{"id":973963,"date":"2019-12-10T08:12:13","date_gmt":"2019-12-10T15:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=924572"},"modified":"2019-12-10T08:12:13","modified_gmt":"2019-12-10T15:12:13","slug":"bruce-springsteen-sting-eurythmics-revisit-the-1980s-at-all-star-rainforest-fund-benefit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/music-news\/bruce-springsteen-sting-eurythmics-revisit-the-1980s-at-all-star-rainforest-fund-benefit\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Eurythmics Revisit the 1980s at All-Star Rainforest Fund Benefit"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/RainforestFund.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p>Bob Geldof has organized some of the most incredible all-star shows in rock history, including the original Live Aid in 1985 and its follow-up, Live 8, in 2005. But even the man that reunited Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and the Who seemed stunned by what he was seeing near the end of the 30th-anniversary celebration of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/sting\/\" id=\"auto-tag_sting\" data-tag=\"sting\">Sting<\/a> and Trudie Styler\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/rainforest-fund\/\" id=\"auto-tag_rainforest-fund\" data-tag=\"rainforest-fund\">Rainforest Fund<\/a> benefit at New York\u2019s Beacon Theater on Monday evening. The Eurthymics had just wrapped up an extremely rare reunion set when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/bruce-springsteen\/\" id=\"auto-tag_bruce-springsteen\" data-tag=\"bruce-springsteen\">Bruce Springsteen<\/a> came onto the stage and called out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/john-mellencamp\/\" id=\"auto-tag_john-mellencamp\" data-tag=\"john-mellencamp\">John Mellencamp<\/a> to help him sing \u201cGlory Days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the two Eighties icons traded lines back and forth, sometimes singing into the same mic with their arms around each other, Geldof sat near the end of the stage with his iPhone aimed squarely at the heartland rock summit, a look of absolute joy on his face. Host Robert Downey Jr. repeatedly begged the crowd to put their phones away for the night and enjoy the show in real time, but Geldof was one of about 2,000 people who completely ignored that directive even though he was sitting about five feet away from Iron Man himself.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- .l-article-content__pull--left --> <\/p>\n<p>It was one of several unforgettable moments at the Rainforest Fund benefit, which also featured <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/james-taylor\/\" id=\"auto-tag_james-taylor\" data-tag=\"james-taylor\">James Taylor<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/debbie-harry\/\" id=\"auto-tag_debbie-harry\" data-tag=\"debbie-harry\">Debbie Harry<\/a>, Shaggy, DMC, Ricky Martin, MJ Rodriguez, H.E.R., Joe Sumner, Adrienne Warren, and Zucchero along with killer band that included musical director Narada Michael Walden, bassist Will Lee, guitarist Felicia Collins, and former Rolling Stones backup singer Lisa Fischer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-contextual-player\">\n<h3> Popular on Rolling Stone <\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7FsLcprAVLc?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Here are 13 of the best moments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Robert Downey Jr. Channels Robert Palmer<\/strong><br \/>The theme of the night was ostensibly the music of the Eighties and Nineties, and Robert Downey Jr. (who released an under-the-radar album in 2004) kicked things off by breaking into Robert Palmer\u2019s 1986 classic \u201cAddicted to Love.\u201d Alongside him were backup singers that perfectly recreated the looks and the moves of the models from the original Palmer video, down to their bright red lipstick and bizarre, robotic sway. He was never listed as one of the performers for the evening, but it seemed like he was unable to resist the chance to join in on the fun.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Eighties Phoned the Theater<\/strong><br \/>In his opening monologue, Downey Jr. briefly pretended to address the rainforest crisis in in the most dull way imaginable when he got a call on a giant Zack Morris cellphone he said was from the decade of the Eighties. \u201cEnjoying Reaganomics, are we?\u201d he asked. \u201cYeah, I know I get fired from <em>SNL<\/em>. But don\u2019t worry. Everything works out just fine for me. If you\u2019re so smart, guess who is president right now? Clint Eastwood? Keep going \u2026 OK, deal with your self-important denial while we deal with the ramifications of your behavior. OK, little brother? Gotta fly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6jtGvueSrBw?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>James Taylor Brings Things Back to the Seventies<\/strong><br \/>James Taylor didn\u2019t have a lot of big hits in the Eighties, so it wasn\u2019t surprising he played his Seventies favorites \u201cYour Smiling Faces\u201d, \u201cUp on the Roof\u201d, and \u201cSecret o\u2019 Life.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m going to play for you a song that I see as sort of the quintessential New York statement,\u201d he said prior to \u201cUp on the Roof.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s a song written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin for the Drifters. It isn\u2019t technically from the Eighties or Nineties. It\u2019s actually from the early Sixties, but I cut it again in the Eighties.\u201d It sounded so majestic, especially paired with images of the New York skyline on the screens behind him, that we won\u2019t even complain he was off by a year. (His version came out on 1979\u2019s <em>Flag.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob Geldof Begs for Peace<\/strong><br \/>Bob Geldof walked onstage looking like Jon Bon Jovi\u2019s older understudy and kicked into a powerful rendition of the Boomtown Rats\u2019 1979 classic \u201cI Don\u2019t Like Mondays\u201d before telling everyone he was \u201cfucking sick of doing that song.\u201d (That certainly wasn\u2019t apparent when he was singing it.) \u201cWelcome to Boomerstock,\u201d he then said. \u201cWe\u2019re the old guys and girls with guitars and keyboards that still think it\u2019s possible to change things.\u201d He ended with a passionate cover of Nick Lowe\u2019s 1974 anthem \u201c(What\u2019s So Funny \u2018Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding)\u201d and a plea to vote Donald Trump out of office the next year. It was the most overt political statement of the night and one of the best overall performances.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shaggy Takes Everyone to \u201cElectric Avenue\u201d<\/strong><br \/>Shaggy could have easily busted out his 1995 classic \u201cBoombastic\u201d to win over the crowd and honor the theme of the show, but he instead opted for Eddy Grant\u2019s 1982 hit \u201cElectric Avenue.\u201d It brought everyone to their feet, even David Geffen in the front row and Julie Chen Moonves, one row behind him, who seemed to know every single world. \u201cAs a Caribbean boy, Eddy Grant was somebody I looked up to,\u201d he said, \u201cbecause he was one of the first that did it. And this was such a smash Eighties song!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yLJeUx-Rw7Y?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Debbie Harry Raps with DMC<\/strong><br \/>Wearing a red cape with the phrase \u201cStop Fucking the Planet\u201d written on the back, Debbie Harry opened her set with Blondie\u2019s 1980 hit \u201cCall Me,\u201d which lead directly into their pioneering hip-hop song \u201cRapture.\u201d She did the famous \u201cFab Five Freddy told me everybody\u2019s fly\u201d rap herself before DMC came out to deliver a little freestyle about the rainforest. Both artists played a critical role in introducing hip-hop to the country in the Eighties, so it was wonderful to briefly see them together.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DMC \u201cWalks This Way\u201d With James Taylor<\/strong><br \/>DMC didn\u2019t have the benefit of Aerosmith or even Reverend Run by his side, but he still pulled off a stellar \u201cWalk This Way\u201d that had everyone in the Beacon Theater waving their hands in the air. James Taylor even got into the spirit of things from the side of the stage, causing DMC to run over and put the mic in his face for one incredible moment where their voices locked on a single \u201cwalk this way.\u201d Maybe it\u2019s the start of the new rap supergroup JT DMC.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sting Gets \u201cTogether\u201d With Lisa Fischer<\/strong><br \/>Lisa Fischer may have parted ways with the Rolling Stones in 2015 for reasons that have never quite been explained, but she remains one of the greatest backup singers in the business. She proved that when she duetted with Sting on his 1987 hit \u201cWe\u2019ll Be Together\u201d and nearly upstaged him. Annie Lennox sang on the original and did it with Sting every night of their 2004 tour, but he wisely kept her backstage so she could prep for her big moment later in the show.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ricky Martin Parties Like It\u2019s 1999<\/strong><br \/>One would think that Ricky Martin is just as sick as \u201cThe Cup of Life\u201d and \u201cLivin\u2019 La Vida Loca\u201d as Bob Geldof is as \u201cI Don\u2019t Like Mondays,\u201d but he delivered them with incredible joy and energy during his mini-set. He then spent the rest of the show hanging out near the side of the stage and singing along to all the other songs even though he was nowhere near a microphone. It\u2019s been 20 years and Martin still seems to be getting a real kick out of this whole fame thing.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nhppxrSzQ24?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Mellencamp and Springsteen Unite<\/strong><br \/>John Mellencamp had the misfortune of breaking through to the mainstream just a few years after Bruce Springsteen hit, causing many lazy rock writers to compare the two and create the false impression they were somehow rivals. Anyone who still thinks that\u2019s the case was proven wrong when Mellencamp brought Springsteen out after a solo acoustic \u201cJack and Diane\u201d to duet with him on \u201cPink Houses.\u201d More than a few Michael Scott types probably think that Springsteen wrote that song, so watching them sing it inches apart, trading off lines and laughs, was just incredible.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P_OsBRZ79QY?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/eurythmics\/\" id=\"auto-tag_eurythmics\" data-tag=\"eurythmics\">Eurythmics<\/a> Reunite<\/strong><br \/>With the exception of their performance of \u201cFool on the Hill\u201d at a 2014 Beatles tribute show, the Eurythmics have been completely dormant since 2005. But somehow or another, the duo of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart completely stole the show, rising above even Bruce Springsteen, with a three-song set of \u201cWould I Lie to You?,\u201d \u201cHere Comes the Rain Again,\u201d and, of course, \u201cSweet Dreams (Are Made of This).\u201d Lennox\u2019s voice didn\u2019t show the tiniest hint of wear and Stewart hit every subtle guitar note on a tender, gorgeous \u201cHere Comes the Rain Again.\u201d They haven\u2019t been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame despite appearing on two recent ballots, but this performance alone proved that this gross injustice needs to be addressed very soon. They should also seriously consider another tour.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Springsteen Plays the Hits<\/strong><br \/>At the 2010 Rainforest Fund benefit, which was also Eighties-themed, Springsteen played a soul-infused rendition of the Bryan Adams classic \u201cCuts Like a Knife.\u201d This time around, he stuck to his own songs by duetting with Mellencamp on \u201cGlory Days\u201d and then leading the house band through on an epic \u201cDancing in the Dark.\u201d While we would have loved to see him try out something by Duran Duran, Toto or Haysi Fantayzee, those two numbers did just fine.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JZSkLVbBNk8?version=3&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;autohide=2&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bruce Stops Believin\u2019<\/strong><br \/>Like they did in 2010, everyone from the evening wrapped things up by playing Journey\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Believin.&#8217;\u201d The stage was packed with singers, but it was hard not to notice that Springsteen didn\u2019t look too thrilled by the whole thing. He also didn\u2019t seem to know many of the words outside of the chorus. Maybe, like the rest of us, he\u2019s simply heard this song too many times. Maybe he was just tapped out by this point or he\u2019d spent enough time reliving the Eighties and was ready to call it a night. Whatever the case, everyone else made up for his lack of enthusiasm and it was the perfect end to a long, surreal evening of Eighties nostalgia. How can they possibly top this one the next time the show comes around?<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/rainforest-benefit-review-bruce-springsteen-sting-eurythmics-924572\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Rolling Stone<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bob Geldof has organized some of the most incredible all-star shows in rock history, including the original Live Aid in 1985 and its follow-up, Live 8, in 2005. But even the man that reunited Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and the Who seemed stunned by what he was seeing near the end of the 30th-anniversary celebration [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-973963","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-14 15:04:24","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KFMU Solar Powered Radio","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=973963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973963\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=973963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=973963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kfmu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=973963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}