From: stevep@snowhite.cis.uoguelph.ca (Steve Q. Portigal)
Subject: Live from Madison Square Gardens...
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 21:28:12 GMT
Followup-To: rec.music.misc


  From the back of my t-shirt:

Live on Stage at Madison Square Garden
The Band
Booker T. and the MG;s
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
Roseanne Cash
Tracy Chapman
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
Eric Clapton
Shawn Colvin
Bob Dylan
Nancy Griffith and Carolyn Hester
John Hammond
George Harrison
Richie Havens
Sophie B. Hawkins
Chrissie Hynde
Kris Kristofferson
Roger McGuinn
John Mellencamp
Willie Nelson
The O'Jays
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Lou Reed
G.E. Smith
George Thorogood
Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready
Johnny Winter
Ron Wood
Neil Young

also showed up: Stevie Wonder and (as you've no doubt heard) Sinead
O'Connor.

Because everyone seems to be dying to know what happened (I think it was
the low point and least worth bothering with), I'll give my version.
I think most people know about Sinead's frequest outspokenness, including
a completley erroneous stab at Aerosmith over Janie's got a Gun, well
two weeks ago she tore up a picture of the pope on SNL after singing
War by Bob Marley.

So she strode out onto the stage, looking smug, kinda smiling. I kinda
shrieked in horror, I had heard she was goin to be there but since she
wasn't on the bill I felt relieved. Anyway, the crowd starting booing, and
some people started trying to outclap them. She just stood there, the band
started into the song and she violently gestured for them to stop and she
just stood there lookin grim and waitin for everyone to stop. Well they
werne't about to. Kristofferson came over to her, and the stuff I saw
on the news has him saying "do'nt let the bastards get you down" and has
her replying "I"m not down". I couldn't hear this at the show. Eventually,
she just screeched out War again (she was supposed to do a Dylan song like
everyone else) as if this was her personal statement that defended her
against everyone. It was shrill, angry, desperate. She walked offf, Kris
grabbed her and she just slumped. She returned for the finale, standing
with her arms crossed and exchanging gestures with someone in the front row.
Kerry claims she heard Sinead adding the Axl-like "ayy..ayy" filler vocals
from the GnR version of Knocking on heaven's door until Kris came over and
suggested she be a little more professional.


Well that was too much about that.

The show was incredible; after seeing just about every concert I'd want to 
see, I was really blown away by parts of it. Neil Young was totally the
star of the show. He was so cool, totally in fine form. He came out in
his jeans, hair and flannel, carrying his guitar and I was dying to see if
it was acousting or electric. It was electric! He sang "Just like Tom
Thumb's Blues" and then RIPPED on "All Along the Watchtower" just flailing
into the solos with serious abandon, jumping around and so on. I was totally
freaking out. He was having such fun, and doing one of my favourite songs
his way.

Other highlights: Booker T and the MGs - Gotta Serve somebody matched their
style perfectly, Clatpon was reserved, funky, competent, John Hammond
played this amazing acoustic slide and growled away, he was a name I had
heard many musicians say they got into the business because of John Hamond,
Mellencamp and band were cooking through their two songs, Kenny Aronoff (?)
is one hell of a drummer, the O'Jays were wonderful, souful, 
Lou Reed was cool, George Throgood was fun, reserved, the guys from Pearl
Jam were well received, doing an acoustic Masters of War with Vedder stadning
still for the whole song. Johnny Winter absolutely balsted through
Highwayt 61 with more slide guitar licks than sings. really rocking.

And my favourite (other than Neil) was Ron Wood doing some song I had
never heard before. I've been saying for a few weeks (since the solo
album came out) that he sings like Dylan (who he hangs out with, for
some strange reason) and jeez, he DID! He rocked out, I was totally totally
psyched.

My only complaint wouldbe Tracy Chapman doing whatever expected song with
an acoustic guitar, no movement nothing. EXACTLY what you would've expected
from her. Everything else was great, if not wonderful.

The finale featured Dylan, GESmith (who only bugged me for the first five 
minutes), Petty, Mcguinn, Clapton, Harrison, Neil doing my Back Pages and
Knock Knock KNock Knock Knock etc. GESmith walked around pointing at
each soloist after each verse. Neil was incredible. he and Clapton traded
licks on Knocking on Heaven's door, each doing their own cool thing, 
clapton so far back in the crowd  you could barely see him, but man could you
hear him.

Anyway, it was a weekend of bagles, music, the Village, and 18 hours of
driving. Cool.

Steve
-- 
/*************************************************************\
|  Steve Portigal  University of Guelph  Guelph, Ontario      |
|  stevep@snowhite.cis.uoguelph.ca (519) 824-4120 x 3580      |
\*************************************************************/


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