I was there at the beautiful Dolby Theater when the Light Up The Blues’ 5th annual concert for Autism Speaks was held on April 21, 2018, in Hollywood, California. Stephen and Kristen Stills had formed this benefit in honor of their younger son Oliver Stills, who is autistic, and who plays a mean set of bongo drums to a lot of his father’s music!
Some guests of honor were Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, who played a tribute to the late Tom Petty, whose recent passing was a shock to everyone. The Heartbreakers played an extremely poignant “I Won’t Back Down!” in his memory. Mike Campbell expertly accompanied the other guest bands throughout the show.
Neil wandered around the stage seeming to look for the best sound locations as he sang “I Am a Child,” a song from the Buffalo Springfield days. Then he slung his guitar onto his back and sat down to play the upright piano for the beginning of “Sugar Mountain,” only to stand back up to finish this classic tune about growing up and leaving memories behind. Later, Neil and Stephen joined up to perform “For What It’s Worth,” “Mr. Soul,” and “Long May You Run.”
One of my favorite songs Neil played that evening was “Mother Earth,” played on Neil’s old pump organ. The pipes magically reverberated in the rafters of that ornate theater. Silver and gold glittered everywhere that evening. Patti Smith joined Beck to rock out “Because the Night” (co-written by Patti and Bruce Springsteen). One of the highlights of the evening was Neil performing his beautiful, sad song, “Birds.”
I had to leave at the beginning of the encore, unfortunately, because my parking garage was about to close at 11 pm. As I rushed to my car, I felt overwhelmed by the talent of Stephen, Neil and their friends, who give of themselves to help raise funds for research and awareness of great causes like Autism Speaks. It’s true — It takes a village. I met some gentle people there that night… and witnessed the giving spirit and open heartedness of many music lovers in the audience. Feeling moved by the spirit of Tom Petty was a bonus.
