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For The Sake Of The Song - A Tribute To Townes Van Zandt

A full-scale homage to the Texas Troubadour.
06 januari 2002, W2, 's-Hertogenbosch (NL)

Tekst: Joanna Serraris

Publicatiedatum: 14 januari 2002

Well, it's strange how many tortured mornings
Fell upon us with no warning
Lookin' for a smile to beg and borrow
It's over now, there is no returning
A thousand bridges sadly burning
And light the way I have to walk alone
Come tomorrow

('Come Tomorrow' by Townes van Zandt)

The 6th of January started as one of the foulest days possible - weatherwise, sleet and thick fog made driving conditions bad, and the once-reliable Dutch railway system has enough troubles of its own without the weather gods having to contribute to make things bad. But despite all of that, people started coming in very good numbers from about three pm onwards. A video of Townes van Zandt playing in the Willem II, the venue of the day, was the official start of 'For The Sake Of The Song - A Tribute To Townes van Zandt.' Townes' Gibson was on stage during the whole show, in the spotlight behind the artists. What can one say about the artists who came in droves to play their versions of songs by one of their heroes? We were blessed to have the crème de la crème of Dutch singer-songwriters on stage throughout the day, along with some of the best alternative duos and bands from both Holland and Belgium, American and British singer-songwriters - everyone with their own Townes connection and Townes story - and of course JT van Zandt. Their input was phenomenal. Their versions of the Townes songs were fun, interesting, eerie at times, and totally enjoyable. We also heard own work, which fitted in perfectly, as did a couple of Guy Clark and Hank Williams songs and - not to be missed from the list of course - Steve Earle's tribute to the Texas troubadour, 'Fort Worth Blues'. JT's performance was definitely the highlight of the day. His mom, Fran Lohr, was at the show, which was great - the first time ever she's seen her son perform on stage! The way JT looks like his dad, it must have brought back some memories for her And yes, JT did tell a bad joke, to truly make this a Townes tribute. So bad that I can't remember it. After his set, which included a brilliant version of 'My Proud Mountain', he gathered all of the artists on stage, and they closed the day with a roaring version of 'White Freightliner Blues', with the public closing in on the stage and joining in the chorus and the verses. The whole scene sent shivers down my spine. The audience was an all-important factor to the success of the day. They came in pretty large numbers (We had about 300 people there.), and the atmosphere was one of the warmest and friendliest I have ever experienced at a concert. The staff from the W2 did a great job and worked hard to make this day a success. Also I have to extend a big "thank you" to the sponsors, one of which was no other than Bono from U2. He had been invited to participate but couldn't make it, so he sent the following message through his assistant: "We're out here on the road, and he got your note regarding your tribute concert, and unfortunately you are right - he can't make the day, but he would like to lend some moral support. And by doing that he would like to pay for the whisky!" So every artist got a bottle of whisky with the pay cheque! Was Townes there? Who knows? A lot of the fog and the sleet had disappeared by the end of the show, so maybe he was. In any case, his memory and his spirit definitely were well around that evening, and that is what counts.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/live/townes-van-zandt/for-the-sake-of-the-song-a-tribute-to-townes-van-zandt/1278/
Meer Townes Van Zandt op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/townes-van-zandt