The benefit concert "From The Big Apple To The Big Easy" -- New York's attempt to raise funds for the Gulf Coast cities and towns devastated by Hurricane Katrina -- was, of course, a noble and much welcome effort. As anyone who's ever watched a benefit concert knows, however, good intentions don't always make for good musical performances, and the problems that plague most such events were present at this five-and-a-half-hour show as well: performers far past their prime, artists making unnecessary political statements, and a generally turgid air of formal respectability that sometimes made the whole affair seem about as exciting as a funeral.
Given what happened to New Orleans (and, as was not mentioned nearly enough, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Mobile, and a thousand other small towns), that somber air might be understandable. But as has been pointed out since the disaster, the Crescent City believes in partying after a tragedy. And it was up to their artists to drive that point home. Eventually.
Here's a look at the performances, graded by entertainment value.
Aaron Neville
Aaron's voice, unlike many of his contemporaries', is still in perfect form, and he knows what works best for him, which is why brother Art's "All These Things" and, later, a duet with Art Garfunkel on "Bridge Over Troubled Water" fit him like a silk glove.
Grade: A
Clarence "Frogman" Henry
We all love the Frogman, but his badly overextended version of "Ain't Got No Home" drug on for what seemed like hours, especially when it became clear that he couldn't quite sing like a girl or a frog anymore. The Allen Toussaint-led backing band was in fine form, but many of these golden hits were slowed down considerably and taken in a different rhythmic direction, robbing them of their original vitality. This was no exception.
Grade: D
The Dixie Cups
This trio gets points for showing up, especially since, like Fats Domino, they lost everything in Katrina. They were the essence of professionalism, but nothing more, and the harmonies on "Chapel Of Love" were off in spots. The singalong on "Iko Iko" was kinda fun, though, and it's the best you can hope for since "Sugarboy" Crawford is dead.
Grade: C+
Irma Thomas
The Soul Queen of New Orleans hasn't lost one iota of her legendary interpretive ability, and her voice is, if anything, richer and fuller from years of hard experience. "It's Raining" was a little funereal, but her performance with the Kravitz/Zydeco/Cooder trio may well have been the highlight of the evening -- when she sings about having no home to go back to, she's not kidding. Not with those tears she was trying so desperately to hold back.
Grade: A+
Simon and Garfunkel
This duo's vocal prowess has become slightly shaky in their nearly-twilight years, but their heart hasn't, and so if golden oldies like "Mrs. Robinson" sound a little subdued, well, you can forgive them. Simon's own wobbly and oddly tentative take on Jimmy Clanton's "Just A Dream" brings their average down a bit, though.
Grade: C
Elvis Costello
Underrecognized as a vocalist, this post-punk songwriter was a bit too British to lend his own work to the proceedings, but he did acquit himself well enough with interpretations of Touissant's "Yes We Can Can" (a big hit for the Pointer Sisters) and, shockingly, Dave Bartholomew's "The Monkey," shouted over the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. These styles don't necessarily fit his voice well, but points for trying.
Grade: B-
Lenny Kravitz
Nineties rocker Kravitz' voice, on the other hand, works perfectly well with Toussaint's funk leanings, as proven by his cover of Aaron Neville's "Hercules."
Grade: B+
Bette Midler
Beginning with unfortunate jokes about President Bush's old coke habit and segueing into the least rootsy performance here, a version of Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going To Rain Today" that sounded more Broadway than Bourbon Street. Inappropriate all around.
Grade: C-
Elton John
Like a lot of performers this night, Elton had trouble hearing his voice, which is why you can see him mouthing "more vocal!" to the soundman between lines of song. Elton's big-budget show, transported to the Garden, was both ultraprofessional and energetic, however, even if Captain Fantastic can't hit the high notes like he once could. "Funeral For A Friend" looked strange with video of the disaster in the background, however.
Grade: B
