I am a sucker for anything Hall of Fame related. Pro Football, Baseball and Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies...count me in. I am a Hall of Fame whore! I cried during Jim Kelley's induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he spoke about his special needs son. I wasn't even a dad yet and I cried like a bitch.
Recently, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held two nights of concerts at Madison Square Garden commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the Hall. Mind you, Rolling Stone Magazine is the keeper of the Hall. However, Ahmet Ertegun was a founder with RS Editor in Chief, Jann Wenner. I respect Mr. Ertegun as the man that sign Led Zeppelin and Cream along with Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles to his Atlantic Records label. Dude was a genius.
The concert covered two nights and displayed an ass load of great music. A few highlights for me were Simon and Garfunkle showing how important they were to the NYC scene in the 60's. No heavier song written than "Sounds of Silence". I never realized how influential they were until the past few years. Paul Simon paid tribute to George Harrison by covering "Here Comes The Sun", my favorite Beatles song, by far. He played the guitar so perfectly, unfortunately, the song was cheapened by having David Crosby and Graham Nash sing with him. They were as brutal in this song as they were in their set.
Stevie Wonder was probably more powerful than he had been in 25 years. He paid tribute to Michael Jackson by covering "The Way You Make Me Feel". Not a big fan of the Jackson music, but to see Stevie breakdown and weep in the middle of the song showed that he was still mourning. I can respect that. He also played with BB King and Smokey Robinson. Cool.
Metallica then hit it on the fucking head. "For Whom The Bell Tolls" started it off. Then they play with Lou Reed. They played with Ozzy who did his worn out thing. The best was they played with Ray Davies of the Kinks. Wholly Shit! Two of my favorites together.
Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy...a guitar fans wet dream. Jeff Beck and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top...the wet spot. Guitars are a voice that speaks only love and the truth.
Springsteen with Sam Moore of Sam and Dave was classic. Any guy (Springsteen) that has Mike Ness play with him in LA is OK with me. Then, he jams into "Fortunate Son" with John Fogarty. Just awesome.
I am a classic rock junkie. If it was not for the 50's and 60's rock n roll, this world would be a miserable place. Thank you rock n roll.
