Saw Paul Jacobsen’s tribute to his favorite Beatle last weekend when Here Comes the Sun: An All-Star Tribute to George Harrison was unraveled at The State Room (May 2).
It was my second time to take it in (after first doing so at Velour in Provo) and it was an immediately comfortable place to be. More than 20+ musicians played and sang. Rows were filled and the dance floor was packed. We could sing along to a whole lot of the George Harrison songs they dusted off and played (and when we could, we so did).
It was revealed in short order that covering the Traveling Wilburys is such a good idea (the songs sound great when honkytonkified or given the “We Are The World” treatment, when most everyone gets a line to belt out). That “Got My Mind Set On You” can actually rock. And that “I Me Mine” deserves more (any?) radioplay. The night was congenial and tender at times, an out-and-out rock show at others. All things properly considered: a hit.
Photos by Natalie Simpson | @behivephotovideo.
One standout moment for me, one that showed the whole crew at their highest collective powers, was when Little Moon’s Emma Hardyman nailed her one song of the evening, a blisteringly gorgeous take of “Within You Without You.” Mystique was cranked. Bows were dragged across strings. Moments like that one, they transcended being singers and players paying homage to a late hero. Instead, it was a better peek at a song they could not just recreate, but elevate and add to. It was magic. It still replays in my mind.
I wish there was a way to properly convey how hard this kind of a show is to put together. Maybe that comes across — especially in Jacobsen’s shared facts, stories, and observations between numbers — but it’s one of those labor of love endeavors. The curating. The schedule wrassling. The last minute drop outs. What ends up feeling and looking easy as it plays out in all those right ways up on stage only appears that way. That’s the end goal, but it takes a lot to get to that point.
The reason the performances feel so polished is that it’s the end of a marathon, the equivalent of letting out a long sigh via dancing and solos and storytelling. This is the moment they’ve prepared for and they sound so damn good while doing it. Sound guys, thanks too, for properly capturing all the hours and extra nights it took to pull off this kind of deserved adoration.
A sight to behold. A treat to be heard.
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