music at Democratic convention, 8/27 & 8/27

8/27

Addicted To Love? after Clinton's speech. Just what are they thinking...

Joy To The World as they introduce Nancy Pelosi to nominate Joe Biden. Oy.

Ain't That America (Mellencamp) as they introduce Joe Biden.

Some Springsteen song after Obama comes on. We Are Family...

What is Hip after the benediction!!!

8/28

Love Train

U2 - It's A Beautiful Day. One tired campaign song.

7:22 pm Funny to watch the people dancing to whatever is playing now.
I'm watching on C-Span of course.

One ponders the power of all these people. I become emotionally
impressed by it all. (I'm still gonna vote for Nader though...)

I Know A Place (I'll take You There)

Signed, Sealed, Delivered. A love song. I don't think songs like this
are the very appropriate.

Live Performance
will.i.am
Accompanied by John Legend (piano), Agape Choir, and band
Very nice!!

Stevie Wonder will be on fairly soon.

Remarks
Ray Rivera
Obama State Director, Colorado
Watching the map, the East coast is hopping. Upstate NY is surprisingly active.

Earth Wind and Fire - Shining Star. This is getting to be like a 70s
hits station. Some cover of The Beatles - Across The Universe, David
Bowie?

Live Performance
Sheryl Crow
Singer/songwriter
I could care less.

A Change Would Do Us Good. OK.

The songs used in this political context are so unpolitical.They're
hopeful in spots but impotent as political statements. Oh for the
60s. Many then were too but many also had unmistakable political
content. So many of these used now are love songs, useful to one on
one relationships but not very appropriate for a wider political
context.

Live Performance
Stevie Wonder
1st song - weird. Doesn't sound quite in key.

"I gotta do this one"...Signed Sealed Delivered... I wanna hear Sir
Duke or whatever the one is that has that list of famous blacks where
he says " a black man"...

"I know Barack Obama's gonna set the country on fire." 40 years ago
that would have been literally true...

Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up!

They play Let The Sunshine for Al Gore's entrance.

Remarks
The Honorable Al Gore
Former Vice President of the United States
I listened to a little of it but two owls were hooting in the woods
behind my house and that was much more interesting...

Live Performance
Michael McDonald
I had the mute on the whole time.

Remarks
Susan Eisenhower
Granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Lots of people wearing red at this convention. I thought that was the
Republican color. I mean it doesn't belong to anyone but... Maybe
that is the strategy in having so many people wear it for Obama. Look
at all the those Republicans who are on Obama's side...

"Advance on the garrisons of hope or retreat to the hills of
despair." Geez. Here's someone who needs to get out of the military
mindset.

Retired Generals Tribute
Air Force Maj. Gen. J. Scott Gration (Ret)
Accompanied by additional generals

The stadium looks pretty full!

Joe Biden comes out onto the stage and turns and is happy to see
himself on the big screen.

These people are here cuz they are willing to die for their country?
That's why they're there tonight? They're going to die? Geez, another
leap.

American Voices Program
Monica Early - Good Einstein quote!
Pamela Cash-Roper - Had the crowd in the palm of her hand.
Barney Smith - Had the great Smith Barney line. You KNOW he was
hand-picked because of his name. He's being used like a tool. No
differently than a Republican would do either.

Ray Rivera says look at the screen but it isn't showing his text
message results. Oh well.

Lennon's Power To The People. Using the original version! They've
used covers of other songs.

Some bad disco coming up. White folks getting down. Most, so far, have rhythm.

What is the music they intro him to? Surely it isn't something he picked out.
Introduction of Barack Obama Video
The Honorable Richard Durbin

'Those (elderly?) volunteers who want just one more chance to hope.'
Meaning they are going to die soon? They only get one more chance?
I'd think hope is unlimited.

Remarks
SENATOR BARACK OBAMA
Some cowboy crap after the speech.

The fireworks on the stage remind me of the Wizard 0f Oz.
The music makes me expect the giant spaceship to appear any second.
And it crescendos as they walked back off the stage making me think
something terrible was going to happen. It didn't so that is nice.

Democrats 1, Republicans 0

The Democrats had Alejandro Escovedo playing for them last night.
Good choice and a nice surprise! He played to a drum backing track
but the others were live. I am not familiar with the song.

I do have to wonder about their playing Disco Inferno after Hillary's
speech though. I remember the riots of the 60s. "Burn baby burn"
wasn't an impotent disco chant. It has since been turned into that
although the song is so old one would probably only hear only it at
weddings or bad parties (or bad radio). Let's hope anti-Barack people
don't jump on it and claim black folk want to destroy this country.
It doesn't take much to make an issue out of stuff like this.

But anyway, until the conventions or maybe the elections are over,
the Dems are ahead 1-0. (And with their being held one after the
other a running score won't really work... ) The Dems have played
lots of lousy music in this campaign but I haven't heard any John
Cougar Mellencamp recently (or Fleetwood Mac, but that was the
Clintons theme song). Let's see what atrocious music the Repubs play.
I'm expecting some cowboy crap to represent macho. Obama favors
late-60s Motown and 70s soul (and later black music) which is tolerable
but I think he may surprise us here and there. Having David Amram play
for some event outside the convention hall got me interested.

I also had to wonder about their playing Isn't She Lovely after
Michelle's speech Tues. It's about a baby... I think they used the
version without the baby gurgling in it and while it was meant as a
token of affection, some might be offended being compared to a baby
or just being thought of as good looking. Not a big deal.

$11 for a bologna sandwich at Blue Hill cafe at the Stone Barns Center, Pocantico Hills, NY

I was at the cafe at the Stone Barns Center in Pocantico Hills, NY
yesterday. Had a bologna sandwich. I haven't had a bologna sandwich
since I was a kid. I thought since this place is supposed to have
good food, even something like bologna would be good, and probably
good for you, unlike all other bologna.

That and a small (but tasty) apple cider cost $11!

I guess the Rockefellers are still making money at this place.

To be honest, I don't know what the sandwich cost. They didn't have
the price on the menu but how expensive could a bologna sandwich be?
I mean, even if the ingredients are from real quality animals? The
menu also said "feel free to take a beverage" from the cooler. That
should mean they are free. (Maybe it was and the bologna all by
itself cost $11...) It didn't have any price on it either. So how
expensive could a small, maybe 5 oz, container of apple cider be? Do
they make it on gold cider presses?

The sandwich was ok. I didn't like the pickled vegetables strewn on
it so I scraped them off. And the bologna was only a few THIN slices.
The bread was good though.

How the rich stay rich...