Sometimes, being a stagehand is nothing more than hours of labor; lifting, pushing, pulling and carrying someone else's crap, and assembling it so they can strut and preen in the public eye; I'm thinking Prince here, or maybe Britney. Then there are days like the last two.
I worked the Bridge School Benefit show for the first time this year, as a follow spot operator. For more than eight hours Saturday, and another eight on Sunday, I sat inside a
ten foot wide, eight foot deep metal box atop a thirty foot tall post, wielding my 300 pound, six and a half foot long spotlight. Saturday I was lashed periodically by wind and intermittent rain, so often that my pant legs and sleeves were wet by the end of the show, even though I was sitting 2 feet back from the opening. Sunday I wore a poncho for the first two hours. Still, my legs and sleeves got pretty damp, and it was not warm at all.
It was worth it.
To begin with, I got to see some of the students who have benefitted from the Bridge School program; students who, in our all too often cookie-cutter mindset society, would have been pushed aside by the public school system; left to waste tragically because they are disabled in some manner. I did not hear the name of the woman that Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder congratulated on recieving her bachelors degree. I did hear the emotion in his voice as he told the crowd how proud he was of her efforts. I wish I could have picked her out sooner, in order to get my spotlight on her; but 250 feet of seperation made it hard to do.... she was actually behind the camera operator from my vantage at first, then it was too late...
I also have to say that of all the bands, star performers, and major artists I saw there, the performance that completely blew me away was Sir Elton John and Leon Russell together on stage as part of T. Bone Burnett's "Speaking Clock Revue". I don't mean to slight the other artists; Kris Kristofferson, Neil Young and Buffalo Springfield, Elvis Costello, Billy Idol, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Karen Elson, Jeff Bridges.... all the others performed amazing sets. Ralph Stanley "the oldest and greatest country singer" according to Elvis Costello, even did one of the few country songs I like "Man of Constant Sorrow" which was so big in the film "O Brother Where Art Thou". Also known as "The Odyssey" for those of us with a classical education...
The 30 minute or more set by Sir Elton and Leon was the pinnacle for me. I understand that Leon was not feeling at all well, and in fact had to leave before the finale of the show; if that's how good he is when he's sick, I can't imagine what the set would have been like if he was feeling 100%. Added to that was the unbelievable voice of one of the four female backup singers, (whose names I can't find anywhere, guess I have to buy the CD... which I will), who did a sustain on one song that makes the best of Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth on "Wicked" sound like one bar humming. I have no clue what the song was; I'm not even sure it's on the "Union" cd.... I just sat there, spellbound. Whoever she is, I think she's wasted as a backup vocalist.
I'm glad that after all this time, Sir Elton and Leon are performing side-by-side, a duet that is so powerful and so complementary, I wonder if Billy Joel will have to tour alone from now one. Or maybe, just MAYBE.....
I have the coolest job in the world.
