Played this humongous tribute to Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" album in front of 2-3000 folks at the Wintergarden in the World Financial Center here last night, as part of the opening of the NY Guitar Festival--and man, what a great night! I played this space before (right across the road from Ground Zero) before in a Tribute to the late great Arthur Russell in '92, and also played The Golem there a few years later--it is an elegant space, a giant fishbowl-like atrium with real live palm trees shooting up to the rafters (kinda like Atocha Station in Madrid)--but this concert was something else! Organized by creative whiz-kid and accomplished guitarist himself David Spelman, the night boasted a wonderful lineup of performers: Michelle Shocked, Vernon Reid, Jesse Harris, Lenny Kaye, Dan Zanes, Martha Wainwright, Marc Ribot, Chocolate Genius, Laura Cantrell, and many other luminaries, and it was nice to see old friends like WFMU's Irene Trudell and NY Times scribe Peter Keepnews there (they first met by the way on the subway en route to the shoot for my "Skin the Rabbit" video on Jan. 2nd 1990, and married a couple years later). Also in attendance were artists John Bowman and Anne Shostrom, plus my old pal Johnny 99 who was at my wedding to Caroline 21 years ago here, where David Johansen performed with his Buster Poindexter band for free as his wedding gift to us. For my number last night I did a tres psychedelique solo electronic version of "State Trooper", the very doomy, (Charlie) Stark(weather) Suicidesque track that was used in a Sopranos episode some time ago, and I pulled all the stops out (like E. Power Biggs) and then some--and the Boss himself showed up to the astonished delight of the assembled multitudes to put a capper on the evening. Bruce sang a Woody Guthrie song with the ensemble en masse at the end, and was extremely complimentary on my performance backstage (told me at the Stone Pony a couple years ago that my guitar playing and arrangement of his music was "phenomenal" when I had Gods and Monsters there to perform "Ain't Got You" from his Tunnel Of Love album for his Light of Day charity event--which really made my year!) Caroline was over the moon to finally meet the Boss as Bruce is one of her faves, and I have a nice picture of Bruce, Caroline and myself which my guitar tech Bob Jacobson snapped which should be booted up here imminently when web mistress Tanya gets back from Maine at the end of this week, also some other miscellaneous folderol...I'm back at the NY Guitar Festival on Jan. 25th at Merkin Hall in Lincoln Center to play at the Tribute to Skip James show, this time I get a whole set to myself and will bring Gods and Monsters and special guest the phenomenal Felice Rosser along for the show (check her pipes on "Free", available as a free mp3 download on my homepage).

xxlove

Gary

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Posted by Gary Lucas to Gary Lucas at 1/15/2006 11:49:00 AM