The best concert I never saw...
Simon & Garfunkel fans have seen their favorite duo not only reunite but re-emerge as a viable act after many years of what Art Garfunkel described as "a deep, buried affection for about a decade". He made that comment at the 2003 press conference announcing a 30-city tour by the life-long friends who met as classmates in Forest Hills. The infamous Bottom Line was the site of that press conference that I was lucky enough to attend. I brought back a couple of tracks that we used at CBS-FM that included a phenomenal version of "The Boxer" that was done acoustically by the duo. The "Old Friends Tour" was released as a double CD and DVD package at the end of 2004 and recently S&G appeared on the Hurricane Katrina LP, "From The Big Apple To The Big Easy: The Concert For New Orleans" double-disc DVD. Viable act, indeed...
I had seen Simon & Garfunkel before at a CBS Records Convention, one of their several reunions through the years but when I heard they were performing a free concert in Central Park, I knew I had to be there. What I didn't expect was that 499,999 other people had the same idea. Paul Simon, when asked what it felt like to reunite in front of half a million people said simply, "it was numbing". The duo did a set of 19 songs including an outstanding medley that contained "Kodachrome" and Chuck Berry's "Maybelline". The concert, documented on an LP and footage seen world-wide was simply the best concert I've ever heard. Heard and not seen because I was standing near Cleopatra's Needle but I may as well have been in Egypt...
The Simon & Garfunkel Central Park Reunion happened on this date in 1981...
Ten Timeline Memories...
- [1876] Melville R. Bissell patents the carpet sweeper (which of course he uses his name on, calling it the "Melville". Just wanted to see if you were paying attention. Of course it was the "Bissell" which means "little" or "small amount" in Yiddish...
- [1881] James A. Garfield dies of wounds 11 weeks after being shot by an assassin. Garfield was our 20th President...
- [1934] Bruno Hauptman is arrested in New York and charged with the kidnapping and murder of the infant son of Charles and Anna Lindbergh...
- [1958] "Goodbye Y'all" becomes "Goodbye youse guys" as Elvis Presley leaves the Brooklyn Navy Yard for Germany and his Army unit...
- [1982] "Hill Street Blues", "Barney Miller", Alan Alda and Carol Kane are winners at the 34th Emmy Awards...
- [1993] "Seinfeld", "Picket Fences" and Ted Danson are winners at the 45th Emmy Awards...
- [1995] The Unabomber's manifesto, a rambling 44-page doctrine about the Industrial Revolution, is published in the New York Times and Washington Post (I tried reading this but quit after the 1st paragraph. This is not recommended for reading at the beach)...
- [2002] President George W. Bush asks Congress for authority to use all means, including military force if necessary to overthrow Saddam Hussein (you know what happened after that)...
- [2002] Kansas City first base coach Tom Gamboa is attacked during a game by a wacked-out father & son at Comiskey Park in Chicago (they did the crime and will pay the time for their insane act)...
- [2003] It's reported that AOL Time Warner will drop "AOL" from its name and be known as Time Warner Inc. The company had announced its merger and name change on January 10th, 2000 (on January 11th Time Warner announced, "what were we thinking ?')...
"Happy Trails": 1973] Gram Parsons of the Byrds dies of a drug overdose at 26...
"Gold Standard": 1968] "Born To Be Wild" - Steppenwolf...1974] "Bad Company" LP...1975] "I Shot The Sheriff" - Eric Clapton...
Released on this date: 1978] "Living In The U.S.A." - Linda Ronstadt...
Premiered on this date: 1970] "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (will run 7 years)...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday"...
Jimmy Fallon (32), Trisha Yearwood (42), Jeremy Irons (58), Joan Lunden (56), Twiggy Lawson (57), Freda Payne (61), Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan (63), Bill Medley (66), Adam ("Batman") West (76) and Bob Sherwood's favorite player and Baseball Hall of Famer Duke Snider (80)...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
Commentary...
I think I jinxed the Mets when I congratulated them in advance for clinching the National League East because they got swept in Pittsburgh over the weekend but now I can say CONGRATULATIONS METS!!! The Mets become the 1st team in baseball this season to clinch after last night's win over the Marlins...
"Happy Trails" to Mickey Hargitay, the former husband of Jayne Mansfield and father of actress Mariska Hargitay who died last Thursday at 80. Cause of death was not released by the family...
Ira Sherman corrects us on the year that "More Than A Feeling" was released. It was 1976 not 1975 as I had it. Ira should know because he was a product manager then. So should I, an associate director of national promotion at Epic at the time...
Finally an e-mail from Ron Alexenburg who informs that Tom Noonan has had a setback and is now living with daughters Kerry and June who are caring for him. Tommy's spirits need lifting and the legions of friends that Tommy has are encouraged to call him at 323.644.1368 or write him at: 3839 Los Feliz Blvd. Apt. 302, Los Angeles, CA 90027. Tommy works tirelessly in putting the CBS Alumni Newsletter together and is legendary in the record and trade publication industry for his many achievements throughout the years. Right now he needs a lot of your love and prayers...
Timeline Countdown: 14 days until the major league playoffs, 32 days until the World Series and 103 days until 2007.
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