Twenty First Century Boy

5 Oct 200920
'This could be a very interesting evening...' mused Bono, after joining Flo and Eddie, Edge and Gavin to perform a wonderfully earthy version of the T-Rex classic Children of the Revolution. And as An Evening With Gavin Friday and Friends got underway, it got more and more... interesting.

Larry and Adam arriving for Antony of Antony and the Johnsons to duet with Gavin; Courtney Love describing how she was one of the earliest fans of The Virgin Prunes ( 'I wasn't asked to do this show, I demanded to do this show.' ); The Prunes, she said, were astonishing, and before you knew it, Edge's brother Dik on stage along with Guggi and Gavin.

Martha Wainwright; Maria McKee; Courtney performing with Edge; Scarlett Johansson with Rufus Wainwright. One minute you're transfixed by Eric Mingus, the next Lady Gaga is telling you about a song she has written about falling in love with a man with red hair... More later.

Were you there ? Tell us what you thought of it.

Comments
20
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mbourke
Pure heaven!
What an evening! And to think I was there as a fluke anniversary gift from my sister-in-law who works at Carnegie. She knows how much my husband and I love U2 and thoughtfully put her name in so that the three of us could sit in Carnegie's box. And so we looked on in awe, she and I, swinging our legs merrily over the side of the box. What a night! Bono's voice has never been purer and Lady Gaga stole the show with her musings. HB GF!
ColleenC
Interesting, Part two
I made a mistake in my Post. I wrote, "I know the night was all about U2" and it WAS NOT!!! I wrote the post when I was very tired and it was very late. The night was about GAVIN, his birthday and (RED)!!!!!! I am sorry if my post reads wrong. Gavin put forth a heck of a performance that night - he shared the stage with just about every guest, did solos, he was clearly in another zone - a happy place. So to was the audience. I am sorry my post came out wrong. Giants Stadium was about U2, and it was great that they were there since they know Gavin since forever. I know Bono told Gavin HE was going to play Carnegie Hall for his 50th and it happened. So glad it did and Bono et al, we there with him. The Prunes, everyone. GAVIN'S night was great. Sorry again for the mis-type in my earlier "Interesting Night" post!! My bad!
edmedjen
What a great night!
I was so happy to be part of Gavin's night. All the performers were amazing. Bono and U2 always rock the house. Cant wait to go to Bono's 50th Party.
Brilliant performances
It was a joy to hear the boyos of U2 be just plain musicians&contribute to a great musical evening.Highlights were Prunes Reunion,Andrea Corr,the amazing(& underappreciated) Eric Mingus &of course,Gavin himself.Bravo!
DiscreetMusic
What a night...
Fantastic show, and can only hope it'll find some sort of release in the future. Caruso with Eric Mingus- what a revelation. Antony, Martha Wainwright, Maria McKee, Joseph Arthur, so many, many more that I'm forgetting. And of course, Gavin himself- spot on-- amazing how quickly this whole thing came together. I felt lucky to be there-- truly a once in a lifetime event. P.S. U2ers... next time you need a cover in one of your gigs... you couldn't go wrong with I Want to Live or King of Trash.
dianep
Intimate gigs
Sounded amazing. After Cardiff (and the sheer volume of warmth, joy and sound) and a gorgeous acoustic Stay, I had a hankering after an intimate acoustic event but God knows how the logistics would work on that one. There are so many sides to these amazing four guys and I'd love to see them all! Stay close.
ColleenC
Interesting Night!!!
I was in the fifth row and never thought I'd be this close to seeing the 4 boys this close in my life. I know the night was all about U2, but just coming off the two Giants Stadiums shows, I'm still rockin! Last night was full of great talent, heard some amazing voices, from my vantage point however, Larry & Adam were always blocked. Really enjoyed Maria McKee, Andrea Corr, Antony, the Wainrights, Lady Ga Ga was unexpected but really did well. Joel Grey - wow! Legend. Other great tidbits here and there. Nice long concert too! Short break but overall, about 4 hours! I couldn't have had a better seat, in a more elegant venue and a more enticing line up of entertainment, most especially, the lads of whom this website belongs to!!! Oh and I agree with the poster who commented on Bono's voice - it was in TOP form, especially just coming in off the night of a show in Raleigh! True tenor strength! And tonight, as a die-hard Pogues fan, my Cousin was SUPER jealous that I *saw* Shane McGowan last night - he was seething in envy!! I just laughed. And in the end, it was for (RED), a cause I have supported since its inception so I was all to happy to pay the price to sit up close and enjoy the show & see everyone's face for the first time!!!! :) :) Felt lucky to live in NYC and be able to attend this special event. I'll skip the parts about Courtney Love stripping.........and hogging the center stage at close of show during Jean Jeanie.........Ugh. LOL
Val1
Happy Bday, Gavin!
What a fun night. So many terrific performances. I loved Joel Gray's performance, and Lady Gaga was very special. Bono sounded amazing, as so did the rest of the band. Gavin's songs and performances shined, but what struck me most, was the quality of the back up musicians. All are amazing artists. A treat for sure.
mfmaher
Great Show!
With a little practice, that garage band the U2'ers can make something of themselves. I didn't realize how talented Lady GaGa was until I saw her hit the ivories. Shane MacGowan will always be a special talent. Was surprised when Lou Reed walked out on stage. Glad to hear Bowie's "The Jean Genie" to end the show. Scarlett looked amazing, thank you sunshine for pointing up and waving at me. Nice to see Joe O'Herlihy running around behind the scenes. He's a great sound engineer. We have a mutual friend, and I just want to thank him again for getting me tickets for the Vegas show back in 1992. If you have any spares for the upcoming Vegas show, give us a shout! Great performances by all!
LisaAnn
how lucky
I really feel lucky to have been there last night. The show was amazing and really well done. Gavin was an amazing emcee and performer! He really seemed to enjoy the entire night. The participants were so wonderful... The Virgin Prunes were incredible. I felt like a teenager again! Joel Grey- how many of us would ever have the opportunity to see him perform Wilkommen in person in 2009. I am probably one of the only people on earth who had never heard Lady Gaga, other than her name. I know, what can I say. She is one talented performer!! What a voice and can she play the piano! That was the biggest shock of the night. Seeing Shane McGowan -- I'm not worthy! Seeing Lou Reed walk on stage with Laurie Anderson was just too much! I was really surprised to see him, but I guess it shouldn't have been too big a stretch. Oh yeah, there were all these performances by Bono, Edge, Larry and Adam. They really tied everything together. And I really tried to focus on the big picture, because admittedly, it is really easy to get overwhelmed to see them in a 2,000 seat venue! All in all, one of the greatest nights of music EVER!
oneunforgetablefire
Surreal
Just surreal and wonderful to see U2 in small setting. The whole show was so relaxed and amazing. Bono's voice never sounded better. Shane sounded great too - but didn't understand a word -I liked how he kept dropping the mike! And if I had to guess, no one who performed last night has yet gone to sleep.
tanama68
Amazing
Simply amazing.....just extra ordinary watching this unfold before me as if I was invited in to their own private party for Gavin and I was a guest. <3 Great Cause...amazing night and a fantastic array of musical talent.
camnyu2
Reunion
It felt like a big reunion that we were all lucky enough to be invited to. The show was fantastic, and I was a bit distracted being able to see Bono and Larry offstage as they were also watching the show. How rare to be able to see them hanging out like that!
lockleara
Fantastic
It was a terrific evening - hey Bono - were you waving at me? You've GOT to recognize me after all the shows I've been to... me among the millions :) I thought it was terrific, more, more, more!
Siobhannyc
Magnificent!
It was such a brilliant show! It felt so intimate because everyone on stage was so down to earth, it felt like a gathering of close friends (including the audience), it was so elevating to see U2 in such a small venue (compared to the current tour), and I loved the variety of songs. Was really surprised what a great singer and entertainer Gavin is (and surprise no. 2 was Lady Gaga, great voice!!). My favorite moment was Bono applauding at the end to everyone involved in a show. He is STILL so modest, after all these years. I am so happy that U2 are a huge part of my life and that I saw this show last night. Too bad I didn't share that good wine with you Gav, I'm a wine lover too :-)) Have a wonderful birthday, fellow Libra!
punkeeg
With all due respect
The most touching and telling moment was during the final moments. Shane MacGowan was on the mike and Bono asked for the sound to go down so Shane's voice could be heard. He looked on with a gaze of admiration and it showed how much respect he and the others have for Shane. The whole show was a show of appreciation for each other's accomplishments and for their musical roots. Just awesome and truly very different. It was an honor to be a part of a great night.
u2fannyc
Fantastic night
We had a blast at the Carnegie Hall show last night-- I've never seen Gavin perform before, and was blown away by his magnetism. Favorite moments were seeing Rufus Wainwright perform "Mr. Pussy", along with the random Prince impersonator (I checked to see whether he was wearing stiletto boots to confirm that it was not actually him), as well as Lady GaGa, Martha Wainwright, Lou Reed... and of course, Bono/Edge/Larry/Adam! Great night, thanks to all who helped to make it happen. Happy birthday, Gavin!
punkeeg
Beautiful and moving
It was definitely a night to remember. It was wonderful to see a bunch of old friends getting together, enjoying each other and raising money for such a great cause. Tons of wonderful surprises and very moving performances.....especially Eric Mingus and Gavin's duet. Incredible! Of course, U2 rocked and I still have chills from being so close and seeing they are just regular guys living their dreams. Beautiful!
pcyar
Good stuff!
Very unique - traveled to NY from San Diego just to see this. I especially liked the bits with the lads (Bono, The Edge, Larry and Adam of course). It was very special to be so close and the sound was outstanding. Nice to see Ali join as well... So far, Dublin two nights, opening night of Chicao, Gavin Friday and Friends. Next stop - Los Angeles. When do I get to meet the lads??? Needless to say - huge, huge fan...
BeckyJ
What an experience!
I was lucky enough to 'be there' last evening, front row, stage left at the amazing Carnegie Hall. Such a special and unique night...loved seeing the band members thoroughly enjoying being part of someone else's gig. A big departure from their current, front & center stadium 360 tour. Last evening, they were 4 guys from Dublin, celebrating a great friend and a great cause - not to mention, their musical roots. It was intimate, it was different, it was spontaneous - it was very, very cool.
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