Making my day: Springsteen, Lady Gaga sing Don't Stop Believin'
They've hung out before, at her London after-show party. Last night…
Last night, they led Sting, Elton John, Debbie Harry, and Bond vocal legend Shirley Bassey in singing Don't Stop Believin'. And there's video!
As you can see, Springsteen and Lady Gaga clearly know the song better than anyone else, and then Sir Elton's topless dancers join in. It's the best train wreck you've seen today, and I now have no doubt we'll see some kind of Bruce-Gaga collaboration in the future. For all that is good and crazy and righteous about loud, people-loving music, do it! Getty Images got this good shot of them. A duet can happen.
NYT:
Sting said that Mr. Springsteen also chose the concert's all-star finale — a song, Sting said, that he didn't know. "Everyone in the country knows it but you," he was told. It was Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' ": a 1981 arena crowd-pleaser once scorned as cheesy corporate rock. Now, from its appearance in the finale of "The Sopranos" to a best-selling version from "Glee" to a Springsteen endorsement at Carnegie Hall, it's well on its way to rehabilitation.
Another ridiculous highlight, via Rolling Stone:
Then it got even weirder. "This is a favorite single of mine from the 1980s," Springsteen said as he grabbed a new guitar. "I always knew there was a soul sing hidden inside of it." It took about 30 seconds before it became clear he was playing "Cuts Like a Knife" by Bryan Adams. Halfway through a very long version he stopped the song, fell down to his knees James Brown-style, and told an incredibly lengthy story about an old girlfriend who supposedly left him for a slightly more famous singer. It was hard to tell who was enjoying the bizarre performance more: the crowd, Springsteen, or Elton and Sting as they stood on the side of the stage in slack-jawed disbelief.
Via SPL, mp3s of that song and the entire show are here.
Update a little bit later: The Adams cover ain't bad. Gospel-ish feel, with a monologue and a "If it hurt, let me hear you holler" finale.
May 14th, 2010 at 11:03 PM
That is just the best song in the world not written by Soringsteen. and Lady Gaga's shoes!
May 14th, 2010 at 11:20 PM
O-M-G. Speechless. Train wreck is an understatement.
August 7th, 2010 at 6:36 AM
[...] One more thing: The Sun-Times covers the show and sits down with Staples and Tweedy. It's an enjoyable read. At one point, they talk Gaga. "You just can't sit on your butt and make Lady Gaga happen," Tweedy says. "That's more energy than I got, for sure." Team up! [...]