Just before the pandemic, we went to see Rickie Lee at The Kessler Theater, a very intimate venue in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. I'm pushing 70 now and I've seen a lot of the greats over the years. Her show was in my top 5. She's just fabulous.

I was at this concert at the Dominion, Tottenham Court Road. It was the first concert I had ever been to, and blown away by the experience.

I saw Rickie Lee in Knoxville in the late 1990s or early 2000s, all by her lonesome. She walked out, played "Last Chance Texaco", and it was on. So simple, but so deep. A little while later, she said, "Let's cast a spell." We chuckled, sure, whatever, we'll play along. She walked to the piano, the house lights came down, she lit some candles...and she cast a spell. "Magazine", "We Belong Together", and another ("Coolsville?"). Complete silence from a couple thousand of us, and we were all alone in the universe, together. Leo Kottke , who opened, came out to play a couple with her, and he was a mess, and said so. Tears streaming down his, and our, faces. Then they had a playful ball. 15 or 20 years later, in a small theater in Santa Fe, this time with a band. A couple of minutes into it, I leaned over to my wife and said, "what the hell is going on?" She said, "I have no idea." The spell had been cast again. Please, please, please, come back to New Mexico, and cast your spell on us again, we desperately need it. The living definition of Artist.

Goddam. got this record in '81, this woman is just flat amazing.

Nobody comes close to Rickie! She is beyond talented, her voice, her style, her vibe, she effortlessly manages to balance sweet angelicness and hardcore badassery so perfectly i immediately loved her🍀

Danny's All Star Joint. Brilliant. David Mamet wishes he could have written that shit. It's ALL the talk. All that you'd hear on the sidewalk, in the bodegas and in the neighborhood now, that nobody else has ever, ever caught in such a beautiful, rusty, broken up birdcage. All with a reason to dance. So brilliant, my star-crossed muse!

Such great vibes !

A true Amerian original. One of the most gifted artists of the 20th Century. A living legend.

Rickie is on fire! She looks like she's having so much fun, too. And what a band! Nobody makes music like that anymore...

Today's music or whatever you call it sucks when you hear these gems.

nice im 63 never seen her live . but i have allways had a crush on her.

One of the greatest songwriters ever. Like a female steeley Dan

Rickie Lee and her incredible band were so far ahead of their time in 1979, that they STILL sound fresh and contemporary even today in 2020! How many other singers and musicians sound THAT good???

"You never know when you're making a memory". Damn.

Well 71 years of age. Rickie Lee fan from day dot but havent seen her live and only just discovered this video. What a show. Thank you

The 3 greatest female singer-songwriters of the past 50 years (in no particular order): Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones.

Ricke Lee was just the best...love her first album, the best debut of all time ever

Thank you Rickie Lee Jones. You are a truly original artist. Props to hiring such a great band for this tour as well. I've been a fan of Buzz and Neil forever. I'm still listening, just read your book (fantastic!) and your picture has been hanging on our wall for years and years. I hear you loud and clear...

Such a sensitive soul, for this world.

I can't over the fact over how talented all these musicians are. Her debut album was so god damn strong!

"wants it rare but he gets it . . . well" . . . her lyrics are just sublime.

What a killer band

damn, youngblood is one of my forever favorites. but this intro into danny's all star joint is phenomenal and her lyrics are out of this world "I'm in a half-way house on a one-way street And I'm a quarter past left alive" just damn nothing like her.

SNL was my first time seeing this great voice,

There is cool.. and then there is Rickie Lee Jones freekin' COOL!

I was in the audience when they filmed this. Shame about the film's poor sound quality. I hope there's a better version somewhere in the BBC archives. A memorable gig.

Played and played this album as a teenager, loved it one of my all time favorites, such an inspiration to me x

This is great. Rickie in her prime.

'What were the skies like when you were young?' Amazing woman

What a beautifully bohemian musical talent Rickie was. She and Tom Waits were an item for a while before Kathleen Brennan came on the scene, and while the Brennan-Waits partnership and musical collaboration turned out to be the stuff of legend, one can't help wondering what might have been if Rickie had held it together.

Oh man! Rickie's debut album was one of the greatest of all time. She's uber cool, sassy and a brilliant singer songwriter to boot. I wore that album out I loved it so much and the cover is now framed on my wall. Sadly I never got to see her live so this footage is a diamond. Love you Rickie, you are very, very special someone ❤

What an Artist, what a Band!

I was fortunate to catch this concert in 79 in Santa Barbara California. In a very small venue never forget this I paid 20 bucks for the tickets.

Sure wish i could have heard one of those shows. Ensemble playing of the highest order. Just incredible and then there is that unique and very fine creation, Ms. Jones - one of Providence's greatest gifts to us earthlings.

Wow, glad to see this performance is still intact after all these years...she was so young here! The audio has suffered quite a bit.. this is simply classic regardless! Still love this amazing artist after all these years.

Yay, you never know when you're making a memory.

Legendary!

that was magical ... the best thing I could see this morning.

...she used all of those Steely Dan session guys on the record...Victor Feldman...Porcaro....wonderful era for pop music

Rickie always was/is such a captivating performer.

So good, soulful and raw. Buzz Feiten is such a great guitarist. Always been one of my favs. A really cool performance. just compare this with today's pop, if you even can.

Thank you for posting this classic. The world is a better place because of you.

I spent so many years playing the cassettes then the cds of the first four or five albums in the kitchen when I would be cooking for friends, and took delight in getting the lps in the first week they were issued. Thanks Rickie for all these decades of consummate musicianship.

Walter Becker brought me here, Rickie. Peace and love. You are the best.

she closed that show like a boss A+

Saw her at Birmingham Symphony Hall 1993, absolutely amazing.

There are pop songs and female singers past and present, then there are true singers and song writers. I will put Rickie Lee Jones the category of a true singer and writer of real songs. Blues, Funk, jazz, story teller are her style. Rickie Lee Jones is a true Legend. Thank you Rickie Lee Jones

Lyrical genius....thank you for sharing these phenomenal shows.

Yowww . . . Following Rickie for years, first time i did see this 🎵🌀🎉

never seen this Rickie before, but I sure won't lose that number

Peerless. One of the Patron Saints.Saw her a month ago and still untouchable.

Chuck E wasn't the only one !!

The joy of youth and talent.

The urban poetry in your lyrics never ceases to amaze!

Hey everyone who thinks they r great vocalists w amazing phrasing..listen to this and give up

Such a great band!

RLJ you are an incredible artist. REAL!

The one and only Rickie Lee !!! Love you !!

Nothing compares 2 her and all those Goddamn fine musicians! Putting a band together nowadays with such quality would be downright impossible!

Great to see that she's still out there doing shows :)

"Last Chance Texico" was a gem...still is

Genuine - - Overwhelming, the real deal. Christ, just when I think the tears are over, she gets me again - thanks a ton for posting this vid - left me in an emotional heap - a handful of some of the greatest songs ever written - and what a performance by our precious Rickie Lee - no pitch fixing in those days - certainly none needed here, she's dead nuts on.

Whatafun! This is Rickie, that came on LP cover to my small European not-even--really-country-back-then behind iron curtain from somebody's relative, and ended in my hands, quite excited about unique musicianship and her magnetic image.

love this girl

Amazing songwriter and performer. Great artist.🤩

Taking me back, Ricky has a cool groove to her , missing me some seventies ,thank you Ricky...

This is a fabulous performance , Rickie Lee Jones is so cool and has some great musicians playing with her. Love this.

You are without a doubt a National Treasure! I have loved your music since I first heard it. You have the ability to cross genres effortlessly and you have such a grasp of bringing whats real to music in a way no one else can. You will always be an icon in music circles. Much love and respect.

I saw her in 1974 at a bar downtown Denver very mesmerizing love her voice

I couldn't love you more 💚

Such a respected name in music -- just incredible to be so solid in style and talent right from the beginning of her career.. just lovely. She's been an inspiration to me vocally and creatively -- so grateful 💙

Wow !!! > Now this takes me away way aback to 1979 at Manchester free trade hall > and i'm still in Love with her and her great great music ( give me rickie lee jones everytime and i'm good lol ) . Coolsville man .

Still have her album from release. One of my classics.

As a LIVE PERFORMER, basically as good as PRINCE!!! (Different, but as good...) STILL GOING AND STILL ALL HERSELF bless her precious heart... (We love you, Rickie...) xx SF

So lucky to have music like this preserved on utube !

Such amazing stage presence and confidence. When you're as good as she is, how can you not just love every minute of doing it.

I LOVED that! So many wonderful memories in '78 when I first bought this album. When you get the sheet of lyrics with it, you never forget a word. Such a wonderful blast from the past, as I celebrate my 60th (EEK) tomorrow. WAY too hot Rickie. 😍🤩😍

Hey Ricki. Just want to say that I was lucky enough to see you perform live in Santa Barbara in '86 or '87. If you remember, at the Santa Barbara show, there were a few women close to the stage talking their heads off while you were performing. Well needless to say you stopped in the middle of your song and told them "Be quite! I'm telling you a story. If you want to talk go outside and let everyone else enjoy the show." (I apologize for paraphrasing but that's the gist of your message.) I also had the privilege of attending your show in Los Angeles. As a musician I think you are amazing. As a performer you had every right to shut down those cackling hens. Hope to see you perform again. All the best.

One of my all-time favourite singers ... would have loved to be at one of RLJ’s concerts.

I was just a teen back in the 70s & this kind of R & B, Jazzy blues soul wasn't my thing......but the Chuck E's in Love song was and is, a Timeless Classic. This Cat has stayed true & talented & real for 40 years....A lovely voice and a True talent.

I watched this the night it was broadcast. Love to Rickie Lee forever.

Hi Rickie. I sure hope you are taking good of care of yourself.. It must be exhausting to play your heart out while touring or not. I really care about you Rickie.. You are a true poet and artist. Sometimes that can cause pain because of the vulnerability or heightened awareness. I hope your tour is going well for you. I have been listening to you from the onset of your career. Take care. Love Lisa in Florida💝💝💝💝💝

I met Rickie thru her keyboard player Amy. They both agreed that 'Chuck E's would be a HIT, and it was.

Saw her in Boston around the same time. I said to myself, as much as I love you, Joni M., step aside . .

Class Rickie...pure class...and fun too

Dammit,she was 25 here,as was I the same year.....and I missed this gig. The band are just the best,and soooo tight,yet it flows like water into the audience. Brilliant!

Funk Queen! Neil Larsen and Buzz Feiten accompanying!

Reading her autobirogrphy....tough life.......warmed Tom waits bed..lucky guy.......she deservies all happiness.

remember seeing this at the time greatest female singer songwriter ever

I can tell how she influenced many artists that came later.

Love this raw footage. Love Rickie and this band!

Pitch sounds so perfectly controlled

Love it

Badass music!!!

Smoking’ hot! Unparalleled music composition, vocal flex and nuance. Storyteller and master singer. Finally footage of a band that codifies what RJL’s art represented to us. As a young man at the time, we were carried along with fashionable music trends of the day. Looking back, nothing really surpassed the joy and sharp snappy musicianship produced by this great artist. Do you know? Horses still the most popular song played before sporting events in Australia?

thank you Ricki Lee for so much dedication and Love and great Music way ahead of your time .....look around us now the unspoken word on the street is fading like an iron shield ..maybe they ve lost their shuffle ...NO MORE SHOE SHINER S SINGING

Maravilhoso. Sou seu fã há anos. Adorei te ver nessa época. Obrigado! Thanks!!!

Just looked up Rickie Lee Jones in the dictionary. Definition was one word-Cool 😎 #raspberryberet

that uh "chicken n the pot"moment ..tells me she is one Cool lady! stunning I just can't stop watching this

So good, so underrated. Been listening for over 40 years.