Friday, October 30, 2009

25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concert

Wow! Hey blog! It's me, and it's been, oh, about 10 months!!
Well, besides wedding planning and getting married and honeymooning and home remodeling and working, my life hasn't been too eventful... all that will be documented soon, just trying to relax a bit after the last year of craziness!

But last night, I had such a great experience at MSG I have to do a little writing!

Seeing Simon and Garfunkel live was one of the most emotional moments I have ever experienced- as P said, listening to them was like listening to hymns... At the first clear unmistakable bars of Sounds of Silence, a knot formed in my throat, which never went away until long after their standing ovation was over. Tears streamed down my face but I didn't care. I loved them as a kid, and back then, they were old. It's been almost two decades since buying my first Simon & Garfunkel tape, and here I was, in Madison Square Garden, seeing them with my own eyes, and now they were even older.

And Stevie Wonder, wow, what a musician. When he broke down during his tribute to Michael Jackson, everyone's heart seemed to break. The impressive lineup of special guests just didn't stop- Tom Hanks with the introduction, James Taylor, Sting, Smokey Robinson, BB King, John Fogerty, and of course The Boss himself... it was pretty unbelievable. With our (behind the stage) view of the teleprompter, it was like being in a huge karaoke bar- a 6+ hour session of tributes and hits to rock & roll's most famous stars by rock & roll's most famous stars. It was a roller coaster of a ride from the first few mellow sets to cheering and crying S&G, boogieing with Stevie Wonder to to dancing in our streets with Bruce.

I normally don't like going to these huge scale, impersonal big box concerts, waiting hours in line, etc. but I realized that if we wanted to see such an impressive lineup, this was the only way to do it. And I'm so glad we did it. The free tickets didn't hurt either... :)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concert: Set List

Jerry Lee Lewis :
“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On”

Crosby, Stills and Nash:
“Woodstock”
“Marrakech Express”
“Almost Cut My Hair”


Bonnie Raitt with David Crosby and Graham Nash:
“Love Has No Pride”

Bonnie Raitt and Crosby, Stills and Nash:
“Midnight Rider”

Jackson Browne with Crosby, Stills and Nash:
“The Pretender”

James Taylor with David Crosby and Graham Nash:
“Mexico”

Crosby, Stills and Nash with James Taylor:
“Love the One You’re With”

Crosby, Stills and Nash:
“Rock and Roll Woman”

Crosby, Stills and Nash with Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and James Taylor:
“Teach Your Children”

Paul Simon:
“Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”
“Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”
“You Can Call Me Al”


Dion DiMucci with Paul Simon:
“The Wanderer”

Paul Simon with David Crosby and Graham Nash:
“Here Comes the Sun”

Paul Simon:
“Late in the Evening”

Little Anthony and the Imperials:
“Two People in the World”

Simon and Garfunkel: “The Sounds of Silence”
“Mrs. Robinson”/”Not Fade Away”
“The Boxer”
“Bridge Over Troubled Water”
“Cecilia”


Stevie Wonder: “Blowin’ in the Wind”
“Uptight (Everything’s Alright)”
“I Was Made To Love You”
“For Once in My Life”
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours”
“Boogie On Reggae Woman”


Smokey Robinson with Stevie Wonder:
“The Tracks of My Tears”

John Legend with Stevie Wonder:
“Mercy Mercy Me (the Ecology)”

Stevie Wonder with John Legend:
“The Way You Make Me Feel”

B.B. King with Stevie Wonder:
“The Thrill Is Gone”

Stevie Wonder:
“Living for the City”

Stevie Wonder and Sting:
“Higher Ground”/”Roxanne”

Stevie Wonder with Jeff Beck:
“Superstition”

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:
“10th Avenue Freeze-Out”

Sam Moore with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:
“Hold On I’m Comin’”
“Soul Man”


Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with Tom Morello:
“The Ghost of Tom Joad”

John Fogerty and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:
“Fortunate Son”
“Proud Mary”
“Oh. Pretty Woman”


Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:
“Jungleland”

Darlene Love with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:
“A Fine, Fine Boy”
“Da Doo Ron Ron”

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with Tom Morello:
“London Calling”
“Badlands”

Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:
“You May Be Right”
“Only the Good Die Young”
“New York State of Mind”
“Born To Run”


Darlene Love, John Fogerty, Tom Morello, Billy Joel, Jackson Browne, Peter Wolf and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band:
“(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher”

comprehensive story here