For the Fans

Alicia Keys played a surprise show last night at Joe's Pub for her fans. The show was announced in the morning during her appearance on Good Morning America and then via Twitter. Some tickets were distributed at the Good Morning America appearance and another hundred or so were sold at the Pub--one per person with a valid ID.

Ms. Keys has played the Pub before, many years ago when her career was just starting. In fact, one of the essential early shows in her rise to super-stardom was a showcase at Joe's about the time she originally released her debut album, Songs in A Minor. Since yesterday was the re-release of the album and since Joe's is closing for a few months for some interior re-design, Ms. Keys had the notion to return to the scene and celebrate the moment with some lucky fans.

Accompanying herself on a piano alone on a candelabra-decorated stage, Ms. Keys delivered a tour de force celebration for her admirers. With a voice at times ragged from the grueling demands of her album-release schedule, she nevertheless offered an unforgettable and generous night of hits, influences and favorites to a small crowd composed mostly of folks who woke yesterday morning with no idea of the way their day would shape up.