Last night after work, I grabbed my guitar out of the trunk of my car and walked down to Natural Bridges state beach to watch the sunset. I’ve had my guitar in my trunk for the past couple of days. I’ve stepped away from work a couple of times to walk down and play guitar on the beach for awhile. Yes, it sounds cliché and silly. And I’ll forgive you for whatever thought just crossed your mind about me potentially being a hippy.

I’m not the kind of person who is comfortable singing and playing in front of people. But with the ocean churning in the background, I’m much more at peace walking around, singing songs and clobbering my guitar strings.

Friday nights at Natural Bridges tend to be like Friday nights at the movie theater. There were plenty of people out to watch the sun go down. Still, I was able to find myself a spot to walk around and play without interrupting anyone’s moment of natural beauty.

After a few minutes of playing, I saw that a toddler, no more than 1-year old and wobbling around the beach with her parents, had taken an interest in me. She fearlessly started toward me, squeaking and pointing the whole way. Her parents seemed apprehensive to disturb me, so I knelt down and offered my guitar to the slowly approaching little one. She got even more excited and continued to make her way up to my guitar.

Her mom spoke to her in English and her dad spoke to her in French. It was very cool to watch them explain to her what it was and what she was doing in both languages. She had obviously strummed (I’m using that term loosely) a guitar before, so I held a few notes while she hit the strings. Her little face was mesmerized.

It was a really neat moment and a perfect way to end the week. I stayed out there for another 30 minutes, playing in the dark until my fingers got so numb I had to stop.

Earlier in the day, I had lunch with friends and we were talking about how amazingly lucky we were to live in a place as beautiful as Santa Cruz. So, after playing guitar on the beach at sunset and letting a toddler curiously strum along while her parents spoke to her in French and English, all I can do is agree. I’m pretty lucky to live and work here.

The Bridge School was started by Peggy Young, wife of Neil Young, and is “dedicated to ensuring that children with severe speech and physical impairments achieve full participation in their communities.” The annual benefit concert provides the school with funding. It is without a doubt my favorite music event of the year and Saturday was my 9th trip to see Neil Young and friends rock out for The Bridge School.

Overall, this was a rather subdued show compared to past years. The last show I saw, in 2003, featured Billy Idol, so it was unlikely to be more energetic than that. Still, it was more calm and the music was more relaxed, even the headline appearance by Metallica.

Regina Spektor

She was awesome. An amazing vocal talent, her first song was just her and a microphone singing to The Bridge School students; who, as always, were seated behind the artist’s area of the stage. A good vocal presence is always rewarded at Shoreline, where the sound seems to fill the entire venue beautifully. [Video of Regina performing Fidelity]

John Mayer

I used to hate John Mayer. I admit that. But that dude can play guitar. And he can play well. He was stellar. Backed by two other guitarists, he played mostly stuff from his latest album, which I have to admit to enjoying quite a bit. His set felt too short, and I found myself wishing he could have played a few more tunes. He ended with a easy-does-it version of Tom Petty’s Free Fallin that I got on video. [Waiting on the World] [Free Fallin]

Tom Waits & Kronos Quartet

Holy shit. I haven’t seen Tom Waits live since he performed at The Bridge School show in 1999. To say his performances are unique would be a gross understatement. He was illuminated by red light and growled an amazing set, invoking dark moods and scary places. Watching Tom Waits perform really makes you feel like you are living in a Tim Burton film. I’m not sure how else to describe it.

Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee started off slow with some of his more mellow tunes, then got everyone on their feet with Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On. It was the first time all night we were on our feet, which gives you an idea of how mellow the show had been up to that point. He finished with Great Balls of Fire, which totally rocked the house.

I’m almost ashamed to say that my entire impression of Jerry Lee Lewis was formed by my dad’s jokes about Jerry Lee’s marriage to a 13 year-old. After skimming Jerry Lee’s entry on Wikipedia this morning, I realized that he is a rock legend and brilliant musician. Mental image revised, I’m real glad I got to see Jerry Lee perform. He was awesome.

Metallica

I have to respect Metallica for “playing to the venue.” They showed up with a polished acoustic set. They opened with several covers, including a pretty nice cover of Only Happy When It Rains by Garbage. Notice I said nice. The early set lacked the kind of energy you expect from Metallica. On an otherwise mild evening of music, I think the crowd (especially the dudes with beers wearing Metallica/Guns N’ Roses tour shirts from 1992), wanted some dive bar thrashing on acoustic guitars. They didn’t get it until the very last song, when Metallica played Nothing Else Matters. After that, they were gone, and everyone was screaming for more. As much as the set might have been a bit too mild, watching Lars rock out on the drums was worth it. And James Hetfield’s voice sounded crisp and rested. I can’t wait to hear the next album.

Summarized

At a Bridge School show, you’re always reminded of the power of music and the power of the art form. The Bridge School students benefit from this show and the artists play these shows with that in mind. While this show lacked the rare music moments that sometimes come when you gather so much talent in one show, it was still a treat and an experience I will hold dear for the next 12 months until the next show.

Thankfully, a sizable chunk of those great moments have made their way to the iTunes Music Store. The Bridge School Concerts (iTunes link) is an 80-song collection of tunes from the 20 years of “Bridge”. It has many of my personal favorites (Pearl Jam’s reworked Corduroy from 1996, Thom Yorke doing Street Spirit sans accompaniment, and Rebel Yell from the year when Bridge was “knocked the fuck out” by Billy Idol). I can think of several more tunes I’d like to see added down the line. Pete Townshend showed up in 1996 and was amazing. Sheryl Crow needs to be in there as well. But that’s a small knock on what is otherwise an iTunes addition that makes my day.

The beauty of the deal is that, like all things Bridge, proceeds from the sale of the tracks go to The Bridge School.

Buy up and enjoy.

At my gym however — where there happens to be a large percentage of college kids born in the late 80′s — anything goes because they don’t know how painful it was to experience some of that music firsthand.
So on a day when I choose not to bring my iPod to my workout (once a week, I opt for an organic workout free of any kind of technology), I am treated to a block of Wham! on the gym’s speaker system.

Time can never mend
The careless whispers, of a good friend
To the heart and mind
Ignorance is kind
There’s no comfort in the truth
Pain is the hole you find

When I was 10, George Michael was singing to women in this song. Twenty years later, I can only chuckle when I hear it. Exactly what hole did you find, George?

Nope, I’ve got nothing…new PEARL JAM in 4 weeks!