ADAM Masterson

My sisters in town, she’s been all over the world since I saw her last traveling and we’ve finally caught up in NYC. Took her along to Carnegie Hall last week for Gavin Friday’s 50th birthday, the show was a benefit for RED a charity for Aids in Africa.

Only knew of Gavin Friday before this from his band The Virgin Prunes. Always dug that tune they had ‘Pagan Love Song’, Courtney Love is a devotee and introduced the band, but they never played ‘pagan love song’. Shame.

Rufus and Martha Wainwright sung songs, so did Scarlett Johansson, U2 kept coming on and off singing Gavin Friday tunes, my buddy Jo Arthur did a number, and I was happy to see Shane McGowan come on and sing ‘Rainy night in Soho’.

Outside in the interval my sister told me about all the places she’s been, she reckons Laos was somewhere I gotta see, she taught in a school in Vietnam, did a sky dive in New Zealand, and tells me NZ got beautiful country.

I felt like I’d just done a sky dive… we had seats way up in the heavens of Carnegie Hall, looking steep down at the stage below, I’m not good with heights- a parachute on my back might have put my mind at ease, still, a magical room to take my sister while she’s in town.

The highlight of the night was a surprise: Lady GaGa- she stole the show, put the rest in the shade. Of course I’m aware of miss gaga but everyone’s like ’she’s a pop thing Adam, nothing to worry about’. She came out in her get up, took to the piano, and unaccompanied played a beautiful rendition of this classical stuff before breaking into a song wrote for the occasion. She stopped a while, chatted with her audience, then going back to her ditty before ending it with her poker face chorus. Stunning voice, had no idea she was the genuine talent.

New York’s finest Lou Reed came on at the end, and the whole troupe joined him to sing ‘Sweet Jane’. A New York Night.

Adam