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Fan calls it the worst concert ever

HAMPTON - Gloria Dion wants her money back after being subjected to what she calls the worst Jewel concert ever.

Dion, along with her two daughters Nicole and Kaitlin, went to last Saturday’s 8 p.m. Jewel concert at the Hampton Beach Ballroom Casino. The singer performed two concerts that evening at the Casino. People who saw the first said Jewel was at the top of her game and said it was a “rocking show.”

Those who had tickets to the second show saw something quite different, according to Dion.

“People were literally walking out of the show,” she said. “As soon as she came out, she began to insult us. We thought she was joking at first because it was kind of weird.”

Witnesses said Jewel went on a tirade of insults from poking fun at fat people to others with no teeth. At one point, she asked the audience to yell requests and then told them to “shut the hell up.”

“I saw her live in Boston and it was the greatest show I’ve ever been to,” Dion said. “I don’t know if she was having a nervous breakdown or what. She told everyone to stop looking at her teeth and look at her breasts.”

Jewel was on stage for about an hour and played only four to five songs. Halfway through the show, Dion said Jewel began to talk about Zoloft and Paxil for about 10 minutes.

“I don’t know what that was all about,” said Nicole Dion, who came from Canada to see the show. “I don’t know if she was on it or what. Maybe she didn’t take it.”

Dion said Jewel stopped in the middle of her trademark song, “Who will save your soul,” because everyone was singing along. “She said, I would have never guessed you all know the words. I don’t know if she was kidding or what.”

Nicole Dion said the entire experience made her no longer want to be a Jewel fan.

Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom officials said they have not received negative feedback about the show, but radio station 107.1 WERZ that sponsored the concert did.

WERZ Operations Manager Michael O’Donnell said he heard comments about Jewel’s strange behavior during her second performance.

“I got a lot of negative feedback from people who attended the second show,” O’Donnell said. “They were upset with some of the comments they heard her make.

“She said she saw a better audience at a barroom brawl and that all drinkers and smokers were sinners.”

Dion said she doesn’t blame the Casino, but believes something should be done to make it up to them. She said not only was the show bad, but people were not allowed to buy drinks or smoke a cigarette in the smoking room.

Kristen MacKinnon, a manager at the Casino, said it was Jewel’s request that smoking not be allowed at the show. Alcohol was served, but not in the main stage area because Jewel requested no waitresses in the main ballroom while she was on stage.

Dion said Jewel came out for an encore, but instead of singing one of her hit songs, she yodeled for a minute and then left the stage.

When the crowd left the Casino, several people drove by Jewel’s tour bus and screamed obscenities, Dion said.

MacKinnon said no one has called for a refund or to complain, and said both shows were a success.

“The people who I talked to very much enjoyed the show,” said MacKinnon, who admitted to not seeing the second show. “The only problem we ran into was that a lot of people who had tickets for the first show were in traffic and couldn’t get here on time.”

MacKinnon said they tried to accommodate those who showed up late by allowing them to see the second show even though it was already sold out.

O’Donnell said DJs from WERZ’s morning show, Kevin Matthews, Susanne Lewis and Kid Cruise, were supposed to introduce Jewel and plug their show, but never got the opportunity. Jewel went on without any introduction from the DJs.

O’Donnell said the complaints he received enticed him to call Jewel’s management team.

“They basically told me that sometimes she does a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor during her shows,” O’Donnell said.

Calls to Jewel’s management for comment went unreturned.

O’Donnell said he’s not sure what happened between the first and second show. This is the second time WERZ has sponsored a Jewel concert. The first was in 1997 when she was beginning to hit the top of the charts.

“I feel bad for the fans that paid $40 because they wanted to be entertained. All I can say is that I hoped everyone a good time. And if they didn’t, I want them to remember we can’t predict what happens.