September 14-16, Friday, Saturday 7pm, Sunday 3pm
San Miguel Playhouse, Av. Independencia 82
$300

Lady Zen - concert

Katherine Dawn Lang, best known to her fans by her stage name, K.D. Lang (or, as she prefers, k.d. lang), began her career as a "cowboy punk" artist, and achieved mainstream success nearly thirty years ago as a Grammy Award winner. The music critic Stephen Holden said of her, "Her voice, softened with a veil of smoke, invariably hits the middle of a note and remains there. She balances her commitment to the material with humor, projecting a twinkling merriment behind it all."

Those words aptly describe Lady Zen, whose vocal abilities never fail to astonish audiences in San Miguel. Like Lang, Lady Zen is a mezzo soprano, an advocate for gay rights, and a crusader against racism. During a recent tour of Puerto Vallarta, Lady Zen debuted a tribute concert featuring the songs of K.D. Lang, and the response was overwhelming.

On Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15 at 7pm, and Sunday, September 16 at 3pm, Lady Zen is bringing her show, The Best of K.D. Lang, to the San Miguel Playhouse, Av. Independencia 82. All tickets are 300 pesos, on sale at Boleto City, on the second floor of the Mercado Sano (Ancha de San Antonio 123), Monday through Saturday, 11am to 5pm; and $16 US online at boletocity.com

Born Alzenira Quezada in Brazil, adopted by Christian missionary parents, and raised in Arkansas as Sheri Joy Glick, the woman who calls herself Lady Zen discovered her vocal gifts at an early age. She sang at church concerts, county fairs, and tent revivals all through the South, and by the age of 12 had won over sixty competitions. By age 17, she had a Fulbright Scholarship in opera performance, and was being groomed to sing at the Metropolitan. Around that time, her Bible-thumping parents, unable to cope with their daughter's avowed homosexuality, had thrown her out. "I didn't even have words for how I was feeling then," she recalls. She abandoned opera for jazz and blues because of the freedom that style of music provided.

Lady Zen, always particular about her backup musicians, has selected an impressive array of talent to form her ensemble. The band for her three concerts consists of pianist Patricio Peña, guitarist Federico Azuz, bassist Aaron Romo, and percussionist Rick Shlosser, a former member of Van Morrison's band, and a session drummer who has recorded with stars such as James Taylor and Barbra Streisand.