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Rock Hall of Fame Benefit Concert Review
By Stock Forrest | September 23, 2008
With low expectations, I arrived at the Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cray, NC Saturday night in the middle of Jefferson Starship’s set. Marty Balin sounded good but looked like Bilbo Baggins retired in Rivendell. They played songs from their new album, which to prove that they are still current and relevant, includes songs by in-demand, young songwriters like Phil Ochs.
Up next was a full set from cabaret singer Dennis DeYoung. I had a bunch of one-liners ready to go for what I expected to be a schmaltzy set, but, although it’s completely against my nature to praise him, he and his band actually rocked. However, Styx still stynx.
Joe Lynn Turner, sounding like a shriekier Ian Gillan and looking like a less fit Jack Black, was next. He played three Deep Purple classics that he had nothing to do with. The charitable goals of the concert were to give instruments to kids, but Turner must have thought he was at Live Aid because he kept talking about all the lives we were saving tonight.
If only Turner limited his impact to ruining is own set. Blue Öyster Cult’s Buck Dharma was next. In what I can only guess was revenge for BÖC’s habit of stealing rhythm section members from Rainbow, Turner sang back up and managed to mangle the words to Burnin’ For You while slobbering over Dharma’s wife at the same time. Richard Meltzer must have been proud.
Mark Farner came on stage next and wisely took Turner’s mike. Three songs later, however, and it was time for Turner to come back and improvise through a 45-minute set change. “I just got back from Iraq and we have to save the children because the children here will be the children there.” “All the energy you are giving us is coming right back to us.” Great stuff.
Jack Bruce finally came on and performed an acoustic song with a broken guitar. He picked up his bass and ran through a set of Cream songs with Mark Hitt on guitar and Steve Luongo on drums, who played the Clapton and Baker roles admirably. Tommy Zvoncheck added superfluous keyboards during “I Feel Free” and “White Room.” Bruce had more freedom to improvise with Hitt than he did with Clapton during the Cream reunion shows in 2005. After a handful of songs, the set was abruptly cut short due to curfew. Joe Lynn Turner broke out of his cage long enough to tear through a sloppy “My Generation” while the roadies tore down the equipment.
I earlier covered how the show was looking like a scam here. Rick French was still pulling off the bait and switch at the show, telling the crowd following the DeYoung set to make sure to stay until the end for a very special surprise. What was it? According to French after the show, 45 planned minutes were cut from the show because they ran out of time. This must have included the big surprise. Somehow they managed to find time for a 16 year old girl to sing an original song and play guitar. I was expecting a prodigy; she was a little above average for a 16 year old.
People who had extra tickets were unable to give them away outside the venue. When the show was originally announced, Rick French had stated that they intended to beat the scalpers by not announcing all the performers before tickets went on sale. By booking a show nobody wanted to see, he was completely successful. I listened to VIP ticket holders who were supposed to be fed throughout the show complaining about getting one trip through a buffet line to fill a small paper plate. Quite a deal at $250/person.
I dragged myself to the afterparty at a downtown Raleigh club. Yes drummer Alan White led a jam band through some classic rock standards. It started out fine with Buck Dharma’s crafty lead work elevating versions of “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Proud Mary.” One-trick pony Randy Hansen dominated the stage shortly thereafter with his Jimi Hendrix impersonation. This left no space for the musicians with originality, so exit Buck Dharma and enter…Joe Lynn Turner! No longer feeling inhibited, he bumbled through some ZZ Top (I guess) and Led Zeppelin. He copped serpentine moves from Axl Rose, although like a snake that had just swallowed a javelina. White finally tired of the amateur hour and said “Looks like we’re out of songs. Good night.”
French had earlier promised an auction of rock and roll memorabilia at the after party. There was nothing, although you probably could have purchased Joe Lynn Turner for a small price. There was one promise that French did keep: this was an event that all attendees would remember for a lifetime.
Topics: Live Review |
September 25th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
I was interested in some reviews on the event primarily due to my being a huge Jack Bruce fan. Due to distance and personal reasons couldn’t make your concert. It sounds like a lot of negative annimosity towards the promoter of the event was poisining the atmosphere ahead of the show. I have seen most of the artists mentioned over the last forty years and I would put them in the catagory of Legends. Your burg really had star power, maybe not what you had been expecting, no Who, but Marty Balin, Jack Bruce, Mark Farner, and the others to some lesser degrees certainly impacted the music we love. It being a benefit, it wasn’t Led Zeppelin at 02, but you got some real “Cream.”
September 25th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Jeff - Glad to hear you are a huge Jack Bruce fan. Are you really tall, wide, or both?
To clear things up…it’s not my burg. I flew in from Chicago to cover the event. Please see my earlier post. I’m cool with your JB love. I had a hell of a good time covering the MSG Cream shows…except for the 7:00 AM flight back I had…and the scuffle I got into with a fan…well actually the scuffle was kinda fun, but I was both drunk and hungover on the flight..not fun at all. My point is, I like Jack too.
I don’t know anything about the atmosphere being poisoned. That town had the cleanest air I’ve ever breathed. Trees everywhere. I couldn’t swing a wine drinking yuppie without hitting some foliage. I thought the snobby suburb I live in now was clean. No smoking at the venue either…Jeff, please stop getting me on these tangents.
I’d seen all the major acts on the bill before as well. Some of them weren’t even mad to see me again (let’s just say that Paul Kantner is either forgiving or forgetful). But the whole thing was a trip for a biscuit. My editor won’t print my review, my lady friend from Chapel Hill is married, the Cary police have a problem with sleeping in a rental car in the amphitheater parking lot… Jeff, what did I say about tangents? I guess as long as Joe Lynn Turner saved even one child from the fatal disease of having to go to school without a clarinet, it was worth it.
September 27th, 2008 at 2:39 am
Nice of you to respond Steve-I had read some of the local area “rock” media going off about the event’s lack of headliners etc. & it reminded me of the “peristroika” of the late Soviet era, where once the people were permitted to complain, thats all they did for the next 20 years. I see you were making fun at Joe L.’s overinvolvement shall we say. That’s cool. I also attended the MSG Cream show which was a fantastic experience, Jack Bruce playing with the Entwistle band in my book would have been a unique event, your review is all I’ve read on it except as I’ve mentioned some local folks who had issues far beyond the music. Sorry your girl was unavialable, and they weren’t planning to print your review. I think its amazing that after a five platinum seller “the Roayl Albert Hall Reunion” that an editor would think Jack Bruce wouldn’t be of interest. True, his choice of venues (touring with Hippiefest)was not maybe thought of in terms of a Clapton World Tour but he can really sing and play! All these shows in the USA were guesting with bands. Thanks again for your response.
September 30th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Any opportunity to see a Bilbo Baggins look-alike should be cherished! Too bad Joe Lynn Turner didn’t go for any Odyssey-era Malmsteen?!?
September 30th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Jeff - my name’s Stock (short for Stockton if you have to know…please stop being so nosy). I don’t know anything about peristroika (I’m trusting you on the spelling), but I saw a Gorky Park (remember them?) Kramer guitar in a pawn shop once in Crown Point, Indiana. Anyway, I only like my red when it comes with white and blue.
Beach - The only connection JLT still has with Malmsteen is that they are sharing the same diet.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Marty Balin was a no-show, that was David Freiberg singing in Jefferson Starship, one of the most underrated singers in rock, IMHO. He also just turned 70 years old so not very necessary to make fun of his looks. Your sarcasm regarding the JS folk set seems to imply that anything old ceases to be relevant.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Dear Mr. Fan,
Thanks for the clarification - that helps explain the strange look he gave me backstage when I told him I reviewed a KBC show of his in ‘85. By the way, his was not the worst backstage look I got that weekend, however. You should have seen Roger Dean’s face when I spilled a couple of drops of beer on one of his calendars. Anyway, if I’d have known it was Freiberg, I would have been screaming for them to play “The Fool.” These 60’s musicians need to wear nametags, I tell ya.
I’m sorry that you inferred from my review that I think all old things are irrelevant. Some of my favorite people are old. Well, one or two of them anyway. In your defense, the songs from their new album got a good response, with hundreds of people sitting on their blankets politely clapping. At least until Kantner alienated the rednecks with his introduction to “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” Funny stuff.
January 5th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Hi! I saw Jack Bruce performing with Steve Luongo and John Hiatt and he was really in command of his chops. I’ve never seen a bassist who played so many bent notes, I guess his love for the blues explains all his poignant singing and playing, a kind of melancholy which is quickly followed by those amazing improvisations; I think Jack is one of the finest improvisors in this blues/rock/jazz field, the tunes on which he play always become larger than when he and band started playing.
Sure that not only Cream did influence him; Bruce obviously always had this goal in mind, even when he was a student of cello in Scotland.
As You Said is one of the most poignant, beautiful ballads I’ve seen, it’s folky but transcends.
Best, friends,
Carlos Bill, Rio, Brazil, bass player, composer.