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Dead, Phish, Allmans Members Serve as “House Band” for Pelosi-palooza |
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Written by Tom Pryor
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Friday, 05 January 2007 |
They say politics makes strange
bedfellows, but sometimes it makes even stranger bandmates – as evidenced by the
all-star lineup at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s swearing-in party last night in
Washington, D.C.
On hand to celebrate Pelosi’s
becoming the first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
(part of a four-day celebration that Washington wags dubbed “Pelosi-palooza”)
was a diverse crew of musical luminaries including Tony Bennett, Carole King, Wyclef Jean and a very San
Fran-centric house band starring Grateful Dead alums Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann,
and Mickey Hart and longtime co-conspirators Bruce Hornsby, Warren Haynes
(The Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, Govt. Mule) and Mike Gordon
(Phish).
But the evening’s festivities, held at the National Building Museum, were kicked off by a real unknown:
5th grader Elijah Lawrence (son of Pelosi’s Chief of Staff John
Lawrence) treated the crowd of Democratic machers and Washingtonian worthies to a
sweet, solo performance of “God Bless America.”
After a short
introduction by actor Richard Gere, Weir and the gang – officially designated
“Your House Band” - took the stage and dove into a serviceable set of Dead
classics (“Shakedown,” “Truckin’,”
“Touch of Grey”) and a stray Bruce
Hornsby hit (“Down the Road”). Hornsby’s performance was especially inspired,
with Haynes’ guitar adding some down-home twang that underscored just how much
Hornsby has grown into his countrified voice.
When the house band’s
short opening set ended, it was time for Tony Bennett’s star turn. Tanned, beaming and looking like he was born in a
tuxedo, Bennett took the stage with his own four piece (a bit of a
disappointment for those in the audience who were hoping to see The Voice jam with The Dead) long enough to knock out two songs and
briefly distract the audience from their thousand dollar-a-head buffet.
Bennett’s performance of his signature “I left My Heart In San Francisco” was a
nod to Pelosi’s home district – but it was “The Best Is Yet To Come” that had the Democratic faithful on their
feet and cheering.
Pelosi herself took the stage soon after Bennett, and
summed up the mood in the room with a succinct “Democrats are back!” She
proceeded to deliver a rousing celebration speech, citing diversity,
imagination, creativity and the arts, stating “without diversity we never would
have had a woman at the top – and that’s enormous cause for celebration.” In
keeping with the heady spirit of the evening, Pelosi left the stage to the
strains of U2’s “New Day.”
More music followed, including a second set
from the house band that included “Way It Is,” “Sugaree,” and “Iko Iko” – which
saw Wyclef Jean and his band joining the stage, before transitioning into a
short set of their own. The former
Fugee’s set included his hit “Gone Till November” and the Bob Marley classic “Redemption
Song,”
But it took legendary singer-songwriter Carole King to add some
real woman-power to the commemoration of this historic milestone.
The one-time Brill Building icon took the piano and topped
off the evening with rousing, foot-stomping versions of her hits “Natural
Woman,” “Earth Move” and a closing coda of “You’ve Got A Friend” which brought
Pelosi back to the stage for a display of solidarity and the evening’s final
bows.
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