Category Archives: Concert

It was a star-studded event, a benefit to help aid my friend Wally Ingram in his battle against Squamous Cell Carcinoma, a rare form of cancer. I first met Wally about five years ago while he was on tour with musical guru David Lindley. They were doing a three-night stint with Widespread Panic in Larkspur, Colorado, and happened to have a break in their schedule. My friend Matt Need brought Wally to my performance that night in Denver and he ended up sitting in on a version of the Neil Young classic, “Down By The River”. I never imagined that it would lead to an EP, a tour, and the culmination of which I am about to tell you about. I arrived at the Alex Theater in Glendale, California around 8pm. Jackson Browne had just taken the stage and was performing his song, “My Stunning Mystery Companion”, which he dedicated to his girlfriend of ten years and also to Laurie Ingram, Wally’s wife and biggest supporter through his ordeal. Shortly thereafter, Jackson invited old friend and cohort Bonnie Raitt up to sing along with blues aficionado extraordinaire, Keb’ Mo’. Not to loose sight, Wally was grooving right along with his djembe drum and brushes, and the occasional front desk dinger. Then it was Bonnie’s turn, and she played the nastiest slide dobro guitar to the arrangement of the Gary Nicholson song, “Shadow of a Doubt”. After the set break, I decided to try and sneak backstage. This is not something I would normally do, but I didn’t want to bother Wally for passes, and security was loose. Luckily, I began bumping into all kinds of friends and eventually found myself in a conversation with Victoria Williams and Eric McFadden, whom I toured with in 2005 during Wally and Eric’s release of the album, Alektrophobia (fear of chickens). I gradually made my way back upstairs to the side of the stage just as Neil Finn from Crowded House was discussing chord changes with a band mate in the wings. Always a gentleman, Wally introduced the two of us and then Crowded House took the stage to perform their classic 80′s hit, “Don’t Dream it’s Over.” After that, Eric McFadden ascended with his darkly profound flamenco style guitar, accompanied by underground punk pop sensation Paula O’Rourke (Tiny) on bass, and Wally on kit. After Eric’s burning set, I noticed a familiar face walking towards me mumbling something like, “That boy is amazing”. Low and behold, it was George Clinton from Parliament Funkadelic! As I stood there marveling, I looked to my right and noticed producer Butch Vig (Nirvana) waiting to go on stage with his band Garbage (I’m Only Happy When It Rains). Around 11:30pm, Sheryl Crow came out on stage to perform, “The First Cut Is The Deepest”, followed by, “If It Makes You Happy”, with Wally on drums, and Tad Wadhams on bass. For the final number, Sheryl and the band played, “Everyday Is A Winding Road.” Toward the end of the song, George Clinton crept out of the wings and led the enthusiastic 2000 strong crowd in a Crow/Clinton version of, “We Want The Funk”, at which point Paula O’Rourke grabbed my hand and pulled me out on stage. I was dancing like a maniac, singing with members of Parliament, when Bonnie Raitt walked out. For the last number, Jackson Browne led us all (at this point 60 people) in an amazing “live aid” style jam of the Bob Marley classic, “No Woman No Cry” that went on for more than 10 minutes. As Tom Freund and I shared a microphone, I looked back to notice Wally having the time of his life, surrounded by all his friends. The good news is the cancer is gone. The healing has begun, and I can’t think of a better occasion to have signaled a new beginning. Way to beat it Wally!