Star Struck

Jeff Beck emerges from the Gibson Guitar bus.

Toni contributes today:

I have been a little disappointed in not experiencing the amount of celebrity sightings I had hoped for in NYC. To remedy that we chose to attend a red carpet event at the Iridium Jazz Club which is located just a couple of blocks away from our apartment towards Time Square. Jeff Beck was performing with Imelda May and her band for two nights as a tribute to Les Paul in memory of what would have been his 95th birthday. The event was sponsored by Gibson, the maker of the famous guitar named for Les Paul. The shows were by invitation only as the club was configured to seat just 120 people. We entered a lottery to get tickets for one of the shows but lost since all but 50 of the seats were distributed for VIPs to attend. We knew there was little hope that our entry would be picked but there was nothing to lose by trying. As a consolation prize we were invited to view the stars walking through the door for the second night performance.

We were up for some excitement on Wednesday night as we ventured out into the light rain. The weather was on our side as it kept this event's crowd from being large, enabling us to secure spots right by the velvet ropes and we were able to watch from within a couple of arm lengths away as the following people strolled slowly by and were interviewed and photographed by the press:

Nils Lofgren (Springsteen)

Steven Van Zandt (Springsteen, Sopranos)

Paul Shaffer (Letterman Late Show Band Leader)

Anton Fig (Letterman Late Show Drummer)

Meat Loaf (Rocky Horror, Singer)

Kirk Hammett (Metallica)

Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osborne, Black Label Society)

Jennifer Batten (Jeff Beck, Michael Jackson)

Ace Frehley (Kiss)

Allen Toussaint (Songwriter extraordinaire)

Suzanne Somers (3's Company)

Brian Setzer (Stray Cats, Brian Setzer Orchestra)

Imelda May (Singer)

Warren Haynes (Allman Bros., Gov't Mule)

Steve Miller (Steve Miller Band)

Jeff Beck (Yardbirds, solo legend)

As each celebrity passed I felt the teenage adrenaline rush tempered with my own life's business experience. I got the sense their celebrity was like a cloak of armor to protect their real identity. The more famous they were the more they were a commodity. The pressure to remain in the limelight as they aged was reflected in their plastic surgeries, heavy makeup, and overly processed hair. I walked away hoping they were having the genuine musical experience they deserved for working so hard, for so many years keeping their fans entertained.

Silvio