Bertha Lum: Point Lobos (1920)
Good evening, Kibitzers!
This is where I usually write the part about the weather, or my health, or some other thing that’s maybe of interest but not relentlessly gloomy. “Not relentlessly gloomy” is not my natural brain chemistry, so sometimes it’s a stretch for me, but I make an effort to do it because it feels important, and to make sure, I have committed to putting these little paintings up at the top so that I have to write enough text to make room for the painting.
I have to say, though, that I’ve been running unusually dry on cheer. My ribs are... improving, but this is going to take a while and it’s well past being interesting. Meanwhile, over the weekend, the weather killed thirty-some people, divided among tornadoes, floods, fires, and dust storms. And apparently, everything else that’s going on is completely horrifying. So maybe let’s move on to the topic of the diary, because that, as usual, is selected to be cheering to both me and you.
I recently noticed a video of Cher doing her Walking in Memphis cover in Elvis drag, live. And then I noticed that it was from a show she was in barely two weeks ago, and it was not a Cher concert, so I thought I should learn more.
Love Rocks NYC is an annual concert that benefits God’s Love We Deliver, a New York organization that delivers meals to people who are too ill to scare up proper nutrition for themselves. It started in 1985 delivering to AIDS patients, but now it serves people with all sorts of illnesses. (Their website.)
Anyway, the Love Rocks benefits started in 2017, at the Beacon Theater in New York City, and have continued annually, even in 2020 when in-person attendance was restricted and all performances were livestreamed. They always have distinguished guests, and an excellent house band under the direction of bassist Will Lee, whom you may recall from Letterman’s show(s). House band:
Musical Director/Bass: Will Lee; Drums: Shawn Pelton; Percussion: Pedrito Martinez; Guitar: Larry Campbell, Eric Krasno; Keys: Jeff Babko, Michael Bearden, Ivan Neville; The “We Deliver Horns”: Ron Blake, Joe Fiedler, Aaron Heick, Andy Snitzer, Evan Barker; Vocals: Nicki Richards, Mark Rivers, Dennis Collins, Chrissi Poland, Elaine Caswell.
2025 Guests (alphabetical): Vanessa Amorosi, Trey Anastasio, Beck, Grace Bowers, Eric Burton, Cher, Danny Clinch, Peter Frampton, Kate Hudson, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Alicia Keys, Jesse Malin, Michael McDonald, Bill Murray, Luke Spiller, Mavis Staples, Dave Stewart.
This year’s Love Rocks NYC took place on March 6, again at the Beacon. These videos are from YouTube channel @sgibson818, who seems to enjoy recording numerous concerts. Here is the playlist from this event — there are 30 videos, so if you like those in here, you can find more over there. But here is my selection.
Cher: Walking in Memphis (Intro by Whoopi Goldberg. Cher’s original 1995 video is here.) [6:32]
Peter Frampton: Georgia on My Mind [6:28]
Grace Bowers: Soul Sacrifice [7:47]
Eric Burton: Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay [4:02]
Trey Anastasio and Luke Spiller: Good Times Bad Times [5:58]
Dave Stewart and Vanessa Amorosi: Here Comes the Rain Again [7:33]
Mavis Staples and Michael McDonald: I'll Take You There [7:57]
Jesse Malin: Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker). Malin is recovering from a 2023 spinal stroke that left him paralyzed from the waist down, so standing for the song represents good progress for him. [4:16]
Alicia Keys: Killing Me Softly [4:40]
Bill Murray: Love the One You’re With [5:55]
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, featuring Danny Clinch (harp) and Ivan Neville (keys): Red House [9:47]
Everyone: Higher Ground (Jesse Malin with a walker — even better! If you get bored with what my chorus director used to call “gang singing”, slide forward to about 5:30 when the guitar solos start.) [8:31]
Peter Frampton, Trey Anastasio, and Grace Bowers: While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Ordinarily, I’d leave the full-cast encore as the last track, but While My Guitar just refuses to be topped. [13:57]
