I know she was not well known even around the DC area. But maybe someone here saw her in a small club?
I wish I did. 
I’ve lived near where she lived all her life for thirty of the past thirty-three years, but I never heard of her until she got a #1 album in the U.K. in 2001. I suspect that I’ve mentioned her on the SDMB more than anyone else.
One guy who saw her live was none other than Mick Fleetwood. He owned a club in the DC area where she played.
She was known to record labels and they tried to sign her but she did not want to stick with one type of music . And back then there was no real easy way of getting her music out via the web. Youtube came about 9 years after she died.
“Live At Blues Alley” is a great recording of her doing a club gig.
Highly recommended!
I’d say that if she wasn’t quite well known around DC, then she was certainly in the process of becoming well known. She’d won a bunch of Wammie awards, and those are reported on by pretty much all the local media, ISTM.
So it was by reputation that some - or perhaps even many? - of us I knew her, and her first Wammie came at least a year after a Black friend had told me about a certain White girl by the same name who Black people were saying was the best Gospel singer they’d ever heard.
I know that I’d seen her name in the Upcoming Events sections of the local papers, scheduled to play some or other venue. But it’s easy, especially with local talent, to make a mental note to go see an artist “one of these days”, since you assume that there’ll always be a next time.
Personally, while I’m very sorry that she’s no longer with us, not having seen her perform isn’t one of my great regrets - really, how are you supposed to drive home after something like that? It’s just too powerful. You’d crash the car.
I find it much better to watch her perform a song on YouTube, take a couple days to relearn how to stand and walk, then watch another.
I only discovered Eva’s music a few years ago. I would have loved to see her live.
Mike Fleetwood’s interview about Eva is quite good.
Fleetwood confirmed what I had suspected about Eva. I admire that her focus was purely on her music. Signing with a label just didn’t seem to be a priority with her. Not if it meant compromising her vision. I guess she was satisfied making her own music and playing it on her own terms.
I have half the talent and feel the same way. I’d be very satisfied just playing a few gigs a month. Sharing the music I’ve developed and hoping people enjoyed it.
A local DJ played Fields of Gold (the original), and said, “That was Sting, covering Eva Cassidy’s Fields of Gold”.
Not sure if they were an idiot or a genius.