Friday, Nov. 21, 2003 | 8:24 a.m.
But the singer/songwriter never expected she'd be giggling at a reference to her own moniker.
"He mentioned my name, and it was hilarious," she said. "He joked about how he hates one-named artists like Sting and Bono and Cher and me."
So did Jewel let Carlin know she was in attendance?
No chance.
"I wasn't gonna say I was there because he's so mean he'd probably think of worse stuff to say," she said.
Saturday night Jewel (born Jewel Kilcher) will display her own brand of humor during a solo/acoustic performance at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts. In a recent phone interview from her home in Stephenville, Texas, the 29-year-old outlined plans for her West Coast solo sojourn.
"If nobody's seen a solo show, it's a lot of fun,"' Jewel said. "The audience talks to me a lot, and I talk back to them. Nothing's planned. I say stuff I probably shouldn't say, ever. It's really irreverent and fun."
Jewel hadn't planned on doing such intimate shows. Her original stage show included a full band and electric instruments.
But on Sept. 4, Jewel's touring bassist, Terome "T-Bone" Hannon, died suddenly after suffering a stroke, forcing the headliner to cancel her tour and re-evaluate her options.
"(Hannon's death) really threw me tremendously," Jewel said. "With where I'm at in my life and my career, it just made me want everything to just get simple." So Jewel returned to familiar footing, the solo performances that have been part of her live repertoire since she debuted with 1995's breakthrough album, "Pieces of You."
"Doing solo shows really helps. It's something that has always brought me comfort," she said. "I find the shows to be really therapeutic."
As anyone who has seen Jewel's previous solo outings can attest, the performances tend to be unpredictable, not just in terms of her dialogue with fans, but also musically.
"I don't like set lists. I just completely walk out without a clue of what I'm going to do," she said. "I have diehard fans that are really well-researched and have a lot of my bootlegs. They know a good 200 or 300 songs that aren't on any record, so I get a lot of requests for unreleased material."
And how does Jewel remember the words to all those rarely played tunes? As she readily admits, she doesn't.
"I'm famous for not remembering the lyrics, so fans will even bring in lyrics for me," Jewel said.
"I think it's a harder show to do, because entertaining somebody for two hours with no band, no groove, no volume pedal is really, really different. Not a lot of people do it, and I love the challenge."
As for her next tour with a full band, Jewel said she can't fathom going back on the road without Hannon at her side.
"I really cannot imagine doing another band," she said. "I have no idea what I'll do next."
Saturday's acoustic setting is particularly odd considering the modern, electronic rhythms on Jewel's latest CD, her June release "0304."
"I never thought I'd be doing a solo show on this record," she said. "I actually had my guitar tech teach me acoustic arrangements of the songs."
The album has been described as a sonic makeover for Jewel, one that has drawn mixed reviews from fans of her more familiar quiet, folky fare. But to Jewel, "0304" is not that dissimilar from the rest of her catalog.
"To me, this is classic singer/songwriter folk music, because it's so story-driven," she said. "I wrote from the same point of view I've always written from, which is storytelling with a beginning, middle and an end."
Still, Jewel clearly anticipated a certain backlash, as evidenced by the "note to fans" in the liner notes to "0304."
"This record may seem different to you," the note begins, preparing longtime listeners for the disc's dance-oriented beats.
As for any protracted criticism over her new musical direction, Jewel didn't sound concerned.
"It's like being a painter and being told you can only have a blue period the rest of your life," she said. "You can't be asked to use one palette your whole life. If you're going to have a long career, you're going to have to use a full spectrum.
"This isn't the Renaissance," she continued. "This isn't an era where it's considered talented to be able to do a lot of different things. That's the sad truth. So I don't feel hesitant about that for a second."
Jewel has also raised eyebrows with a glamorous new look, raising speculation that she hopes to appeal more to fans of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera than Joni Mitchell or Tori Amos.
Hardly, says the only woman to participate in the "Lilith Fair" tour and a VH1 "Divas" concert.
"I dress however I like whenever I like, and it's been that way my whole career," Jewel said. "I debuted (second album) 'Spirit' in a leather micro-mini skirt with stilettos, and the next day I'll wear jeans. So it's certainly nothing new."
Jewel added that much of the hubbub over her supposed new sense of style stems from her video for single "Intuition," a visual piece intended largely in jest.
"I thought the video was so obviously tongue-in-cheek, a parody of my job, but a lot of people didn't get it," she said.
Above all, Jewel said she intended her latest effort as a form of escapism, something that could transport her fans away from the troubles of their daily lives.
"What's wrong with the world is really obvious; we don't need songwriters to point it out right now," she said. "I didn't want to make a record that made me feel more depressed. I wanted to make a record that made me feel free and alive and sexy and open somehow. I want to feel happiness."
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