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Bridge Benefit XI (Oct. 18 & 19, 1997)

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Bridge Benefit XI (Oct. 18 & 19, 1997)

Scheduled to Appear:

  • Neil Young (solo)
  • Metallica
  • Lou Reed
  • Smashing Pumpkins
  • Alanis Morrisette
  • Dave Mathews Band
  • Blues Traveler
  • Kacey Crowley
    Rumored
  • Crosby Stills & Nash
  • Phish   {Declined.)
  • Paul McCartney   {Schedule conflict.)
  • Brad   {Schedule conflict.)

Show Details:

Ticket Info:

  • Show 1 On Sale: Sept 28, 10am
  • Show 2 On Sale: tba
  • Prices: $30 (add BASS charges)
  • Contact: (510) 762-BASS or (408) 998-BASS
  • Here is a seating chart.

Bridge Benefit XI (Oct. 18 & 19, 1997)

Neil's Set List (Saturday)

    Show Opener Set
  1. Long May You Run
  2. Four Strong Winds
    Regular Set
  3. Pictures In My Mind   [title guess - new song]
  4. Slowpoke
  5. Buffalo Springfield Again
  6. Good To See You   [title guess - new song]
  7. Silver and Gold
  8. Oh Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)
  9. After The Goldrush
  10. This Note's For You   [with John Popper & Micky Raphael]

Neil's Set List (Sunday)

    Show Opener Set
  1. Long May You Run
  2. Comes A Time
    Regular Set
  3. Pictures In My Mind   [title guess - new song]
  4. Slowpoke
  5. Buffalo Springfield Again
  6. Horseshoe Man
  7. Good To See You   [title guess - new song]
  8. Silver and Gold
  9. Oh Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)
  10. After The Goldrush
  11. This Note's For You   [with John Popper & Micky Raphael]

Satuday Show Reports

The RE*AC*TOR Report

The show started the standard way, with Pegi's welcomes and comments about the school and the people who helped with the show. She then introduced Neil, who came out and immediately invited out "my good friend Micky Raphael" (Willie Nelson's harp man). They did a very clean Long May You Run and Four Strong Winds. Looks like the Farm Aid warm-up paid off... :-)

Since we barely got to Shoreline in time to catch the start, the Kacey Crowley set became go back out and buy a T shirt and look for other Rusties time. From a distance she sounded okay, though. Meanwhile, Conductor reminded us that the Rusties were to gather at the Totem Pole for a group-shot. Since the pole is right beside the Bridge School tent, we hung out in the area and checked things out.

The Rustie contingent grew and grew. Soon there were scores of MORE BARN! shirts, Rust logo shirts, rust@death shirts, the new "Swimming" shirts, even a "Baby Barn" paloocho! Plus various other Rust-shirtless folks milling about, waiting for the camera to arrive. Unfortunately, it ain't easy to get a camera into Shoreline... :-( Eventually we gave up on the "deluxe camera" and settled for Jim Beller's stealth camera. The crowd cramed into a space that hopefully fit into the view-finder, and a few photos were taken.

Afterward, as the crowd exploded out of the confined space, curious onlookers ask "Who was that group?" and "What's a Rustie?" and "A cult of WHAT?" :-)

By now Blues Traveler is well along in their set, and we make it back in time to catch the last couple of songs. They sounded great -- kinda sorry I missed the first half of their set.

Next up comes Loooooooooooou. His over-an-hour set was outstanding, and included some new songs that he said were for a play or something. He played several songs I recognized but don't know any details about -- only Sweet Jane got any recognition from the crowd. The sound was flawless, so his set should make a great tape.

Neil came out and did FIVE straight unreleased songs. I didn't recognize the first one, but it was a really cool one with a lot of descriptive images and such -- reminded me of some of his old stuff like Don't Let It Bring You Down. It might be called Pictures in my Mind (since that line was used several times in the song). Next was Slowpoke (almost as good as Richie's version at the IRF the night before :-) and then Buffalo Springfield Again. I didn't recognize the next one either -- Calistar calls it Good To See You.

Neil then intros Silver and Gold with a comment about having recorded it 8 or 9 times and finally deciding that "this way is the best..." Could that be a hint that it'll be on his next album? (Since the pre-HORDE stealth gigs, Neil's now played about a half dozen accoustic new or previously-unreleased songs. Maybe he'll do something like Bruce's Ghost of Tom Joad and give us a stripped-down solo-accoustic one next year?)

Neil then sat down and pumped up that organ for another soulful Mother Earth -- not quite as soulful as at Farm Aid, but nice and clean. With Micky adding extra harp, it was very similar to the Farm Aid one. He next sat down at his old upright and played Goldrush. I finally got to be there to see him play that song, on the piano where he wrote it!

As mentioned earlier, Neil invited out the two super-harpists to accompany him on "A dumb song I wrote". The Harmonicats had fun with that one, as did Neil with his "This naw this naw this nawwwwts for yewwww..." routine.

The set may have been short, but it was absolutely fantastic to finally be there for a purely accoustic set like that. Other than a missed harp note or two during Mother Earth, and a botched line in ATGR (another Neil trademark these days) it was flawless.

Next up: Metallica. The empty row in front of us filled up soon after Neil's set ended. The head bangers shouted "Jason!" "Kirk!" "James!" (Didn't hear "Lars!" :-) and they jumped up and stayed up through most of the set. They played a couple of songs that are going to be on their Reload album, and Hetfield did a passible Van Zant on Skynyrd's Tuesday's Gone. Kirk Hammet shined on slide and other lead work on several songs that I know I've heard, but don't know well enough to name. Their only "big hit" was Nothing Else Matters, and they let the audience sing the chorus several times. For their first major un-plugged set (I think) they seemed to have a lot of fun and sounded fine.

By this point, due to Lou's extra long set and the somewhat slow set changes, the show was dropping behind. Earlier it was announced that "things were being changed around", so I figured that somebody must have cancelled. If so, it wasn't Alanis, who came out and did a set that mellowed out most of the metal-heads. I thought she did fine, but all the nearby scoffs and pshaws and laughs around me told me that others disagreed. However from watching Pegi dancing stage right to some of Alanis' more lively numbers, and Elliot there also enjoying the performance, I guess she had a few fans there.

After Alanis did Norwegian Wood and exited, Pegi came out to introduce the Bridge School film. Unfortunately the sound didn't work, so they delayed that "until the next set change".

Dave Mathews came out and did an outstanding set, little different from their "non-unplugged" sound (since they mostly play accoustic instruments anyway). They played several of their well-known numbers, and the crowd stayed on its feet most of the set. (At this point, dancing to DMB was a great way to warm up in the 40-something degree night.) I enjoyed their set.

After announcing that the best minds in Silicon Valley had been called in to fix the problem, the Bridge School film was re-played. It started with Patti Smith singing People Have The Power, and the song overlayed the rest of the film. If that recording was the version on the upcoming Bridge CD, it's going to be outstanding.

At this point, since it was close to 11pm already, I was guessing that Smashing Pumpkins had cancelled and they were going to go into the finale number. But then it became clear that the stage WAS being set up for Pumpkins, and that the show would be running long tonight.

Personally I thought Pumpkins were great. As has been mentioned, there was a loud hum in the right speaker bank, but most of the time it wasn't intrusive. Billy proved that it doesn't take electric instruments to crank things up. Bullet With Butterfly Wings was outstanding. Tonight Tonight was done well, even without the orchestra. 79 was cool. Bringing out Marilyn Manson at a Bridge show was an inspired bit of melodrama.

As Jim Beller mentioned, it was a shame we didn't get a finale number. I was hoping to see Neil and Marilyn sharing a mic... :-) Maybe at tonights show????
. . . RE*AC*TOR

(more reports coming)

Sunday Show Reports

The Cowgirl In The Sand Report

A better show Sunday. No Twiggy Ramirez, or Marilyn Manson in a cowpoke outfit to ruin Smashing Pumpkins' set.

Neil was great! Nice opening tunes each night with Mickey Raphael, and he was in great moods at both shows. Neil's set in the middle of the concert were a taper's delight, with some unreleased 'old' songs, plus all that newstuff.

Kacey Crowley: nice set, powerful voice for such a petite woman. Good attitude. I think her set deserves to be on the Bridge School Benefit tapes.

Blues Traveler: I really enjoyed them more on Sunday. I thought they were better than on Saturday. They were really in the spirit of the event, getting up and walking to the back of the stage and performing for the kids. Some of those kids looked so stoked! Beautiful moment!

The guys in Blues Traveler all looked like they were having a great time as well, and their music reflected that. John Popper is a really generous performer. After their set he tossed his harps out to the audience. He uses a Hohner Marine Band, Special 20, key of E. :-) Thanx Mr. Popper!!!

Lou Reed: I thoroughly enjoyed him both nights. Love the new stuff.

Alanis Morrisette: took another nap & a pee break. She's ok -- nothing I'd buy. Good Safeway background stuff. I think ok lyrics but hard to pay attention due to lack of emotion & my inattentiveness nodding off.

Neil: aural orgasm. Great guitar playing!!!!! Nice pickin'!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!

Buffalo Springfield Again, Silver & Gold, Horseshoe Man, Glad to see ya??, etc. Nice piano playing & pump organ & harp. Raphael & Popper did a nice job with Neil on pump organ & harp. Kinda sounded like an accordion, that combo of harps & organ.

Smashing Pumpkins: enjoyable set Sunday. Soooo much better than the downer set Sat. They redeemed themselves, and no MM crap. He/she/it sucked.

Dave Mathews Band: other than the hit which is much better live & was pretty okay, their set smoked. Especially their fiddle player -- wow! RUSTY HIGHLIGHT: All Along The Watchtower with Neil!! Ahhh... yeah... ohohoooh... GREAT!

Metallica: awesome stuff. Great guitars. A real pleasant surprise for me!

All in all, very good/excellent show. I thought set changes were quick both nights. Weather was nicer on Sunday. Warmer evening -- or maybe it was just because I was closer & more into the music Sunday. But I think SP were much better Sunday. Also thought BT was better on Sunday.

Great group of Neil fans in MORE BARN!, IRF, Rust@Death etc. Glad to have met you all. From Germany to Canada, DC Area, Florida, Idaho, MN, California... How many miles travelled to Shoreline???

later, cits

(more reports coming)

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