Michelle Shocked Review of 3/29/1998 Dead Man Walking: The Concert

MSNBC, 29 March 1998
Reprinted without permission.

"Not In Our Name" - Dead Man Walking: The Concert, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles CA, 29 Mar 1998
THE MESSAGE LIVES IN THE MUSIC
‘Dead Man Walking’ concert surprises, impresses
By David Fenigson
LOS ANGELES, March 29 — It is not often that Eddie Vedder is upstaged
during the course of a concert. And it is a rare thing for such talents as
Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle and Ani DiFranco to perform without making the
evening their own. Then again, Tom Waits is usually not on the bill.

Waits’ set was the highlight of “Not in Our Name — Dead Man Walking: The
Concert,” a three-hour musical event Sunday night at the Shrine Auditorium
in Los Angeles that brought together one of the strongest lineups of the
past several years. The artists had gathered at the request of actor Tim
Robbins to perform a benefit for Murder Victims’ Families for
Reconciliation, and Hope House, a pair of organizations dedicated to
abolishing the death penalty and preventing crime before it occurs.

The powerful message of the evening was never far from mind. Artists strove
to raise awareness of the issues surrounding capital punishment as well as
provide great musical entertainment.

Kicking things off was Steve Earle, who opened with the poignant and
appropriate “Billy Austin,” a ballad sung from a death-row inmate’s point
of view. His four-song set was highlighted by “Ellis Unit One,” Earle’s
contribution to the soundtrack of the film version of “Dead Man Walking,”
directed by Robbins. Earle, an ex-convict and recovered drug addict,
pointed out from the stage that he personally “has had a lot of second
chances.” His songs detailing the criminal justice system are rich in
detail and accuracy and made all the more effective by his weathered
singing voice.

Next up was Michelle Shocked. Shocked began her career as an introspective
folk singer, but has morphed into a smokin’ blues act. Mixing spoken word
segments with some hot guitar licks from her crack back-up band, her set
was short yet energetic.

Completing the first portion of the evening was Lyle Lovett, one of country
music’s best live acts. Lovett took the stage singing “Promises,” a lovely
ballad also from the “Dead Man Walking” soundtrack. Dressed head-to-toe in
black, playing acoustic guitar and accompanied by a cellist, Lovett
delivered definitive versions of “L.A. County” and the title track to his
most recent album, “Road to Ensenada.” The most electrifying moment of the
first set was when Lovett invited Earle to duet on a tribute to the late
singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt.

Serving as the master of ceremonies was Robbins, who appeared genuinely
excited to be sharing the stage with musicians whom he had selected. In
between acts, Robbins read from the “Dead Man Walking” book, and, in the
evening’s only low point, cracked a few failed jokes.

The second set opened with what most of the audience had been waiting for —
the first concert appearance by Tom Waits in years. Waits, considered by
many to be a living legend, has been in semiretirement for most of the past
decade. He appears occasionally in acting roles, but rarely onstage.

Sporting a sharp-looking coat and tie and appearing energetic and lively,
Waits gave a command performance. Backed by a versatile four-piece band, he
scat, spat and even sang in his trademark whiskey-soaked voice. Live, Waits
does more than just deliver his densely lyrical semi-jazz compositions. He
emotes his songs, contorting himself while he sings, biting off and
bellowing individual lines, whispering or moaning others.

Highlights of his 30-minute, 8-song set included “Jesus Gonna Be Here,”
during which Waits sang a few of his lyrics through a large red megaphone
and pumped his fist during the closing beats. But as energetic as he was
during his up-tempo guitar-driven numbers, Waits is a piano man by trade.
He offered a majestic reading of piano ballads “The Fall of Troy” and “A
Little Rain,” proving himself as talented a live musician as he is a
songwriter. The evening’s first standing ovation brought him back for a
one-song encore, for which he selected “Yesterday is Here” rather than any
of his better-known material.

DiFranco drew the unenviable task of following Waits, but she was up to the
challenge. Clad in elevator shoes and black leather pants, DiFranco
performed several songs off of her album “Little Plastic Castle,” including
the melodic “As Is” and a somewhat-abbreviated version of “Fuel.” DiFranco
radiates a powerful stage presence. She plays her guitar as though it were
a percussion instrument, slamming her taped-up fingers on the strings to
form her chords. But she is also capable of captivating a crowd with just
her voice, as was clear when she recited a poem to a rapt audience during
her set.

The evening’s final act: Eddie Vedder. In sharp contrast to his
performances with Pearl Jam, Vedder sat cross-legged on a series of pillows
for the length of his set. He opened with a solo-acoustic cover of the Cat
Steven’s song “Trouble,” before launching into the concert’s only Pearl Jam
song, “Dead Man Walking,” which did not appear on the soundtrack to the
film.

With that, Vedder cried out “bring out the band” and was joined by Pearl
Jam bassist Jeff Ament, David Robbins (Tim’s brother) on guitar, and
Pakistani musicians Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn and Dildar Hussain.
Vedder’s contribution to the “Dead Man Walking” soundtrack had been a pair
of duets with the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn, Rahat’s uncle. While Rahat is
not yet at the same level of talent that his uncle was, he and Vedder
managed to recreate a similar magic while dueting on “The Long Road” and
“The Face of Love.” Vedder took a secondary role in these songs, allowing
Rahat’s soaring voice to dominate the eastern-flavored tracks.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a benefit concert without an all-star finale. It
was only appropriate that Waits take center stage for the last song of the
evening. He sat at his piano and banged out a spirited, if rough, version
of “Innocent When You Dream” with backing vocals from Earle, DiFranco and
both Robbins brothers. After the first verse, Lovett reappeared with
surprise guest Bonnie Raitt, who turned in a sweet slide-guitar solo as her
contribution to the evening.

Earlier, Robbins had introduced Sister Helen Prejean, author of “Dead Man
Walking” and a leading advocate for abolishing the death penalty. In her
comments to the audience, Prejean called the concert “a wonderful healing
beam of light.” And that is as good a description as any of this
tremendously successful event.

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"Not In Our Name" - Dead Man Walking: The Concert, Shrine Auditorium, Los
Angeles CA, 29 Mar 1998

E! Online, 30 March 1998

"Dead Man" Live: Movie Spawns Charity Concert

by Marcus Errico
March 30, 1998, 2:45 p.m. PT

We've seen the movie. We've heard the soundtrack. Now we have the concert.

Tim Robbins brought together a bunch of his high-powered musical pals for
"Not in Our Name, Dead Man Walking" -- a one-off concert Sunday night at
L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium benefiting anti-death penalty groups.

Along for the ride were many alumni of the acclaimed Dead Man album: Eddie
Vedder, Tom Waits, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett and Michelle Shocked. Also
appearing was indie dynamo Ani DiFranco. ("The only reason Ani wasn't on
the original album," said Robbins backstage, "was because I was too lame. I
got hip to her too late.")

Earle got things going with a reflective acoustic performance that included
his outstanding "Ellis Unit One" from the soundtrack. Shocked and her band
followed, plugging in for a bluesy, crowd-pleasing set topped by an a
cappella rendition of the gospel standard, "Joy, Joy, Joy."

Acoustic guitar-wielding Lovett closed the first act with a countrified
performance, including "Promises" (his Dead Man offering) and "Lungs," a
rollicking duet with Earle dedicated to late Texas folkmeister Townes Van
Zandt.

But the show really kicked in after intermission when the reclusive Waits
took the stage -- his first concert appearance in two years.

Welcome back, Tommy boy. Waits lumbered around the stage, his growl intact,
barking his Dead Man soundtrack songs "Walk Away" and "The Fall of Troy,"
as well as whiskey-and-tobacco-soaked classics, like "Goin' Out West" and
"Jesus Gonna Be Here" -- several times crooning through his trademark
megaphone.

Waits' raucous seven-song set was twice as long as the other performers.
After a two-minute standing ovation he reappeared and encored with
"Yesterday Is Here."

DiFranco came next, singing four numbers, including her anti-death penalty
song "Crime for Crime" and a moving "As Is." She gave way to Vedder, who
soloed on Cat Stevens' "Trouble" and his own "Dead Man Walking" (a song
that didn't make the album cut).

Then the finale: a Vedder-led ensemble that included Pearl Jam pal Jeff
Ament, Doors drummer John Densmore, tabla-master Dildar Hussain and Rahat
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, nephew of the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, whose
hypnotic chants were a highlight of the film's soundtrack. They launched
into a rousing rendition of two Dead Man songs, "The Long Road" (which
Eddie dedicated to Nusrat) and "The Face of Love."

Waits closed the concert by leading all the evening's performers through
"Innocent When You Dream" with a surprise cameo by Bonnie Raitt on lead
guitar.

"I'll tell you what. This is opening up whole new world's for me," an
overjoyed Sister Helen Prejean (author of the book on which the movie was
based, and the model for Susan Sarandon's Oscar-winning role) said of the
benefit. "Music is such a connecting, healing thing."

Robbins put it a bit differently. "Musicians," he said, "are much cooler
than the rest of us."