Uncategorized

Road Recovery is a program that helps young people overcoming addiction work towards a better future through music. The program was founded in 1998 by Gene Bowen and Jack Bookbinder, who set out to impact young people’s lives with the help of music industry professionals and mental health clinicians. Many well-known musicians help sponsor the program including Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, Joan Jett, Tom Morello and many more.

In celebration of their 10-year anniversary, the founders of the program arranged a benefit concert at the Nokia Theater in Times Square so that members of the program had the opportunity to share a stage with some of their favorite rock and roll superstars. The concert featured artists such as Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave), Slash (Guns ‘N Roses, Velvet Revolver) Perry Farrell (Porno for Pyros, Jane’s Addiction), Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains), as well as numerous other talented musicians.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived at the show, considering it’s not every day that you’re given the opportunity to witness performances by numerous top notch musicians all on the same stage. To say that the show was nothing short of miraculous would be a severe understatement.

The evening kicked off with Denis Leary singing “Rehab” to a comical slideshow of celebrities in rehab, followed by “I’m an A**hole”, one of his most popular songs. Next up was Crazy James, a band that consists of young adults who are part of the Road Recovery program. In between songs, the band members shared touching stories of how the program has affected their lives for the better.

Ours took the stage around 9pm, and for those of you who have never experienced the music of Ours, their performances are absolutely mesmerizing. The band performed an acoustic version of “Murder” off their recently released album Mercy produced by Rick Rubin, followed by an unreleased track “Autumn”. I’ve been fortunate enough to see these guys live on a few occasions and they never cease to amaze me. Front man Jimmy Gnecco’s voice is so overpowering and passionate that it’s hard to take your eyes off his intense stage presence.

The crowd really picked up when Jerry Cantrell took the stage and performed an acoustic version of Alice in Chain’s “Brother”, followed by Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” with Slash on lead guitar. The thing that’s great about Slash is that his appearance in person is identical to his appearance in the old Guns ‘N Roses music videos. He was sporting a black top hat, retro sunglasses and had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth at all times.

Perry Farrell took the stage next, performing Jane’s Addiction’s “Mountain Song”, Porno for Pyro’s “Pets” and an electrifying rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious”, all while Cantrell, Morello and Slash rocked the guitars and Farrell’s wife, Etta, sang backup vocals. Farrell’s energy and enthusiasm is astounding. He just gallivants around the stage, grinning from ear to ear, happier than rainbows and puppies.

In the midst of all the rock and roll chaos, Sen Dog from Cypress Hill mixed it up by throwing in a few rap songs including “Jump Around”, “Insane in the Membrane” and “Superstar”, then proceeded to jump into the audience and crowd-surf. Talk about adding a 90’s rock touch to the evening.

Tom Morello was just about to wrap up for the finale when he received an unexpected visit from Jakob Dylan (The Wallflowers), which sent the crowd into a wild cheer. Dylan fronted Farrell, Slash, Morello and Wayne Kramer (MC5) for a mellow ballad of “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”.

The highlight of the evening took place during the finale, when Morello brought everyone back on stage: Cantrell, Gnecco, Slash, Perry and Etta Farrell, Sen Dog and numerous other artists, and asked the audience what they wanted to hear, at which point everyone chanted “Guns ‘N Roses”. The stage came alive as everyone rocked out to an exhilarating, explosive version of “Paradise City”. Let me tell you, watching so many talented artists perform on the same stage together will forever go down as one my all-time favorite moments in music history, and judging from the ecstatic reaction of the crowd, something tells me I’m not alone.

There is talk that the Road Recovery Concert may become an annual event, so for all you music lovers in the NYC vicinity, I would highly recommend you go. It’s definitely an evening that you wouldn’t want to miss.
For more info on the Road Recovery Program, feel free to visit www.roadrecovery.org

1 Comment »