Posted on 10/22/2001 12:03:25 PM PDT by DM1
Edited on 04/13/2004 2:06:56 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
By Steve Morse, Globe Staff, 10/22/2001 NEW YORK - Elton John and Billy Joel wearing police caps onstage - and Paul McCartney donning a New York Fire Department T-shirt. Such sights might have been unthinkable before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but were quite normal at Saturday's ''Concert for New York,'' which brought rock stars and civil servants (6,000 police and fire department personnel sat in the front seats) closer than ever before. The marathon six-hour show - a benefit for the Robin Hood Foundation to aid the families of victims of the World Trade Center attacks - ranked with the biggest rock benefits in history, joining Live Aid, Farm Aid, and the ''No Nukes'' concert, along with two more disaster-relief benefits that took place yesterday in Washington (with Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, `N Sync, and others) and Nashville (with many country stars). ''What makes these events special is that they are artist-driven,'' said Rob Light of the Creative Artist Agency, which booked Eric Clapton, Macy Gray, and others for the New York concert. ''All the artists encouraged each other to participate. And that's the only way these things work.'' The New York show - produced by VH1, Cablevision, Miramax, and AOL - was a sign that the healing had begun. ''This show is not about grieving anymore,'' Jon Bon Jovi said backstage. ''It's about putting your chin up, your chest out, and moving on.'' Bon Jovi and John Mellencamp had been the first two acts to sign on, then came McCartney, whose dad was a firefighter during World War II. McCartney hand-delivered tickets to some New York firefighters - and played the longest set (five songs) of the night, as the police and firefighters cheered as though he were a brother. McCartney opened, strangely, with the Beatles' ''I'm Down,'' but touched hearts with the new ''Lonely Road'' and ''Freedom'' (penned for the occasion, though a fairly slight tune), and climaxed with ''Let It Be,'' spiced by a glorious Clapton solo. There were many British acts on the bill, reaffirming their love for New York. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards played ''Salt of the Earth'' (''Let's drink to the hard-working people,'' Jagger sang) and ''Miss You,'' but it was a rag-tag effort next to the act that stole the show - The Who. They blazed through ''Baba O'Riley,'' ''Behind Blue Eyes,'' and ''Won't Get Fooled Again,'' which took on new meaning and drew the night's loudest roar, save for Billy Joel's ''New York State of Mind.'' Elton John was surprisingly low-key with a new ballad, ''I Want Love,'' and oldie ''Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,'' before being joined by Joel for the gentle ''Your Song,'' though it would have been great to hear more duets from them. The blessing and curse of this show (depending on whether you liked a particular act) was that most only did a couple of songs because there was way too much else going on, from chamber-of-commerce-like films about how great New Yorkers are, to endless celebrities sharing a few words (Richard Gere was booed for asking for ''compassion'' for the enemy, and New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was booed for showing up). And there was even the introduction of 19 New York athletes, including old-timers Willis Reed and Reggie Jackson. But the music, when it wasn't sandwiched between films, comedy bits, and speeches (it was nice to hear from some rescue workers, but it got tiring listening to many politicians) was laudatory. Heartland rocker Mellencamp stoked the crowd with ''Pink Houses,'' with its patriotic line, ''Ain't that America - home of the free.'' David Bowie got into the spirit with ''America,'' the Simon & Garfunkel song. Macy Gray did a well-received Beatles cover, ''With a Little Help from My Friends.'' And Melissa Etheridge, despite technical difficulties, sang Bruce Springsteen's ''Born to Run.''
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
I need to see a picture before I decide if I want to bare with you... :-)
(Obviously, I did not watch the "event". Had I known what was in store for the Clintons, I just might have.)
I'll be keeping my clothes on, thanks just the same.
(Somebody was going to say it; it might as well be me)
Welcome to FR.
Another Einstein who doesn't understand irony. Next he will be telling us that Bruce Springsteen sang that patriotic anthem, "Born in the USA."
Good luck and I hope you get as addicted to FR as I have become!
You will note that I did tell the newbie in a nice way.
After all, it wasn't so long ago that *I* was a newbie!
FRegards,
Constitution Day
I have no problem with anyone that corrects my punctuation or grammer. Words have meaning and we all should work to improve our communications. Most corrections are not bashing. Some, as this one was, are actually comical!
Would that be Kelsey Grammer?
My high school AP English teacher was fond of saying "Only one letter separates a writer from a waiter."
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