Reviews
 Keep It Simple
Van Morrison
Roger McGuinn @ the Huntington IMAC, Long Island, NY - April 4, 2008
Emily Saxe @ the Allen Room/Jazz at Lincoln Center - April 5, 2008
Another Country
Tift Merritt
Be Your Own Pet
Get Awkward
Paul McCartney – The McCartney Years (DVD)
Juno – Music from the Motion Picture
Various Artists
Yes - Their Definitive Story
Day and Night Driving
Seven Mary Three
InterMedia Arts Center 2/2/08
Huntington, NY
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Man this was a great night! A long night, but a great night. After standing in line for an hour the doors were finally opened. We were told that it wasn't general admission, that we would be told where to sit or stand. They grabbed Roy and I and put us right in front of the stage, which we thought couldn't get any better until they surrounded us with models!
Then the band came out and Jerry's usual guys were supplemented by Nils Lofgrin, Jim Keltner and Ronnie Wood! Woody was right in front of us and sounded amazing. He did a lot of conversing with the crowd during the takes. There was a lot of stop and go and in almost all cases each guest did a couple of tunes and ran through them at least twice.
Don Henley was up first and a total snooze. I knew it had to get better than that and it did, quickly. They pulled out a ramp from below the stage, out came a huge, ornate wooden chair and there was Solomon Burke. There was a solid rapport between Jerry Lee and Solomon. They did "Today I Started Loving You Again" and nailed it. They also did "Who Will The Next Fool Be" and I hope both end up in the show.
Next up was Chris Issac. It was very apparent that he was nervous, due in part to the "throw and go" attitude and the fact that Jerry Lee was changing lyrics and arrangements on the fly. They did "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and "Cry" the Johnny Ray tune. A great moment was when before "Rainbow" Woody walked over to Issac who stuck out his hand and said "Chris" as in "my name is." Woody responded, "If you hear me play the wrong chord, it's jazz." Chris left his mark during Jerry Lee's solo so he could watch him play, which was very cool. Kenny Lovelace who has been with Jerry Lee for a long time played a great solo on "Rainbow" that reminded me of Eddie Cochran. His playing was great all night long on what looked like a James Burton signature model Tele.
Norah Jones came on and did "You're Cheating Heart." it took a few takes for them to work out the arrangement, but they got it down and she sounded great. That was the second song they did - I can't remember what was first.
As Tom Jones came on stage I subconsciously heard walk on music. The guy is unreal. Outrageous purple suit with flared sleeves, patent leather cowboy boots and looks like it would take a train to knock him over. They did "Green Green Grass Of Home," "You Win Again" and ended up with a rocker - the first of the night - that had the crowd jumping. I didn't recognize the song - possibly "End Of The Road." It rocked and the second take was awesome, with Woody on guitar and Nils laying down a solid rhythm on acoustic. Nils, by the way, played acoustic, electric and pedal steel throughout the show and was stellar. The band was never introduced! I spoke with Nils after the show, who is a real nice guy besides being one of the best players on the planet and one of the few people around that makes me feel tall.
Buddy Guy came on and launched into "Hadacol Boogie" and it was like the night started for real. Him and Woody traded solos and the energy level - and the sparkle in Jerry Lee's eyes got kicked up a notch or two. Then it was "Rocking My Life Away" with great guitar interplay between Guy and Woody. Buddy Guy was playing Chuck Berry/Keith Richards style licks on that song. Ron Wood is a damn good guitar player and was playing a well-worn Strat though a Vibro King. He played his signature ESP model - a Tele with a B-bender on a song or two. Although all of the performers went over to Jerry Lee and shook his hand, Buddy was the first to say on mic what an honor it was to be included in the event and to play with Jerry Lee.
Kid Rock came out and was the first performer to fully acknowledge the crowd and pay no attention to stage direction. It was the most rock and roll performance of the night, starting with the version of Honky Tonk Woman off of the new album. It's my favorite cut so far off the album, done up in a New Orleans strut. Everyone on stage was having a great time, following Kid Rock's lead. You could see that Woody was enjoying this version. Then they launched into a version of "Little Queenie" that was balls-out great. Great solos by Jerry Lee and Woody, Kid Rock on top of the piano. There was no need for a second take on this one.
Somewhere in there was a blues tune that featured Ronnie Wood. He didn't sing but blasted through some great solos. I was literally right in front of him, face to fingers. It was spectacular. He gave me a pick, which even made some of the models jealous.
We hung out for a bit as the placed cleared out. Woody had left before the last note ended, but I chatted some more with Nils and took a picture with him. I took a picture of Roy with some of the models and we were out of there. The show is scheduled to be on PBS in December.
PS: Jerry Lee recorded "Why You Been Gone So Long" for the new record -- which he has been doing in concert lately -- but it didn't make the cut.
 
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