Heartbreak led to a mission. That sparked the creation of a foundation, since that’s something you build upon, and then she asked some friends to help her.
When Grammy Award-winning rocker Melissa Etheridge took the stage at the Vea Newport Beach on Thursday, Oct. 30, she shared her story of loss, her passion for alternative treatments for opioid addiction and, of course, her music.
And the intimate, inaugural Rock Jam in front of 139 people – including her performing pals Hugh Jackman and Ashley McBryde – raised more than $1 million for the Etheridge Foundation’s efforts.
Etheridge’s advocacy follows the 2020 death of her son, Beckett, who battled opioid use disorder. She’s determined to help other parents avoid that pain and believes plant medicines and psychedelic therapies provide vital avenues toward recovery.
“Plant medicine has been so misunderstood, and there’s so much we can do with it,” Etheridge said.
She readily acknowledged that she’s no scientist, so two were brought on stage to explain the benefits of the treatments. Etheridge focused on talking from her heart and singing, including some new songs such as the one she wrote for her son, “Call You,” and one of her biggest hits, “Come to My Window.”
A live auction drove most of the night’s fundraising, and bonuses such as a hug from Jackman led to higher bids. An anonymous donation of $100,000 was also announced during the auction.
McBryde got the small, enthusiastic crowd going with an early set that included her story of growing up the daughter of an addict.
Jackman, who stars in the upcoming movie “Song Sung Blue” about a Neil Diamond tribute act, joined Etheridge for two Diamond songs and worked the crowd during his rousing “Sweet Caroline.” Etheridge’s wife, Linda, Emmy-winning actor Dan Bucatinsky and Erin Samueli, a biochemist and advisor to the foundation whose family owns the Anaheim Ducks, veered toward Broadway with “Suddenly Seymour” from “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Somewhat appropriately, one of the night’s show-stoppers was from Jackman’s movie “The Greatest Showman”: “A Million Dreams.”