I've been going to the Bridge School Benefit for four years now. It's a benefit concert for kids with severe impairments. Every year it's great, and this year was no exception.
This year started off with Norah Jones and Band of Horses. Nice acoustical stylings, and I love both voices. Soundgarden blew some socks off - good stuff! Chris Cornell definitely one of my favorite male rock voices. Tom Jones also came out - a face I knew but music that I did not know.
Then came Brian Wilson with the Beach Boys. Though he's old and has no expression, Wilson still rocked it out. It was interesting to hear and dance to all these songs I had always heard but perhaps never attributed to one band. It was sort of sad to see this fat old man at the keys looking like he's completely tired of the music, but you knew he was playing it and reliving old times. After they carted him off, came the highlight of the night - Florence and the Machine. With a heavenly haunting voice, her ethereal sound stirred deep into your bones. It was beautiful and enough to make one cry.
Pearl Jam was wonderful as well, obviously skipping such classics such as "Jeremy" due to the graphic nature of the song and the presence of disabled children. Then one thing happened. As you might remember, Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell once had a band, Temple of the Dog, in the early 90s. Well their song, Hunger Strike, has only been played 3 times from the beginning of the Vedder-Cornell feud from 1994 up until the preceding Saturday Oct 25th. And they played it, as my friend Tim predicted. Which was awesome! I've gone hungry.
And the kids, while sometimes painful to see, its beautiful to see the joy on their contorted faces. Amazing to share this live music experience with them. I'll be back next year!
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