Myki Angeline shares her favorite live performances by women in 2024

This was the year of live performances for me, and when I say I’ve attended more concerts, festivals, awards shows and events in 2024 than I did in my entire life, it’s only a slight exaggeration!

I can say with full confidence that every female performance I saw this year was top notch, perfection, outstanding and life-changing in every sense of the word. Here is my recap of all the women I saw give their all on stage in 2024!

She Rocks Awards

My year always kicks off with the phenomenal She Rocks Awards which is held in January during the NAMM Show. Yes, I work for the WiMN, but I can assure you these award ceremonies are sensational. And this year was no exception! From start to finish, I loved every speech and every performance; from Jimena Fosado who opened the ceremony, to AIJIA, Susanna Hoffs, Debbie Gibson and much more.

You can watch the full ceremony HERE.

GRAMMYS

I became a Recording Academy member in 2023, and this was my first year attending the GRAMMYS. I will say that this was the most emotional night of my life! The biggest surprise was seeing Tracy Chapman performing onstage with Luke Combs, who had a GRAMMY nod for his cover of “Fast Car.” As the song started, and the lights came up I realized immediately that it wasn’t him playing guitar – it was the one and only Tracy Chapman. I cried as I sang along to the entire song and watched everyone give her a standing ovation. She hasn’t made a public appearance or performed in YEARS. I also cried seeing Joni Mitchell perform with Brandi Carlile, I got emotional seeing Annie Lennox perform a tribute to Sinead O’Connor with Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman (Prince’s Revolution) and absolutely lost it when Céline Dion walked out to present Taylor Swift with a GRAMMY. I was excited for Janet Robin who won a GRAMMY with her group, The String Revolution for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella for “Folsom Prison Blues,” and screamed extra loud for Victoria Monét who won 3 GRAMMYS (she’s from Sacramento!). Women ruled the GRAMMYS on this night.

Destroy Boys

This performance was a special one because Destroy Boys is from my city of Sacramento! Seeing Alexia Roditis and Violet Mayugba rock their hearts out during Concerts in the Park made my heart burst with pride. 

Lzzy Hale with Skid Row

You read that right. Lzzy Hale (Halestorm) became the front person for Skid Row! The legendary 80’s metal band has been through a few singers since original front man, Sebastian Bach. The most recent singer being Erik Grönwall, who announced in March of this year that he will step away from the band to focus on his health, as he’d previously battled leukemia. Shortly after this was made public, I saw Lzzy Hale post on her Facebook page that she would front Skid Row for the next four shows. I immediately bought tickets and later scheduled an interview with Lzzy via Audacy’s Hard Rock Live: Behind The Mic series. Lzzy absolutely SLAYED every note in every song that night. She rocks at everything she does!

LISTEN TO MY INTERVIEW WITH LZZY HERE

Janet Jackson

This was my second time seeing Janet Jackson in concert; the first being in Oakland, California back in 1990. Janet brought her Together Again Summer Tour to Sacramento on June 11, 2024, and it was nothing short of spectacular! I relived every decade of my existence with Janet Jackson. I grew up listening to her perform with her brothers before she went solo. I watched her on Good Times before seeing her movies. In fact, every time she smiled, I pictured little Penny. Her music videos are legendary. Not only did she hit the mark with every song, but the choreography was also seamless, with very few breaks! I loved every costume and outfit. It was one song after the other, with us all on our feet singing and dancing the night away. This will go down as one of my favorite concerts ever.

Melanie Martinez

To wrap up June, I treated my daughter to seeing one of her favorite artists ever – Melanie Martinez. We drove down to the Honda Center in Los Angeles on the 27th for The Trilogy Tour. It was the first time (and likely the last) that Melanie performed songs from all three of her albums. This show was unlike anything I have experienced! We were taken on a journey through storytelling, starting with CryBaby, continuing with K-12 and wrapping up with PORTALS. For a more elaborate article, check out my daughter’s recap – My Review Of The Trilogy Tour By Melanie Martinez.

Missy Elliott

Now, THIS concert I knew I had to attend, and I didn’t care how I got the tickets. I traveled to Oakland, California on July 9th to see the GRAMMY-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee superstar headline her first-ever tour, bringing with her Ciara, Busta Rhymes and Timbaland! The Out Of This World Tour showcased all of Missy Elliott‘s brilliance. From her award-winning songs to the eye-popping costumes and cosmic visuals this show pulled out all the stops and so much more. 

Alanis Morissette, Joan Jett + Morgan Wade

Now, I have seen Joan Jett one other time, but this was the first time I saw Alanis Morissette in concert. Country rock artist Morgan Wade opened the Triple Moon Tour in Mountain View, California on August 7th (she is fracking bad ass). After her, Joan Jett owned the stage for the next sixty minutes rocking her classics, performing her newer material and empowering us with her wisdom. But when Alanis came on stage, I became overwhelmed with so many emotions. There were moments when I could not stop smiling, when I would cry, and other times I sang along at the top of my lungs. I loved it when her young daughter Onyx joined her onstage to perform Ironic! Probably my favorite song was Thank You, which was her finale. During this performance, the camera panned the audience which was shown on the large screen behind Morissette. We could see all of us singing along, and couples (cis and same-sex) embracing with hugs and kisses amidst cheering.

The She Rocks Pro Songwriters Panel

The She Rocks Pro Songwriters Panel took place at the Live Nation Lounge in Beverly Hills, California on September 17th. I flew down for a same-day trip to attend this empowering and high-energy night! The panelists included Christina Perri, Judith Hill, MILCK and AIJIA, which was followed by individual performances. We packed the house, and I always come away from these events feeling empowered and inspired.

Amy Lee and Juliette & The Licks

Getting a chance to meet Amy Lee (Evanescence) and see her perform at Aftershock Festival was a bucket list item for sure! We honored Amy Lee during the 2021 She Rocks Awards. Because this ceremony took place during the pandemic, we hosted the She Rocks Awards 100% virtually, so this was my first time meeting Amy Lee in person. Her performance that night was magical, energetic and powerful. 

And, seeing Juliette And the Licks was absolutely amazing! The critically acclaimed, award-winning actress Juliette Lewis has performed with her band since 2003 as a powerhouse lead singer. She performed hits like “You’re Speaking My Language” and “Hot Kiss.” Her energy onstage is infectious. Plus, I saw the sister trio, The Warning and Jinjer perform at the 2024 Aftershock Festival. 

Cyndi Lauper

I can’t think of a better way to end 2024 than with Cyndi Lauper. Her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour came to San Francisco, California on November 27th. She had Trixie Mattel open, which was the perfect way to start off the night. Listening to her perform an extensive catalog that spans decades was life-changing for me. I loved listening to her tell stories in-between songs as well. Cyndi has always been an activist and continues to speak up for those who struggle with being heard. So, it should not have been a surprise to see former speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi in the audience. Plus, I was overjoyed to see percussionist Mona Tavakoli performing with her! We honored Mona with the 2016 She Rocks Awards “Inspire Award” for her work with the Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls.

Thank you for taking this journey with me! Should you desire to learn more, I would love for you to visit my site and follow me on socials here: Myki Angeline.