Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
NEW YORK - Sheryl Crow has made a few adjustments since returning to the stage after battling breast cancer.
She still performs more than two hours each night, but the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter is more apt to take a nap during the day. And she has added a private chef to her road crew to ensure she's eating healthy food.
But the biggest adjustment may be in her attitude. Crow is more appreciative of her blessings, and that includes her life as a performer.
"There's been a huge shift in my consciousness about what life holds," Crow said. "I wanted to get back to the things that represent my reality to me, and one of those things is definitely playing music and going out and connecting with the fans, who have been so amazingly supportive."
Crow, who went back on the road this month, will get the chance to connect with even more fans this summer. She and John Mayer begin a joint tour Aug. 24 in Pittsburgh.
Crow, 44, said she is a huge Mayer fan, and Mayer rattled off some of her hits as he talked about how he admired her work. No final plans have been made, but Crow and Mayer, 28, plan to perform together on tour each night. Though Mayer's music has been more blues of late, the singer-songwriter and guitarist said this tour will blend pop with blues, as he plans to do on his album Continuum, due in September.
"What excites me the most about it is that Sheryl and I are somewhat similar," he said.
"That's when being an artist is really interesting, when you get to stand next to another artist that allows you to kind of shine in a different way."
For Crow, the stage has become more than a place to play. Though she says she finished her radiation treatment just six weeks ago, she was eager to return to performing.
"I'm always on the go, and for all of a sudden my life to be halted by a life-threatening illness really caught my attention," said Crow, who had what was described as minimally invasive surgery in February.
"Now we've been back on the road for, like, two gigs, and I feel so differently about it. I feel so much more celebratory about the fact that I get to come out and play music, and I'm enjoying my good health. It's made everything much more immediate for me."
Even her hits mean more to her now when she performs them.
"A song as simple as Home for me, it really grabs my heart when I sing that song because the way people really showed up for me in my illness, not just family and friends but people all over the world sending me cards and sending prayers and love," she said. "It was a powerful experience for me."
To see more of The St. Petersburg Times, go to http://www.sptimes.com .
© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.
