Janis Ian At "The Palms"

It's unusual when I urge people NOT to see an artist perform, but that's what I'll do with Janis Ian and her show this weekend at "The Palms." Her music can be so relentlessly negative, with its indulgence of self-worthlessness, that it is positively destructive. Twenty-seven years ago, a friend of mine, a Janis Ian fan, committed suicide, and I hold a grudge against her for contributing to my friend's hopeless state-of-mind. Of course, times change, and perhaps she has as well, but like I say, 27 years later, I still hold a grudge (From 'At Seventeen'):

To those of us who know the pain
Of valentines that never came
And those whose names were never called
When choosing sides for basketball

It was long ago and far away
The world was younger than today
And dreams were all they gave for free
To ugly duckling girls like me