Singer Sam Harris has been a favorite of queer audiences since first coming to public attention more than four decades ago on the debut season of "Star Search," the Ed McMahon-hosted ancestor of "American Idol," in 1983.
On November 17, Harris, who won that competition with an indelible, scale-climbing rendition of "Over the Rainbow" will perform his first Bay Area concert in more than five years at the Orinda Theatre.
The sold-out engagement (last-minute tickets may be available on show day) indicates that longtime fans are happy to welcome him back. But Harris is even happier.
The long gap between his live appearances is due not only to the pandemic, but to another health crisis closer to home.
"Four years ago," said Harris in a recent interview with the Bay Area Reporter, "I had a vocal cord hemorrhage. It healed, but then I re-hemorrhaged. It happened three times. I went on voice rest, speaking as little as possible for six months," he recalled with resilient good humor, "Much to the joy of my family."
Harris lives in Southern California with his husband of 16 years, Danny Jacobsen, and their teenage son, Cooper.
"I finally decided to go in for surgery, but while I was recovering, I got COVID. And after that, I couldn't find a single note. I was diagnosed with something called COVID-related vocal dystonia, which the doctor described as like having a stroke in my vocal cords. It was so scary, and it quickly became a crippling fear of performing."
"I had a sense that even if I could sing, I wasn't sure if I wanted to," said Harris. "My anxiety about inconsistency and thinking about what might go wrong began to supersede any thoughts about the joy I might feel being back on stage."
No notes
By May of 2024, Harris had gone a full year without singing a note.
"I was talking to Patti LuPone about how debilitating this fear had become," he recalled, "And she said 'Sam, screw your courage to the sticking place. Set that fear aside and see what you're capable of.'
"After that conversation, I called Michael Orland, who's my accompanist and music director and told him I wanted to see where I was. I was really doubtful, but I sang, and I sang. And in my mind, there was a total shift. It just felt like I was back. I was rusty, of course, because I hadn't really used my instrument for over three years. But it was there, and I knew I'd be able to sing again."
Added Harris, "Having Patti, someone I love and respect, say the right thing at the right time, pushed me to try. And serendipitously, just a few days after I got together with Michael, my agent called and said, 'I know you're not working, but a few opportunities have come in and it's my responsibility to tell you about them.'
Vocal victory
Over the summer, Harris began putting together "Beyond the Rainbow," the new cabaret show he'll perform in Orinda. He recently debuted the set at 54 Below in New York to a warm reception.
"I'm singing strongly," says Harris, "But with a different kind of ease, more so than before any of this happened. The experience has created a sense of simplicity and confidence and stillness that has me so comfortable. Do I still have a large range? Absolutely. But I don't feel the need to make singing into a high-wire act. I don't have to constantly be doing quadruple flips vocally to connect with an audience. I bring art and life experience to my singing now that just can't be there when you feel you need to prove something."
Harris offers a hint to an underlying theme in his concert.
"In the new show, I do a version of 'Cockeyed Optimist' that's very slow and considered. It's not the zippy, funny version people are used to hearing. The lyrics to that song are very powerful: 'the human race is falling on its face.' But I won't accept that. I won't let optimism out of my heart."
Sam Harris, Nov. 17. $55-$100. Orinda Theater, 2 Orinda Theater Sq. www.orindamovies.com
www.samharris.com
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