Mike Hsu's Blog

There was much hype surrounding Sir Paul McCartney's performance at the 121212 Concert for victims of Hurricane Sandy last night at Madison Square Garden.  Once it was leaked the day before that the surviving members of Nirvana were going to back the former Beatle, the internet exploded with Music Geek fervor.  Was this going to be an actual Nirvana reunion?  What Nirvana songs would Sir Paul attempt.  The word "replace" was used in some stories.  Really? Do you really think Paul McCartney could replace Kurt Cobain?  Maybe Dave Grohl could replace George Harrison in the Beatles Reunion?  I was expecting mostly Beatles and maybe one Nirvana song.  I was hoping for a McCartney crooned "About A Girl"  or "In Bloom".  Seriously, I can hear that.  
 

But what actually happened could be considered to be under whelming to the hypers and the doubters.  After a sweet mix of Beatles, Wings, and solo material with his ace backing band, Sir Paul invited Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear to join him for a new original called "Cut Me Some Slack" written by him and Grohl that might be on the soundtrack to Grohl's upcoming documentary "Sound City".   It was a heavy slab of groove rock reminiscent of the Beatles rocker "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" and Led Zeppelin.  Check out the video here:

And that was it.  No Beatles, No Nirvana.  I actually liked it.  I wanted to hear more.  No, seriously.  I hope they make more music like this!  Some were very disappointed.  Some on the intetrnets felt duped and some said that both McCartney and the Nirvana guys compromised their reputations by being on the same stage together.  To those I say..Relax.  They didn't butcher the sacred songs from either of their respective former bands.  There was no bludgeoning of "A Day In The Life".  Paul didn't cute up "Territorial Pissings".  Relax.  It was a group of guys having fun for a good cause.  Anyone that has followed the careers of any of those involved know they long ago moved on from the Legendary Music that made them famous and have continued to evolve as musicians.  McCartney's catalog speaks for itself and Grohl and Novoselic have respectfully preserved Nirvana's musical legacy.(Granted they had legal problems preventing them from trying.  But they've been a little more classy about it than Courtney Love.)

Plus, it was great hearing Sir Paul McCartney say "Pat Smear!"  Do you think Smear ever thought, back when he was in the Germs dodging snot and bottles in shit hole clubs, that he would ever share a stage at Madison Square Garden with a Beatle?  No wonder he had that disbelieving look on his face the whole time.  I wonder what the Germs, "Lexicon Devil" would sound like with Sir Paul on vocals?