Two things are for sure with tribute concerts, they will be uneven and they will lack momentum. And both things were very true at Michael Dorf's concert in aid of charities such as "The Pinwheel Project", -which helps to make children with serious illnesses stay in hospital as fun an experience as possible, and other charities which do things such as refurbish musical instrument, called, er, ""Fixing Instruments For Kids In School".
Dorf, who earlier this year was behind the Robert Johnson tribute and last years Neil Young one, came up with what looks like a corking good idea at first glance: the Stones classic double greatest hits album, Hot Rocks.. performed in sequence from one end to the other, with three ringers thrown in for the heck of it. At Carnegie Hall Tuesday night.
The list of musicians who showed up was mind boggling, and it would be hubris to whine that it didn't all work… but, it didn't all work. The problem was that Mick Jagger is such a powerful presence that there is a huge vacuum in the middle and it was difficult to fill….
You Can't Always Get What You Want – Jovanotti and members of TV On The Radio – Never has a problem been clearer faster: Tunde Adebimpe is a talented fellow and a fair to middling band leader, but he really sucked here and Jovanatti did nothing to explain why the Italian superstar is so popular back home. The Choir was fabulous. Grade: B
Time Is On My Side – Ronnie Spector – Sure, she has a big voice, but she seemed awkward. Grade: B
Heart Of Stone – Peaches – Now, this electronic Queen doesn't even have the voice, but she does seem cool enough to handle it. Grade: B+
Play With Fire – Rich Robinson – The wrong brother. Grade: D
Satisfaction – Juliette Lewis – Sure, I loved her in "Natural Born Killers" and sure, she looked cool in a sparkly white mini skirt, but this was terrible. Incidentally, it got a pretty good reception. Grade: C-
As Tears Go By – Marianne Faithful – She has every right to sing it and I have every right to wish she hadn't. Grade: B-
Get Off My Cloud – David Johansen – This is what I meant about the evening missing a center. David was awesome, without particularly pushing it, because he has the same arrogance as Jagger and he doesn't have to fake it to get it across. Grade: A
Mother's Little Helper – Steve Earle – The first song Earle ever learnt to play! Which explains a lot.He chugs along powerfully all the way Grade: A-
19th Nervous Breakdown – Ian Hunter And the Rant Band – Not a great idea, Ian kept on fucking her the lyric. It is too wordy, he kept tripping himself. Which is a real shame because for a moment it almost felt like a concert.
Paint It Black – The Mountain Goat – On piano, he starts by playing an instrumental "Let's Sing This Song All together". Grade: B
Under My thumb – Glen Hansard – The bloke from the Swell Season with a stand up bass player and here is something to ponder. Why are these tributes such humorless get togethers? Glen cracks a joke: "I wonder what Mick was on when he wrote this?" Glen pondered, before adding, "I bet Keith wrote it". Still, why oh why the fade out with "Gloria"?Grade: B+
Ruby Tuesday – Art Garfunkel – According to the playbill, according to New York Times, Art is a counter-tenor!!! He soared through this with the pianist holding down the bottom for him. Also, he is bald!! No afro, it's true. I want my money back. Grade: A-
Let's Spend The Night Together – Jackson Browne – It thrived as a roaring Queens come on, and thrives as an aging Lothario's come one.He looks cooler than hell, with his California shades, er, reading glasses. And I dare you to turn him down, oh, my my my my my. Grade: A-
Jumpin' Jack Flash – Gomez – They get the myth but miss the excitement. Grade: B-
Street Fighting man – Angelique Kidjo – At least she can dance, so that makes two. Grade: B
Sympathy For The Devil – Ricki Lee Jones – The audience loved it. I thought it was a screechy mess. Grade: B
Honky Tonk Woman – Taj Mahal – Stripped down to its blues roots is good enough, but his daughters throating curdling lead is a thing of immense power. Does she have a solo career? Grade: A
Gimme Shelter – Rosanne Cash – John Sebastian on harp steals it from under Rosanne and guitarist John Mellencamp's noses. But I kinda think they gave it away.
Midnight Rambler – Carolina Chocolate Drops – there are two types of cover: the slavishly devoted and the viciously upended. This sting band go the later root, as did Ricki Lee Jones, but these guys made it work. Grade: A-
Brown Sugar – Jackie Greene – Slavishly devoted but a nice hat. Not swagger but some. Good sax solo but where is Bobby Ketes when you need him Grade: B
Wild Horses – Marc Cohn – Great, sweeping voice but not much more.Grade: B+
Sister Morphine – Marianne Faithful – More than makes up for "As Tears Go By". Here the ravishes of time and desire are weathered and passed up like a last supper of hope. Pretty great. Grade: A
Tumbling Dice – Ensemble – They wanted a sing along to this song? I myself was all sixes and sevens and nines as well. A bad choice, maybe the Stones don't really to singalongs, right? Grade: C+
So, overall. I could have done without it, except maybe hearing Marianne's two (I know I didn't like one of em, historic value). On the other hand, as somebody near me put it. At two dollars a song it is cheaper than a jukebox.
Grade: B+