Great Music, Better Cause

Last weekend, Pearl and I attended the Bridge School Benefit Concert, one of the most highly anticipated events on the Bay Area’s social calendar, which for all its lack of pomp and pageantry, still maintains the intimacy of a backyard barbecue – well, a barbecue with your 22,000 closest friends.

The Bridge School was founded in 1986 by Pegi Young (wife of Neil Young), James Foederer and Dr. Marilyn Buzolich to educate children with speech and physical impairments and teach alternative means of communication. Neil and Pegi’s son, Ben, was one of the school’s first students.

The proceeds of the annual benefit concert, an all-acoustic, star-studded celebration, which was started the same year as the school, partially funds the technology, equipment and support needed to provide the students with an excellent education and also the transition program which assists Bridge School graduates with their education and integration into their home school district post-graduation.

http://www.bridgeschool.org/about.html

The concert is now in its 20th year and has featured performances by some of the biggest names in music, including Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, Jerry Garcia, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, REM, Beck, Willie Nelson and John Lee Hooker. Many artists return to perform time and again. This was the fifth BSBC for The Dave Matthews Band and the seventh for Pearl Jam. The only constant from year to year is the founder and host, Neil Young, and the promise of a fantastic show. This year was no disappointment.

For a line up from each of the BSBC’s 20 concerts see the link below:
http://hyperrust.org/Bridge/Benefit.html

The weather was beautiful (nearing 80 degrees in late October!) and the concert was already in full-swing when we arrived at the Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre in the second hour of a day-long concert. We had missed the first two performances: Neil’s opening set which featured his wife, Pegi, performing alongside a Native American drummer and dancer, and psychedelic folk singer Devendra Banhart. I was sorry to have missed Neil (although we had many other opportunities to see him throughout the day, evening and night) and as well as Bert Jansch who accompanied the first two sets and took the lead at one point during Banhart’s performance.

As we entered the amphitheatre to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings’ rendition of Gram Parsons’ Hickory Wind, I knew at once that we were in for a good show. The upper lawn, already a patchwork of blankets and bodies, left hardly any green showing. It took us nearly 20-minutes to find four square feet of grass on which to lay our blanket. As we wandered through the masses, we caught our first glimpse of our host as he accompanied Gillian and David as they covered his own Country Girl.

Two large screens, on either side of the stage, provided close-up of the performers, interspersed with shots of the crowd and of the current and former students (Ben Young among them) who sat onstage, providing a beautiful and moving backdrop, a constant reminder of the cause we were supporting and celebrating.

Shortly after we settled in, the next performer, Death Cab for Cutie replaced Gillian, performing a handful of pretty pop songs and then a cover of Graham Nash's Military Madness for which Neil returned to the stage to join in on guitar and vocals.

Trent Reznor followed with a stark, emotional set. We were wondering how well Reznor would fit into the acoustic format but he pulled it off quite well. Seated at a piano and accompanied by a string quartet, he did an excellent job re-arranging some of his formerly metal-heavy tracks – Hurt and The Frail among them.

Up next were the Foo Fighters. Dave Grohl, brought huge smiles and some impressive acoustic head-banging on My Hero, a song which he dedicated to Neil. The group brought their set to a close with Everlong after Grohl recounted that at a previous Bridge School performance of this emotional song, he retreated to his trailer in tears.

Pegi Young then introduced a short tribute to Emma Pitcairn, a 25 year old Bridge School graduate who passed away last month. Set to Neil’s One of These Days, the tribute showed Emma from childhood to her young adulthood: Emma had such a wide smile in every photo (with her family, with friends, in classes at school). The brief documentary helped us reflect on all the school does for its students and how much every student becomes part of the Bridge School family. It again served, like the live shots of the students onstage, to remind us of the reason we (the audience, the performers and the students) were there. This tribute received one of the loudest and longest applauses of the evening.

"One of These Days"

One of these days,
I'm gonna sit down
and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known

And I'm gonna try
And thank them all
for the good times together.
Though so apart we've grown.

One of these days,
I'm gonna sit down
and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known

One of these days,
one of these days,
one of these days,
And it won't be long, it won't be long.

And I'm gonna thank,
That old country fiddler
And all those rough boys
Who play that rock 'n' roll
I never tried to burn any bridges
Though I know I let some good things go.

One of these days,
I'm gonna sit down
and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known

One of these days,
one of these days,
one of these days,
And it won't be long, it won't be long.

From down in L.A.
All the way to Nashville,
From New York City
To my Canadian prairie home
My friends are scattered
Like leaves from an old maple.
Some are weak, some are strong.

One of these days,
I'm gonna sit down
and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known

One of these days,
one of these days,
one of these days,
And it won't be long, it won't be long.

One of these days,
one of these days,
one of these days,
And it won't be long, it won't be long.

The highlight of my night came next as Brian Wilson took the stage and performed a selection of my favorite songs, including God Only Knows, Wouldn't it Be Nice, Heroes and Villains and Good Vibrations (with Neil on a 200 year old pump organ). It was the most fun set of the night: young and old fans alike got up to dance and sing along with California Girls.

As darkness drew in, Pearl Jam kicked up the intensity with a cover of Dylan’s Masters of War. Their set included Around the Bend, Thin Air (which they dedicated to two friends of Maricor, a Bridge School graduate and current Berkeley student), Lukin, and Betterman, culminating with the Eddie Vedder/Neil Young collaboration Throw Your Hatred Down.

As the sun rounded the horizon, the cold drew in quick. The crowd thinned as the families with young children made their way to the exits. Those who were able to handle the cold remained, turning their collars up against the cold and huddling close for warmth. The video screens which had been providing shots of the Bridge School students smiling, clapping and laughing, now showed them burrowing into their parents for a warm place to sleep.

The Dave Matthews Band turned a number of their radio friendly hits into extended jams. Favorites Crash and Everyday were fun and lively and got the crowd dancing. Neil Young reappeared to another huge applause and joined Matthews on an 18-minute version of Down by the River. It was clearly the showpiece of a very impressive set. As the two men walked off the stage, Neil turned to prostrate himself before Matthews in a manner I’d seen so many fans doing every time Neil gained the stage.

Finally, Neil reappeared one last time to close out the show and with a set that included Harvest Moon and One of These Days. As we were leaving the amphitheatre around midnight, Neil gathered all the performers together one last time and led them in an excellent rendition of Keep on Rockin' in the Free World - a perfect way to end a perfect show.

--------------------------------------------------------

From: http://bad-news-beat.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1795
10-22-2006, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California
Performances by Neil Young

1. Ambulance Blues (w/ Bert Jansch)
2. Long May You Run (w/ Pegi Young)
3. Comes a Time (w/ Pegi Young)
---
w/ Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
4. Country Girl (guitar, harmonica and lead vocals for last verse)
---
w/ Death Cab For Cutie
5. Military Madness (guitar and vocals)
---
w/ Brian Wilson
6. Good Vibrations (pump organ)
7. Barbara Ann (background vocals)
---
w/ Pearl Jam
8. Throw Your Hatred Down (guitar and vocals)
---
w/ The Dave Matthews Band
9. Down by the River (guitar and vocals)
---
w/ The Prairie Wind Band
10. After the Garden
11. Goin' Back
12. Harvest Moon
13. Old Man
14. One of These Days
---
15. Rockin' In the Free World

“Look ma, no hands!”

Last weekend, I finally had a chance to try trapeze swinging, and boy, was I shocked to discover how truly hard it is! Pia, Yuhka and I trekked all the way to Oakland to fly at the Trapeze Arts Circus School. http://www.trapezearts.com/aboutus.jsp

Yuhka earned the “best amateur trapeze swinger” badge as she was able to swing and knee-hang and back-flip and catch all on the first try. Pia earns 2nd-best as she was able to do all of the above, though not necessarily on the first try. And I earn “worst amateur trapeze swinger” as I was barely able to handle the knee-hang up in the air. But, don’t feel bad for me – I pretty much gave up (mentally and physically) when I realized that I had to exert a lot of effort (and listen and follow orders) to accomplish the swing. These trapeze artists work hard to do their stunts! While I didn’t find the experience at all scary, – I actually liked being up on the 35-foot-high platform – I was definitely not yet ready for the physical challenge of the sport. ;p

How it works: All beginning students wear a safety harness fastened snugly around their waists. The harnesses have two clips that attach to long ropes, called safety lines, which control how quickly students fall. Students coat their palms with chalk to keep their hands from slipping off the trapeze bar. Before they can be caught by an instructor, they must rub their forearms with chalk to help the catcher get a better grip. Two safety lines are attached to the student's harness once he or she is on the platform. An instructor on the ground has control over the other end of the lines and alternately pulls on or lets the lines free to help the student control momentum. Before students jump off the platform, they practice their form on a static trapeze, one that does not swing at all. An elevated net is strung tightly across the trapeze practice space. The net provides a gentle, bouncy landing for students. Once they land safely, students unhook their safety lines and pass them up for the next flier. Then they roll off the side of the net onto a mat. An instructor on the platform helps students on take-off. The instructor clips the safety lines to the harness and pulls the trapeze within reach. Keeping a firm grip on the back of the student's harness, she shouts, "Leisto!" as a signal that the student is ready to fly. The climax of the first lesson is being caught by an instructor on a second trapeze. The instructor swings back and forth to gain momentum, then wraps his legs around the trapeze and hangs upside down. Timing and speed are crucial to a successful catch.

Cool fact: To Mythbusters’ fans: the 360 Swing Set Myth was taped at this circus school and our instructors were featured in the show. Adam & Jamie return to the school next week to debunk a pirate-myth! http://www.trapezearts.com/aboutus.jsp

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

That’s a MAN baby, yeah!:

AsiaSF – where the trannies look even hotter than the women. Actually, it was quite difficult telling those helped by modern science versus those born into womanhood! www.asiasf.com

No Kool-Aid for me, thanks, I’ll stick with the water:

We went to one of the best vegan restaurants we’ve ever eaten at in Oakland and found out, mid-meal, that a cult owns and manages Golden Lotus under the guidance of a woman who calls herself the Supreme Master Ching Hai. No wonder all the servers had blank stares and funny smiles on their faces. Ah, but they do know how to cook great food! You can read more about the Supreme Master here: http://www.godsdirectcontact.org/eng/article/chinghai.html

A Tale of Two Concerts…from Beck to Emmylou:

You know you’re 30 when you’re the oldest ones at a concert one week (too old to even see the person you’ve paid to see -- it’s more than a little embarrassing to admit that we left the concert after four hours, but still an additional five hours before the headliner, Beck, came to the stage) and the youngest ones at a concert the week after (we were the only under 35s at the Emmylou Harris venue).

Sometimes, Californians are just TOO laid back:

Our company has a great connection with a car rental agency that drops-off and picks-up rental cars for employees. We rented a car for 6 days, but the agent left the car with us (unlimited mileage and all) for 2.5 weeks (“uhm yeah, do you mind if we pick up the car next week?”). Total bill for renting a car for 18 days? $150.

Audium, an experiment in boredom:

Audium is billed as an experiment in three-dimensional sound (“sound-sculptured space”) held in complete darkness. In actuality, we sat for 70 minutes in the dark and listened to an old man on an outdated organ stroll through his library of sound effects. While the intention of Audium is to display how adding dimension to music can enhance the experience of listening, what it actually showed is that you can get a better experience sitting at home listening to music on a surround-sound system; so save yourself the cost of a ticket. http://www.audium.org/

Another Hippie Day

This past weekend, we drove 2.5 hours north of San Francisco to one of the hot springs resorts just outside Calistoga. Situated atop a beautiful mountain, these resorts are geared toward soul healing and finding the peace within. Indeed, it was very peaceful, soothing, and calming. Chris opted for the energy work massage which combined various techniques to relax the body from within. My massage was a mélange of shiatsu and water-swishing performed in a warm pool, where my masseuse stretched my body in varying directions, floating me all around the water. I felt like I was suspended in air, in the middle of a dream, the smell of lavender filling my chest.

The hot springs were comprised of different meditative pools -- the cold pool was a freezing 50F, the warm pool was 80F, and the hot was 112F, all filled with the mineral-rich spring waters of the surrounding mountains. In fact, all the waters (tap, drinking, etc) all come from the nearby springs. There was a lot of literature which stated that their water is purer than Poland Springs!

There was such a serenity within the place, where man and animal really seem to exist harmoniously. At one point, as we were walking back to the car, a young doe walked out of the woods and approached us, paused briefly to say hello and then walked on by. As we continued to walk on the path, we passed a number of wild turkey and quails milling about. We have heard stories of campers at the resort who wake to find a friendly fox at the opening of their tent.

The people at the resort were also very friendly, and everyone seemed to be so at peace with themselves and those around them. They were all so beautiful, not only on the outside but you could really sense their auras/chi as full of beauty too.

The overcast and cool weather was a bit of a downer but all the same we can’t wait to go back!

(Do you get the feeling that by the time we leave California, we'll have turned into hippies...or even New Agers?)