This wasn't the original plan. These musicians thought they'd handled business back in 1979, but events of the recent past had united them once more to do battle with an old foe.
"We didn't think we'd have to be doing this 32 years later," remarked vocalist-guitarist John Hall.
Well, if you have to repeat yourself -- you might as well do it in a highly memorable fashion. And, clearly, the 11,000 fans that came out on Sunday to Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View aren't likely to forget the return of No Nukes.
Hall, who went from recording pop-rock hits with the Orleans to representing upstate New York in Congress, was joined in this reprise by many of the same friends that stood beside him in 1979 at Madison Square Garden during the original No Nukes concerts, which were recorded and later released as both a documentary film and a triple live album.
The other veterans were Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Doobie Brothers and Bonnie Raitt, who made the short drive down from her home in Marin. The newcomers included Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, young heartthrob Jason Mraz and a cappella troupe Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Most fitting, there was multi-instrumentalist Kitaro, representing Japan and connecting the crowd to the most recent nuclear power disaster -- the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which were triggered by an earthquake and tsunami back in March. Money raised from this
concert went to relief programs in Japan, as well as to fund organizations working to promote safe, non-nuclear energy across the globe.
Together, these artists stood together -- just as some of them did back in 1979 -- as Musicians United for Safe Energy (or MUSE).
Although each of the players spoke their mind from the stage, the overall feel of the event wasn't as preachy as one might expect. That was due to the strength of the performances which ranged from pretty good (Mraz) to stellar (Morello) -- and even an ardent nuclear power supporter would've probably had to admit that there was some pretty fine songs played at Shoreline.
What the concert lacked, unfortunately, was another big name on the bill. If organizers had been able to land Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor or Tom Petty -- all of whom performed at the original No Nukes shows -- or even a younger gun like Dave Matthews or Jack Johnson, then they'd clearly have done better at the gate. As it stood, the lineup consisted mostly of acts that, at best, could headline a winery or theater in Northern California. The only legitimate amphitheater headliner was Mraz.
The musicians made up for the lack of star power by cooking up a number of tasty collaborations, most of which seemed to include Browne, Raitt and/or Graham Nash.
Some of the highlights in that regard included Browne -- who, at 62, still looks about 39 -- joining young folk-rocker Jonathan Wilson for a fun cover of Warren Zevon's "Lawyers, Guns and Money"; David Crosby lending sweet harmony to Raitt's always-touching take on John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery"; and Raitt guesting with Sweet Honey on the traditional "Midnight Special" (which this crowd probably knew best from the popular Creedence Clearwater Revival version).
They performed in front of a house band and we're surprisingly well rehearsed, having joined together on Saturday at Shoreline to work out the kinks in the program. And they seemed overjoyed to be playing together in front of the Mountain View crowd as well as -- in a sign of how times have changed since the days of triple live albums -- a worldwide audience streaming the show online.
"This is such an incredible reunion for all of us who were on the MUSE stage 32 years ago," Raitt said.
The two most powerful sets came courtesy of the Doobie Brothers -- who mainly stuck to their A-list hits -- and Morello, who first perplexed, then wowed the crowd with his militant take on protest rock. The latter's epic guitar lead at the end of Bruce Springsteen's "Ghost of Tom Joad" might have been the best two minutes of live music I've seen all summer. Right up there, however, was Stephen Still's electric guitar work, which highlighted the otherwise anticlimactic closing set by CSN.
"We didn't think we'd have to be doing this 32 years later," remarked vocalist-guitarist John Hall.
Well, if you have to repeat yourself -- you might as well do it in a highly memorable fashion. And, clearly, the 11,000 fans that came out on Sunday to Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View aren't likely to forget the return of No Nukes.
Hall, who went from recording pop-rock hits with the Orleans to representing upstate New York in Congress, was joined in this reprise by many of the same friends that stood beside him in 1979 at Madison Square Garden during the original No Nukes concerts, which were recorded and later released as both a documentary film and a triple live album.
The other veterans were Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Doobie Brothers and Bonnie Raitt, who made the short drive down from her home in Marin. The newcomers included Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, young heartthrob Jason Mraz and a cappella troupe Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Most fitting, there was multi-instrumentalist Kitaro, representing Japan and connecting the crowd to the most recent nuclear power disaster -- the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which were triggered by an earthquake and tsunami back in March. Money raised from this
concert went to relief programs in Japan, as well as to fund organizations working to promote safe, non-nuclear energy across the globe.
Together, these artists stood together -- just as some of them did back in 1979 -- as Musicians United for Safe Energy (or MUSE).
Although each of the players spoke their mind from the stage, the overall feel of the event wasn't as preachy as one might expect. That was due to the strength of the performances which ranged from pretty good (Mraz) to stellar (Morello) -- and even an ardent nuclear power supporter would've probably had to admit that there was some pretty fine songs played at Shoreline.
What the concert lacked, unfortunately, was another big name on the bill. If organizers had been able to land Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor or Tom Petty -- all of whom performed at the original No Nukes shows -- or even a younger gun like Dave Matthews or Jack Johnson, then they'd clearly have done better at the gate. As it stood, the lineup consisted mostly of acts that, at best, could headline a winery or theater in Northern California. The only legitimate amphitheater headliner was Mraz.
The musicians made up for the lack of star power by cooking up a number of tasty collaborations, most of which seemed to include Browne, Raitt and/or Graham Nash.
They performed in front of a house band and we're surprisingly well rehearsed, having joined together on Saturday at Shoreline to work out the kinks in the program. And they seemed overjoyed to be playing together in front of the Mountain View crowd as well as -- in a sign of how times have changed since the days of triple live albums -- a worldwide audience streaming the show online.
"This is such an incredible reunion for all of us who were on the MUSE stage 32 years ago," Raitt said.
The two most powerful sets came courtesy of the Doobie Brothers -- who mainly stuck to their A-list hits -- and Morello, who first perplexed, then wowed the crowd with his militant take on protest rock. The latter's epic guitar lead at the end of Bruce Springsteen's "Ghost of Tom Joad" might have been the best two minutes of live music I've seen all summer. Right up there, however, was Stephen Still's electric guitar work, which highlighted the otherwise anticlimactic closing set by CSN.
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