Net Aid - October 9, 1999

Every Saturday The Rock And Roll Guru gives a comprehensive review of a live concert.

Net Aid was the brainchild of musician Wyclef Jean who wanted to organize an incredible concert that was simulcast across the globe in order to help world hunger via the internet. It was a highly ambitious project that unfortunately fell short of expectations. With concerts being held at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Wembley Stadium in London, and Palais des Nations in Geneva, expectations for an exciting interactive experience were high.

Unfortunately for the US, the ticket sales were poor with the stadium being half full for most of the concert. When I learned which bands were performing (Sheryl Crow, Sting, The Black Crowes, and of course Wyclef) I was interested. My wife at the time (Nancy, my first wife) also wanted to go, so we went online to get our tickets. I figured we would be sitting way upstairs, but much to my surprise we scored seats on the floor. Whoa! The floor! I had never sat that low at Giants Stadium before. That alone was going to make this concert a worthwhile one.

Walking into a concert at Giants Stadium when you are on the floor is a breathtaking experience. First, you have to go in through a separate gate, away from the rest of the plebian people who only scored “regular” seats. Then you are escorted through a special entrance and you walk out onto the field. At first look, it’s mesmerizing. I was thinking about all of the sporting events played on the field, all the concerts held on that grass; it was a surreal moment.

We were 25 rows away from the stage, which was a wild experience. I can’t remember what order the performers came to the stage, but I can give you the highlights of each one that I remember. Before the big acts even came out, Wyclef, Bono and a cast of other took the stage to sing the Wyclef/Bono compilation, New Day. This would kick the day off. (Notice in the video that there is no one sitting in the upper deck seats.)



Counting Crows
This was before I became a bigger fan of the Counting Crows, so I really only knew one or two of their songs. They played Mr. Jones, their big hit, and I don’t recall what else. Each performer was limited to four songs, so their selections were tight. I suppose each band was on a time limit. Overall, the Counting Crows were decent, but nothing spectacular.

Sheryl Crow
I was excited to see Sheryl Crow, as was Nancy. We were both huge fans and Crow was supporting a new album at that time, The Globe Sessions. She performed at least one song from that album, My Favorite Mistake, I believe. Sheryl Crow was excellent for her short time on stage. She has a great voice and while she doesn’t rock out like a lot of hard rock frontmen, she draws you in with her limited mobility and entertaining voice. When her last song was played, I was disappointed. I wanted to hear more.

The Black Crowes
This was without the doubt the worst performance of the night. However, it was not the band’s fault. Halfway through their opening song, the sound cut out on lead singer Chris Robinson’s microphone. It was out for the rest of that song and all of the next one. We sat through two instrumentals that were not supposed to be instrumentals. We could see Chris singing into his mic, and he obviously had no idea what happened. Personally I would have fired those sound techs after that show. 8 minutes without a working microphone is just unacceptable.

Sting
I was very enthusiastic about seeing Sting. I had never seen The Police before and I grew up a big fan of both The Police and Sting’s solo music. I was hoping to hear his awesome a capella version of Roxanne, or some other Police classic. I was also wishing that he would perform If You Love Somebody Set Them Free. Unfortunately for us, Sting was in the strange period of his career. He had strayed from rock and roll and was into very experimental music (that included a lute) and more opera and classical type of performances. He performed two songs this way, which just about put me to sleep. I was so disappointed with his decision to do this. I wanted classic and I got classical. Not quite the same. He did perform his latest song, Brand New Day, so that was a fun way to close out his set.

Wyclef Jean
Other than his hits with The Fugees, I knew very little about Wyclef, but I was open to hear what he could do as a solo artist. He was the last act of the night, the big headliner, as Net Aid was his project. Wyclef did not disappoint. He came out with a guitar and a backing band and played his hip/hop-rock hybrid music that sounded exceptional. The one track I distinctly remembering him playing is Gone Til November which is an incredible song that sounded even better in concert.

Wyclef played approximately six songs before calling it a night. By the time his set was winding down, most of Giants Stadium had filed out, which was sad, but also showed that perhaps he should not have been the headline act. When he played his last song of the evening, there couldn’t have been more than 8,000 people left in the stadium. And while it wasn’t a sell out by any means, there were a lot more people there when the day began.

I know that there were other performers (perhaps shown on a video screen from the other countries), but I can’t recall exactly who, or what they played. The concert was over six hours long, and it’s sad to learn that barely any money was made to help their charity. In the end, what was supposed to be a huge concert in the vein of Live Aid, turned out to be a bust. I was glad to have attended. I got to see a lot of bands that I would not have seen otherwise, and experienced a concert from the floor of Giants Stadium. That in itself was worth the price of admission. However, we left feeling that it could have been so much more and pondering exactly what went wrong.

New Music Releases - Fall 2009

As much as it pains me to say this, summer is winding down, slowly paving the way for the autumn season. While the warm days of beautiful sunshine and the endless nights of baseball will soon be a fading memory for another year, there is a silver lining to fall’s arrival – new music. There are some great albums scheduled for release this fall. None have my mouth drooling in anticipation more than the new Kiss album (of course), but there are other highly anticipated recordings slated to arrive when the leaves change colors. Below is a list of notable key releases this fall. Be sure to mark your music calendar.

September 8, 2009
Dave Matthews Band – Live Trax Volume 16
DMB is set to release another live masterpiece in their never ending series of recorded concerts. Live Trax Volume 16 is taken from the band’s June 26, 2000 performance from the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Highlights from this set include Digging A Ditch, Sweet Up and Down, Say Goodbye, and the rarely performed Little Thing. The 2-disc set is currently available for pre-order on the band’s website: http://www.davematthewsband.com/

Phish – Joy
With their reunion a smashing success and “Phish-heads” loving the new material in its live format, Phish is set to release Joy on September 8th. The new songs sound great live, so this studio effort should be an excellent package of new material. The time away from one another did the band well as they were able to capture the magic of what drove them when they first started the band. Joy should be a return to all their former glory and a trumpeted show of their resurgence.

September 15, 2009
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Break Up
It’s been a busy year for Pete Yorn. His fourth album, aptly titled Back and Fourth, came out earlier this summer, he’s been touring in support ever since, and now he has to prepare to promote a second album. Break Up is a disc of 9 duets with actress turned singer Scarlett Johansson. This concept album walks through to the tale of a tempestuous relationship as written and developed by Pete Yorn. He recruited Johansson to sing the duets with him and the rest is history. I’m interested in hearing how the final piece turned out and if this is a project worthy of my time and money. I guess we’ll know this September. You can sample the lead single Relator right here: http://www.thebreakupalbum.com/.

Lynch Mob – Smoke & Mirrors
That’s right, the Lynch Mob is back! Oni Logan has teamed up with George Lynch and together with a new rhythm section, they’ve recorded one of the greatest rock albums to come along in years, Smoke and Mirrors. I had the opportunity to review this one for Hard Rock Hideout. Smoke and Mirrors in one word? Amazing. Be sure to pick up your copy on September 15th.

Ace Frehley – Anomaly
The Ace is back! Anomaly, Frehley’s first solo album in years, is set to be released this September, just ahead of the new Kiss CD. Word from the Frehley camp is that this solo record is as good as it gets from Ace, comparing it to the first solo CD (while still with Kiss). I doubt it’s that good, but if it’s even as good as Trouble Walkin’, I’ll be a happy Ace fan!

September 20, 2009
Pearl Jam – Backspacer
If September 20th seems like an odd day for a new release, that’s because it is. Pearl Jam are breaking the traditional Tuesday release date and making their new album available on a Sunday. Backspacer is a Target exclusive, which means I’ll be at my local Target right after church that day. I am salivating for this disc and hope that it comes close to matching the power of their last album (Pearl Jam).

September 22, 2009
Three Days Grace – Life Starts Now
It’s been three years since Three Days Grace released their sophomore effort, One X. In that time, Three Days Grace has built a strong following through constant touring and opening for some choice bands. Their single, Pain, helped to push album sales for One X and make many a Three Days Grace fan, myself included. Their third effort, Life Starts Now, is due to hit stores in September, but the big question remains…can the follow up to One X live up to all the expectations and pressure?

September 29, 2009
Alice In Chains – Black Gives Way To Blue
I’ll be honest, I have no clue how this record is going to sound. I have not heard Alice In Chains with their not-so-new lead singer William DuVall, I have not sampled any available online leaks from this record, and I haven’t listened to Alice in Chains much since the 90s. That having been said, the band still holds a lot of merit in the music world, and if they’ve created something new, it’s worth checking out. I know a couple of close friends that are going to be hitting the record store the moment it opens on September 29th. It could be that good.

Foreigner – Can’t Slow Down
With lead singer Kelly Hansen, Foreigner is returning to the world of rock with a new CD, Can’t Slow Down. This will be a WalMart exclusive, which seemed to serve AC/DC and The Eagles well, so hopefully it will do the same for Foreigner. While their former great lead singer Lou Gramm is releasing Christian rock type discs, Foreigner is putting out the rock and roll. I don’t know what Hansen sounds like, and I don’t know if this album will be incredible or just average, but it will be interesting to see what they’ve been up to. I’m also curious to see how WalMart sets up their exclusive displays for this disc.

Breaking Benjamin – Dear Agony
This CD was certainly given the proper title. It was agony to see how often this album kept getting delayed. This was originally due for release last year, then it was moved to the spring, then they were hopeful for a summer release, and now it’s September 29th (provided the date doesn’t change again). Coming off their biggest disc to date (Phobia), Breaking Benjamin has a lot of hype to live up to. I personally think they can pull it off, but they’ve been out of the public eye for a while, so it will be interesting to see how well this sells.

October 6, 2009
Kiss – Sonic Boom
Just in case a new Ace Frehley CD isn’t enough Kiss for ya, the band of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer, and Tommy Thayer are putting out a full length CD (the first with this line up). And in the vein of AC/DC and the Eagles, this is a WalMart exclusive. If the album is as cool as the artwork, then we’re in for a real treat. Word from the Kiss camp is that Sonic Boom has the feel and sound of 70s Kiss. If that means Detroit Rock City era, that’s awesome. If that means Dynasty era, then I’m going to be very disappointed. We’ll find out this October.

October 27, 2009
Sting – If On A Winter’s Night
After a successful reunion tour with The Police and some much deserved time off following that, Sting is returning with a new album, If On A Winter’s Night. This winter themed disc will include two new original Sting compositions, traditional Christmas carols, and some songs about winter. While not exactly a “Christmas” album, If On A Winter’s Night certainly sounds like a holiday record. Hopefully it’s not as bad as the lute experiment from a few years ago.

Know about other new releases that weren’t covered here? Some of the dates mentioned above change? Send me an e-mail and let me know.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.