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ACL Festival Review: Randy Newman
You know what is a terrible way to experience Randy Newman? In a sweltering tent with what had to be a thousand or so of your closest friends, many of whom are in chairs, looking at the people who are standing in front of them with glares.
And yet we did it anyway.
It was genuinely surreal to see shirtless bros chanting “Ran-dy! Ran-dy! Ran-dy!” Did they think this guy was gonna come out? (No, that clip is probably not safe for work.)
But no, out came Randy Newman, looking like your uncle coming over to dinner. He sat down at the piano, the only instrument on stage and opened, naturally, with “It’s Money That I Love” (is there another reason for Randy Newman to play a sweltering tent at a festival?)
“I like to start with a spiritual like that,” Newman said. Of course.
It was, at times, hard to hear. The threat of rain, perhaps, had packed the Vista Equity tent to beyond its capacity. “Last Night I Had a Dream” vanished a bit, “Bad News From Home,” a straight-forward look at a marriage collapsing, didn’t fare much better. But everyone screamed on cue for “Short People,” a song that made no sense then and makes no sense now.
Were the songs outstanding? Of course. Was “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” one of them? Of course. Would Randy Newman fans do it again? Of course.
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Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: ACL 2011
Comments
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By dave
September 18, 2011 10:05 PM | Link to this
What an idiotic review. Go see something you understand. Obviously too much intelligence in the room for you.
By linda
September 19, 2011 12:07 AM | Link to this
Gotta agree with dave about this review. Fans who get Randy Newman might enjoy singing along with You’ve Got a Friend in Me, but it’s no favorite. It’s a commercial tune written for an animated film… not RN’s best, not even his type. (And why he chose it for his encore, I haven’t a clue…) Except for Y.G.F.inMe, all of his songs have a point, or a bite, or an angle, including Short People. Hint:Think about discrimination, for no reason other than you don’t like someone who is different, and see if Short People makes sense.
By Brad
September 19, 2011 3:41 AM | Link to this
Actually, the tent was filled beyond capacity because there are many adoring fans of Randy living in Texas. By far the most intelligent songwriter at the festival, and it’s not close.
By John
September 19, 2011 11:27 AM | Link to this
They shouldn’t allow chairs in that tent.
By William
September 20, 2011 11:46 AM | Link to this
Much appreciated for the information and share!