concert, because it's so much better than what is on the album.
Overall, it was definitely the best concert of hers that I've seen in the last few years and maybe even ever. It was worth every penny (and let's face it, tickets to her shows are not cheap).