Wow, I think Buffalo Springfield might have made up for 43 years of silence. One hour of pretty much the best acoustic rock you could ask for. What I really liked:
1. Neil and Stills’ acoustic picking, though Neil had his effects on “electric” on a few songs.
2. The lead vocals, Richie loud and youthful. How about Richie doing or sharing lead vocals on 6 of the 12 songs? I heard a couple people ask “who’s the guy in the middle?”. They sure know now. Neil clear as a bell and Stills’ highlight being his soulful growling on FWIWorth. Loved his bluesy take on it, using his hot Old Man Trouble soul voice.
3. The tight harmonies by all three plus drummer Joe Vitale. Neil was the primary high voice and excelled on several songs.
Electric guitars would have been a nice touch to take the songs to another level. No wild Stills-Young fire fight duels you get with CSNY, although there was some nice acoustic exchanges on FWIW and Mr Soul. No problem using the *g* word to sum up this epic showing: great songs, great music, great voices and great musicianship by great old pros.
Sunday:
Other acts leading up to the big boys had some highlights too. Neil adding lead guitar for Elton and Leon’s Shiloh. Their best song I thought. I was hoping they’d play and trade vocals on a couple of their hits, like Elton with Joel. I think most, if not all their 8 songs were from their new album, Union. How about one of their four backup singers doing those high pitched aaah’s that didn’t seem humanly possible. Almost shattered my 24 oz $12 Sierra Nevada-holding-beer-glass,,, and it was plastic.
The 13 member Speaking Clock Revue band that backed them and Costello, Neko and Bridges was excellent. T-Bone was there but I don’t think he played. Neko sounded great and was genuinely thrilled to be in such company as she told a us a few times. Can’t say much for Bridges’ voice but his 2 songs were good. Kristofferson, who played alone, also suffers from frogs inhabiting his throat, but they both have good hair and were arm in arm for the Rockin In Free World finale. Despite his croak, Kris’ set, whcih included Me And Bobby McGee, Sunday Morning Coming Down and especially Here Comes The Rainbow Again were touching and received standing O’s.
Also:
Costello started with King Of America, that I really like, but then did 4 or 5 jazzy cabaret vaudeville style songs. Pearl Jam’s highlight was Neil joining them for Walk With Me from Le Noise. For me, without an electric guitar for Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder’s voice was about all that appealed to me. Oddly enough, I’ve seen them twice, both times acoustic, neither time could I discern the lyrics or especially liked any of the same sounding songs. Same for Grizzly Bear and Modest Mouse. Those two countered with quite the lineup of unusual instruments: brass, keys, strings, banjo, etc, and played them well. Grizzly Bear’s three lead singers also did an excellent job of harmonizing ala the Beach Boys. Ralph Stanley, the bluegrass master, used that distinct voice of his on 3 sweetly spiritual songs, accompanied by his guitarist. He was way out of his element on stage with everybody for RITFWorld.
I guess Sat had more rain. On Sun it was mid 60s with occassional sprinkles which stopped about when Pearl Jam started. What a day!
An interesting trip, starting with a two hour delay at Seatac while Obama was plugging up San Francisco air space. Greensky Bluegrass was the best of the bands I saw Fri and Sat in SF. Stanford sure knows how to tailgate. The Cougs were the Cougs. Watching the Giants win the pennant at a bar near AT&T Stadium was sure fun and I’m not a big Giants fan. Rangers-Giants World Series, just what I wanted.
Photos to come.
Setlists:
Bridge School Benefit
Oct 24 2010 – Sunday 2pm – 9:30pm
Shoreline Amphitheater – Mountain View, CA
Performers:
1 Neil Young (solo)
2 Grizzly Bear
3 Modest Mouse
4 Kris Kristofferson
5 T-Bone Burnett’s Speaking Clock Review
>> Featuring >>
— Elvis Costello
— Neko Case
— Jeff Bridges
— Ralph Stanley
— Elton John & Leon Russell
6 Pearl Jam
7 Buffalo Springfield
Songs:
(Neil Young)
Sugar Mountain
Comes A Time (w/Pegi Young)
(Grizzly Bear)
While You Wait For The Others
Two Weeks
All We Ask
Balmy Night (Department of Eagles cover) (Daniel Solo)
(Modest Mouse)
Wild Pack of Family Dogs
Bukowski
Lives
Dashboard
The Devil’s Workday
Blame It on the Tetons
Four Fingered Fisherman
Here’s to Now (Ugly Casanova cover)
(T-Bone Burnett’s Speaking Clock Review)
*Elvis Costello*
King of America
Slow Drag with Josephine
Jimmie Standing in the Rain
Sulphur to Sugarcane
National Ransom
*Neko Case*
Hold On, Hold On
Vengeance Is Sleeping
Dirty Knife
*Jeff Bridges*
Fallin’ & Flyin’ (w/Elvis Costello)
Brand New Angel
*Ralph Stanley*
(Unknown)
Lift Him Up
Man Of Constant Sorrow
*Elton John & Leon Russell*
If It Wasn’t For Bad
Jimmie Rodgers’ Dream
A Dream Come True
Gone to Shiloh (w/Neil Young)
Hearts Have Turned to Stone
When Love is Dying
Monkey Suit
Hey Ahab
There’s No Tomorrow (w/Costello, Case, Bridges, Stanley)
(Kris Kristofferson)
Me & Bobby McGee
Jody and the Kid
Here Comes That Rainbow Again
The Promise
Sunday Morning Coming Down
Why Me?
(Pearl Jam)
Daughter
Down
Driftin’
Other Side (1st time played live)
The End
Walk With Me (Neil Young cover) (w/Neil Young)
Lukin
Just Breathe
Black
Eldery Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
(Buffalo Springfield)
On the Way Home – Furay lead vocals
Rock & Roll Woman – Stills
Child’s Claim – Furay
Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It? – Furay
Go and Say Goodbye – Furay
I Am a Child – Young
Kind Woman – Furay
Burned – Young
For What It’s Worth – Stills
Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing – Furay, Young
Bluebird – Stills
Mr. Soul – Young
Encore:
Rockin’ In The Free World (w/everyone)
