WANT TO GO?
Who: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings with Trombone Short & Orleans Avenue
Where: Rose Music Center, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, July 23
Cost: $23.50, $41
More info: 937-228-2323 or www.ticketmaster.com
Artist info: www.sharonjonesandthedapkings.com
Sharon Jones and her modern soul band the Dap-Kings were on the road opening for Darryl Hall and John Oates in May when she discovered her cancer had returned. Rather than cancel the tour, the dynamic singer soldiered on.
Jones, who is currently on co-headlining dates with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, performs at Rose Music Center in Huber Heights on Saturday, July 23.
“The May dates went great, up until I started hurting again,” Jones said. “I actually did the shows through pain because it was in the midst of those dates that I realized the cancer was back. That was a little tough doing that and not having the pain managed.”
Jones, who was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013, is now managing her pain and undergoing treatment on the road to keep the summer tour moving forward.
“I’m back taking chemo again so it’s not the greatest but as long as my pain is being controlled, I’m OK and I know the tumors are shrinking,” Jones said. “I get a little tired and my energy level is low, so I’m concerned about that, but the energy comes back on stage.
“I take it one day at a time,” she continued. “Thank God I have my assistant and managers to make sure I get proper food and my medication is taken on time and making sure I get my nutrients. Knowing people are behind me really helps.”
The singer’s battle with cancer is the focus of Academy Award-winner Barbara Kopple’s new documentary, “Miss Sharon Jones!” Jones admits she was initially reluctant to have a documentary crew follow her around but she eventually relented.
“I said, ‘No,’” Jones said. “That was my first reaction because they would have to be in my face every day but then Barbara explained they wouldn’t do anything I wouldn’t want them to and they stuck to that. They did a good job and were respectful.”
The film is screening in select theaters this summer. While Jones is happy with the finished product, she admits watching the documentary was a bit surreal at first.
“That almost felt unreal, seeing yourself on the screen, but Barbara and the crew really caught me,” Jones said. “They caught me and how I dealt with the sickness. They told the story and that’s all I wanted it to do. They captured it, and my music and my voice, Sharon, the Dapettes and Dap-Kings, and the whole business of SJDK, because it affected everyone.”
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