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Streetlife
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 Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 5:11 pm Post subject: Billy & Bruce jam for Obama |
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Billy Joel And Bruce Springsteen Rock Obama Fundraiser, McCain Grovels
To Dave
October 17, 2008
NEW YORK - It was "Born to Run" meets "New York State of Mind" _ with
a little bit of "Hail to the Chief" thrown in for good measure.
Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel joined forces in a concert to raise
money for Barack Obama's presidential campaign and the Democratic
Party on Thursday night. They got a little help from India.Arie, John
Legend and Springsteen's wife, Patti Scialfa, as they tore through the
rock legends' long list of hits at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
When they launched into "Born to Run," Springsteen said, "This is for
the senator."
As the show concluded, Obama made an appearance onstage. He called the
event "a magical evening" and said he wouldn't ruin it with a long
speech. Then he delivered a speech comparing the struggling, everyday
people in Joel's and Springsteen's songs to the people he's met on the
campaign trail.
He warned supporters not to get overconfident because he leads in the
polls.
"Don't underestimate the capacity of Democrats to snatch defeat from
the jaws of victory. Don't underestimate our ability to screw it up,"
Obama said. "I want everybody running scared."
Obama also offered a new explanation for his decision to seek the
White House.
"I was sitting offstage with (his wife) Michelle, and I ... said,
'Honey, the reason I'm running for president is I can't be Bruce
Springsteen. I can't be Billy Joel,'" Obama said.
Springsteen and Joel focused more on music than politics, alternating
between each other's songs _ clearly having fun.
Springsteen hugged Joel during "Spirit in the Night," then ended up
laying across the piano as he sang. Joel left the piano and picked up
a guitar for "Glory Days." They even stuck a bit of The Beatles' "Hard
Day's Night" into the middle of Joel's song "River of Dreams."
When Springsteen suggested they slow things down a bit, Joel began
banging out a playful version of "Hail to the Chief" in honor of
Obama's presidential hopes.
Nearly 2,000 people attended the "Change Rocks" concert. The cheap
seats were $500, but big spenders could shell out $25,000 each.
Springsteen's song "The Rising" has become an unofficial anthem for
Obama's campaign, often playing when Obama bounds onstage at his
rallies. Inspired by 9/11 terrorist attacks, it strikes a defiant tone
with lines like: "Sky of longing and emptiness/ Sky of fullness, sky
of blessed life/ Come on up for the rising/ Come on up, lay your hands
in mine."
After Obama spoke, the stars closed with another song heard at his
rallies, Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered."
Obama and his wife stayed on stage, clapping, swaying and even bumping
hips at one point.
*********
Meanwhile, John McCain was groveling to David Letterman:
John McCain told David Letterman that "I screwed up" by canceling a
"Late Show" appearance three weeks ago, then faced a sharp round of
questioning about Sarah Palin and his campaign tactics.
Not willing to risk the wrath of Letterman again, the Republican
presidential candidate rented a helicopter to fly to New York after a
weather delay grounded his campaign airplane in Philadelphia. He had
canceled a Sept. 24 appearance during the brief suspension of his
campaign because of the economic crisis, and Letterman has been
hammering him ever since.
The band played the Who's "I Can't Explain" as McCain walked onstage
at the Ed Sullivan Theater. After he sat down, Letterman asked, "Can
you stay?"
"Depends on how bad it gets," McCain answered.
Letterman had replaced McCain with the GOP hopeful's persistent
critic, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, on Sept. 24. Olbermann was waiting in
the wings Thursday _ and McCain had a pained expression when he
noticed that.
Although Letterman said he was "willing to put this behind us," he
came after McCain hard with questions. He asked whether Palin was his
first choice as vice president.
"Absolutely," McCain answered.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/17/billy-joel-and-bruce-spri_n_135498.html |
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Streetlife
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| Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 5:14 pm Post subject: Re: Billy & Bruce jam for Obama |
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Boss and Billy Jam for Obama
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,439603,00.html#1 |
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coachlon
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 2:35 pm Post subject: Re: Billy & Bruce jam for Obama |
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On Oct 17, 1:14 pm, Streetlife <strtl...@aol.com> wrote:
| Quote: | Boss and Billy Jam for Obama
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,439603,00.html#1
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Anyone have the audio only to share? |
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Streetlife
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:47 pm Post subject: Re: Billy & Bruce jam for Obama |
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Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel play Barack 'n' roll
Updated Monday, October 20th 2008
Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel raised about $7 million for Barack
Obama's campaign and delivered a concert that's already entered into
rock legend. Along the way, the Boss and the Piano Man also had a few
laughs.
Hanging out in his dressing room before taking the stage at Thursday's
Democratic fund-raiser at the Hammerstein Ballroom, Joel told us he
was wary when New Jersey's first son suggested they perform Joel's
"New York State of Mind" together.
"I said to Bruce, 'How are you going to sing this song? You're going
to throw in the Pulaski Skyway, aren't you? Change it to 'A Garden
State of Mind,'" recalled Joel.
But in the end, Springsteen told us afterward, "I decided to stick to
the script. We sang it like Billy wrote it."
Joel said that they thought about performing Joel's Iraq song,
"Christmas in Fallujah." But they worried about controversy blowing
back at the candidate.
"There are some hard words in it," he pointed out. "That line about,
'We came with the Crusaders to save the Holy Land.'"
So they stuck to their hits. "Glory Days," "Thunder Road" and "Born to
Run" by Bruce. And Billy's "Allentown," "Movin' Out" and others.
Joel admitted he weighed the decision about publicly backing Obama.
"I'm popping my cherry with this endorsement," he told us.
Springsteen told the crowd that "for a long time, I never saw myself
as part of any political party. [Now] many Americans have seen the
value of their homes and their retirement funds plummet.
"I believe Sen. Obama understands these issues and that he's taken a
measure of that distance in his life and work."
After singing along to "Spirit in the Night," Obama confessed that he
had told his wife, Michelle, that the real reason "I'm running for
President is that I cannot be Bruce Springsteen [or] Billy Joel." The
senator then fired up supporters with "one of my greatest hits," his
stirring story about a lady he met in Greenwood, S.C.
P.S.: The concert, orchestrated by Harvey Weinstein, John Sykes and
Anna Wintour, was recorded. Word is Obama will have a screening as a
reward for his campaign staff.
http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/10/20/2008-10-20_bruce_springsteen_billy_joel_play_barack.html |
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