Billie Joe Armstrong, Alice Cooper Headline Joan Jett Tribute for Little Kids Rock The New York City concert also featured Cheap Trick, Mike Ness, Darlene Love and more. By Brian Ives | October 24, 2014 *Photos by Maria Ives for radio radio/2014/10/24/joan-jett-tribute-billie-joe-armstrong-alice-cooper-headline-little-kids-rocks-new-york-review-photos/ “Tommy James wrote one of my biggest hits,” Joan Jett said of the man who topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1969 with “Crimson and Clover.” She was speaking last night (October 23) from the stage of New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, at the 6th Annual Little Kids Rock Benefit. About a half an hour earlier, James and Jett had performed the song together for the first time ever. “I was so nervous during rehearsal, I forgot the words!” Jett exclaimed. Happily, their duo performance turned out perfectly, with James starting the song on his own, backed by the house band (made up of members of Jett’s longtime backing band, the Blackhearts). One verse into the song, Jett joined him and the crowd roared. It was all part of an event that served as a tribute concert to Jett, with artists from several generations and genres performing some of her most well-known songs (and a few rarities as well). The show raised nearly a million and a half dollars for Little Kids Rock, an organization that helps to keep music programs in disadvantaged schools. Before the Jett tribute began, the organization held an auction that raised quite a bit of cash from the many high rollers in the audience — a dinner with the show’s producers, Steven and Maureen Van Zandt, for example, went for $60,000, while the opportunity to perform on stage (“any instrument you want!”) for the encore last night went for $20,000. The audience might have been, as John Lennon once said, the kind who rattle their jewelry to show their approval. Although in fact, most of them were on their feet throughout the night, whether bidding for some pretty awesome items (other treasures included a guitar autographed by all the members of Metallica, another one bore Slash‘s John Hancock), or to sing along with Jett classics. . ....more at the link Tommy James then performed “Crimson and Clover,” joined by the guest of honor for her first onstage appearance of the night. After he left, Jett stayed and was joined by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day for 1980’s “Don’t Abuse Me.” .....more at the link Finally, all of the guests and many of the young performers from Little Kids Rock, led by Van Zandt, returned to the stage for Jett’s signature tune, “I Love Rock and Roll.” That performance featured the entire audience, attendees of all ages hollering, “I love rock and roll! So put another dime in the jukebox baby!” Although many of them could as easily buy the jukebox. “That’s what music is supposed to do, it’s special, it gets you all excited,” Jett said a few minutes earlier, during her speech, recalling her shaky rehearsal with Tommy James. “And that’s why it’s important.” The Little Kids Rock tribute concert itself, however, made Jett’s point better than she ever could with a prepared statement. Everyone left the show excited about music in general, rock ‘n roll specifically, from the youngest performer to the oldest donator.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 18:43:39 +0000
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