Melissa Etheridge salutes original Woodstock acts before her Indiana State Fair show

Melissa Etheridge will perform at the Indiana State Fair on Aug. 15, the 50th anniversary of opening day at the original Woodstock festival.

Known for hit songs "I'm the Only One," "Come to My Window" and "Bring Me Some Water," Etheridge played the 25th anniversary Woodstock event in 1994 — sharing a bill with Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Metallica and dozens of other acts.

The 1969 edition of Woodstock still resonates in popular culture, Etheridge said, because of an artistic sense of adventure and innocence not based on cashing in.

"Woodstock really cemented the rock ’n’ roll myth, I think," Etheridge said during a phone interview. "It was kind of a golden time where the people who got involved in the music weren’t thinking about getting rich and famous. They were just thinking about not being the status quo. They were being outside of it all."

An attempt to organize a large-scale 50th anniversary festival unraveled this summer following the loss of financial and production partners and the failure to secure permits and a venue.

Etheridge, meanwhile, will perform Aug. 25 at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, New York.

She talked with IndyStar about Janis Joplin, about an important guitar and how Etheridge navigates our politically charged era:  

The elusive Janis Joplin film

At the 1994 edition of Woodstock, Etheridge paid tribute to 1969 Woodstock performer Janis Joplin by performing four songs — “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder),” “Cry Baby,” “Move Over” and “Piece of My Heart” — associated with the 1960s icon.

Etheridge was a front-runner to portray Joplin in a biopic planned in the '90s, but that project never came to fruition. Eight more celebrities who have been attached to never-made Joplin films: Amy Adams, Courtney Love, Brittany Murphy, Pink, Lili Taylor, Reese Witherspoon and Renee Zellweger.

"For the past 25 years they’ve been trying to make a Janis Joplin film," Etheridge said. "I don’t think Janis Joplin’s ghost wants a Janis Joplin film."

One movie, "Janis," starring Michelle Williams, is presently in production.

"I would really love for her story to come to the screen," said Etheridge, adding she would like to see the influence of African-American singers Bessie Smith and Odetta represented in any Joplin film.

"I would hope they would really show the connection," Etheridge said. "White and black music are still connected, and they have never been separate. (Joplin) knew that’s what she was doing."

Guitar redemption

Etheridge's current studio album is titled "The Medicine Show: An Unrivaled True Story of Redemption and a ’74 Fender."

She said the "Fender" is a Starcaster guitar — a semi-hollow body originally made by the company in the mid-1970s.

"It’s a really unique guitar," Etheridge said. "When I got it a few years ago, it changed my outlook on me as a guitar player. I started a journey as more of a serious guitar player. I got some redemption from that."

Although the Starcaster model was discontinued in 1980, Fender makes the guitar today.

Etheridge said the Starcaster nudged her to tackle more guitar solos. 

"When you’re the singer-songwriter, you don’t step up that often," she said. "In Led Zeppelin, you have Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. It’s the guitar player next to the singer, and I wanted to combine that."

Coping with modern life

The lyrics of "Medicine Show" track "Shaking" reflect the day-to-day pressures of a politically polarized society. "A laughter or a scream, everything's extreme," she sings.

Etheridge, who performed at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver and at this year's World Pride closing ceremonies in New York, said she feels a responsibility to encourage her audience.

"I get on my Twitter and I start reading all the news and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God,' " Etheridge said. "I say, ‘OK, I have to turn that off, I have to breathe, I have to realize that around me there’s some beauty.’ I have to stay strong and be a light, so that other people can see that light. So that’s what I do. I keep myself in a good place."

Melissa Etheridge

>> WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15.

>> WHERE: BetIndiana Free Stage, Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E. 38th St.

>> ADMISSION: Included with $13 fair tickets.

>> INFO: Visit indianastatefair.com, or call 317-927-7500.

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Call IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at 317-444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.