Slash, Tom Morello, Jerry Cantrell, Perry Farrell, MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, Jakob Dylan, Joseph Arthur, Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, Ours and others banded together last night in New York for a concert marking the tenth anniversary of Road Recovery, an organization that helps former drug-addicted and alcoholic children get past their addiction through music.
The show worked as a cross between a greatest-hits showcase and an all-star covers band, with Cantrell and Morello joining in for Jane's Addiction classic "Mountain Song" and Slash, Morello and Cantrell joining Kramer for the MC5's vintage "Kick Out the Jams."
Rage Against The Machine guitarist/solo artist Morello hosted the show and, as Farrell noted onstage, was responsible for bringing much of the talent to the event. After Arthur, Ours and the little-known but well-received Miggs Band, Morello performed acoustically, under his Nightwatchman persona. He delved into Rage's "Guerilla Radio." Later, he led the band through the funk number "Shake My Shit," with Farrell and his wife, Etty (a member of his Satellite Party) on backing vocals.
Alice In Chains guitarist/vocalist Cantrell's two-song set featured Slash on Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" and Morello on the AIC staple "Brother" from the band's "Sap" EP. Cantrell made a rare center stage performance, singing Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak," backed by Morello and Slash and guitar. Ferrell also chipped into a mellow reading of Porno for Pyros' "Pets."
Early in the evening, many teens and young adults whose recoveries from drugs and alcohol are aided by Road Recovery programs got a chance to jam with the rock heroes on the bill, playing their own material with Slash and Morello backing them. They also returned to the stage late on for, ironically, a take on the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated."
Making a pair of stage dives, Sen Dog joined in for a trio of songs backed by Morello, Slash and Farrell — his own group's "Insane the Brain" and "Rock Superstar," as well as a version of House Of Pain's "Jump Around," (during which a beaming Kramer pogo danced). Kramer played a pair of acoustic songs early in the evening, and, like the others, was on and off the stage throughout the night, joining in on "Jump Around" and the Farrell-sung Stevie Wonder cover "Superstition."
Jakob Dylan made a surprise unannounced visit, joining Morello and company for Sam Cooke's "Bring It All Home" and "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands," a dedication to Morello.
Per usual, Morello made many a political comment throughout the night, and, during his introduction to Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" envisioned a day after George W. Bush's exit from the presidency when the entire city of New York would get together and sing the song.
Throughout the night, fans chanted "Guns 'N Roses," not knowing that the finale was indeed a GNR anthem, "Paradise City," which brought nearly the entire cast of musicians, from the kids to the professionals, back onstage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZIPggJJPbU&feature=related
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