Tuesday, March 17, 1987
Daily Nebraskan
Pago
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"Other Bruce "pours on
real Southern comfort
By Liso Olsen
Associate News Editor
They call him "the other Bruce." But
hunched over his miniature keyboard
with, and watched over by, a small
white plaster bust, Bruce llornsby looks
more like an oversized Schroeder of
"Peanuts" fame.
Concert Review
He may look comic but no one laughs
as the music he creates floats out over
the audience. He's a real musician
not a video hyped-out image. Hornsby
didn't make it on his looks or his light
show. It's pure talent.
The same talent that earned him the
equivalent of "Rookie of the Year" at
this year's Grammy awards. Talent that
made the Omaha Music Hall crowd
clap and yell Sunday night. And, in the
end, brought even the moody and mel
low fans to their feet.
Bruce Hornsby appreciates the atten
tion. He hasn't yet learned to expect it
or demand it. He remembers his Virgi
nia roots. The days when he used to be
bat boy at William and Mary College.
Hornsby, at 8, used to hear players
chanting in the shower after a win:
"Omaha, Omaha." It wasn't until a lot
later that he found out "Omaha" was
home of the college world series. He
thought maybe Omaha was Oz. Or
Nervana.
"I didn't know what the hell it
meant," he recalls.
The silly simple story beats the "I
love Nebraska" performers dishonestly
yell or the Go Big Red garbage.
Bruce talked and told stories. But
more importantly he played and he
sang.
"Jacob's Ladder," was first. He told
everyone in the crowd who mistakenly
thought it was Hewey Lewis's song that
he was a little sorry he'd given the tune
away.
He said he was glad he hadn't given
away "Mandolin Rain," second in the
set. In concert, the hit song captures a
little of the mountain bluegrass flavor
of a county fair.
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Courtesy ol RCA Records
Bruce Hornsby and the Range
Pianist Hollander to play
Lorin Hollander, nationally known
pianist and arts authority, is the spe
cial guest March 24 at a luncheon
sponsored by the Lincoln Arts Council
at the Wick Alumni Center, 1520 R St.
at 11:30 a.m.
In addition to performing, Hollander
will speak on "Creativity in Contem
porary Society." The public is encour
aged to attend, but seating is limited to
200. The cost for the talk, performance
and luncheon is $6.50, payable by Fri
day to the Lincoln Arts Council, P.O.
Box 83051, Lincoln, 68501.
Hollander's credits began with his
concert debut at Carnegie Hall at age
1 1 and include appearances with major
symphonies the world over. In addition
Peter Herns switches to mandolin
and Hornsby plays piano with a little of
the "old kind of riverboat Stephen Fos
ter" style.
Hornsby's from Virginia. But he's
written in LA and attended Boston's
Berklee School and the University of
Miami. His band, "The Range," comes
from New York, Virginia, California and
Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Hornsby's band wouldn't win any
beauty contests, although they'd clean
up in the talent division. Unlike other
band leaders Hornsby seems to delight
in sharing the limelight, introducing
his players, joking around on stage.
llornsby, in every line he sings, is the
vision of a musician who's worked his
way up. From music school to college
bar band scenes, to Los Angeles movie
music score writing.
But mostly his music reflects his
southern roots. It is clean, beautifully
played and sung. The words have some
meaning, the instrumental sections are
technically difficult but easy to listen
to. He can play soft rock, without being
mushy and be energetic, without being
pushy. Hornsby works hard, the sweaty towel
he places on the top of his mini
Schroderesque piano attests to that. If
you can see him before he forgets the
struggle before he succumbs to
success.
The opening band, which provided
the prelude to Bruce, was no less enter
taining. They're still struggling, too,
but commercial success will probably
arrive soon.
Crowded House, includes remnants
of the Austrailian group "The Spliz
Enz," who were responsible for "Six
Months in a Leaky Boat," which a high
school friend of mine played endlessly
on the tape player in her Carman Ghia,
With three musicians, "Crowded
House" hardly crowded the stage. Their
music strips things down to the basics:
a guitar line, a bass line, a snare, bass
drum,' symbols (sometimes substitute
keyboards and subtract something else).
But their harmonies ae rich and their
voices, which sound incredibly similar,
create a unique effect of triplicate.
Their unpredictability. Their energy
and easy jokes on stage were enjoyable.
to performances for radio and televi
sion, Hollander played for the sound
track of the film "Sophie's Choice."
Hollander has addressed the Smith
sonian Institute, the Aspen Institute
and the American Psychiatric Associa
tion. He has advised the Department of
Health, Education and Welfare and
other organizations, been a panel
member for the National Endowment
for the Arts, and was appointed Distin
guished Scholar in Residence at
Southern Methodist University
For more information, call the Lin
coln Arts Council office, 474-ARTS.
Telephone reservations will be accepted.
Direct late inquiries to 488-3207.
Fi$M for
Beasties give parent-slwcking performance at Pershing
By Chris McCubbin
Diversions Editor
"PARENTS: If the entertainment is
not to your taste, room 1 10 has been set
aside for your convenience. Please feel
free to go there and relax." Words to
that effect were posted all over Persh
ing Auditorium Sunday night. 1 doubt if
many moms and dads used room 1 10,
though. About the time the first "f
word boomed out over the PA (about
two minutes before the show started)
my mom would have had me by the
earlobe and we would have been half
way to the parking lot before the
echoes died.
The MTV generation was out in force
for the Beastie Boys' show, and the
most common sight was an angelic 1 1-year-old
trying desperately to look re
bellious in the Coca-Cola clothing she
got for Christmas.
The kids got what they paid for. The
concert was a cathartic three-hour
celebration of sophomoric juvenility.
Starting with Murphy's Law, an unbe
lievably crude but energetic New York
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Staff Reviewers
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Cosby's Lincoln sliow
Due to unforeseen television com
mitments, the Bill Cosby show on
March 24 at the Bob Devaney Sports
Center has been canceled.
Refunds for all tickets purchased
will be available as follows:
Persons requesting Bill Cosby ticket
refunds need to return tickets to the
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The Beastie Boys
the ri$M
hardcore band who served mostly as
cheerleaders, priming the crowd into a .
state of responsive, amorphous anarchy.
The next act was Drumstick favorite
Fishbone, a ska-tinged dance band
from LA. Fishbone was requisitely wild
but infinitely more polished than the
other groups, and they provided a
much-needed interlude of musical
sophistication.
Concert Review
Since the Beasties only have one full
length album out, their set was predic
tably short, but satisfying. Their show
was like a fleeting slice of the New York
club scene. No band, just their scratcher,
DJ Hurricane, and a go go dancer in a
giant cage.
The songs themselves were great
wild, throbbing, painfully loud but
the show bogged down between numbers
as the Beasties paused to play "Beer
hunter" with the audience and amiably
insult Nebraska. Both between and
can ho chill
Q-Ah Ik's "CrurJ Trcr -.! ' ell? ikcvs in the 1 12 hour per
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outlet where they were purchased
beginning Wednesday.
Refunds for tickets bought at the
Nebraska Union and the East Union
will be available Wednesday from 9
a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Nebraska Union.
If you charged your tickets via phone
order (47-COSBY or 472-6729), mail
Courtesy of Rush Artist Management
to - .ciniss
during numbers Beastie MCA kept
climbing around on the cage, trying to
hit on the dancer.
Everything led up to the Beasties'
main hit, "Fight For Your Right." The
lights and the crowd exploded as the
first power chords of "Fight For Your
Right" played. Halfway through the
song a giant jack-in-the-box penis
popped up centerstage and the Beas
ties started changing their lyrics to
meaningless strings of obscenities in a
final epiphany of vulgarity.
The show's anarchist surface was
belied by its smooth execution. Mur
phy's Law came out at 7:03 and apolog
ized for the wait. Set changes went
smooth and the Beasties were off at 10
on the dot.
Maybe the best thing was for once
seeing black kids and white kids enjoy
ing a show together in Lincoln.
A lot of moms and dads were proba
bly grinching yesterday because their
little darlings were exposed to such
nastiness. But the kids knew, and they
got what they paid for.
. VA;iivr.:.::A .!ti!l c;i;:tiv:ttetl us,
but o;!y a guitarist could apprq-
date tlu' intricacies ol tin harimm-
ics, i! r;:!: and slaccao.
Finally, in "Introduction and
V;ui; ti;::'s on 'La Carnaval do
Yt ; ; " I,':"; f.I.owed some
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canceled
your tickets and sales receipt to:
COSBY
Nebraska Union 220
14th and R Streets
Lincoln, NE 68583-0452
All persons who want a refund should
respond before April 3. No refunds will
be processed after this date.