The Rud June 3rd. Ron Whitehead & Sarah Elizabeth

[sweatboard]

When I think back about the show I think of it almost as walking into a small convention for angels two of them being Ron and Sarah.

I was just absolutely blown away by Ron's poetry and Sarah's songs and voice; I encourage everyone to check them out as I'm sure you will be just as blown away.  I sent Ron an e-mail to thank him and Sarah for such a beautiful evening and he sent me a nice reply and a description of what the show meant to him.  Below is a link to the website and the piece that Ron wrote about the show (it gets me teary eyed).....


http://www.tappingmyownphone.com/







(photo of Jim, Sarah, Carl, Ryan, Ron in huddle at The Rud)


LIVE at THE RUD

The Best concert I've ever had anything to do with. You've got to understand.
Since childhood I've attended, performed at, produced, and participated in
tens of thousands of concerts round the world. Last night, June 3rd 2007,
The Rudyard Kipling Benefit Concert was The Best.

The Best Concert of All Time.

There are many reasons why it was The Best Concert of all time. I'll name
a few. Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and Sarah Elizabeth Whitehead are
my two favorite singers. They are two of The Best singers songwriters
musicians. But there is more. They have a rare necessary element: deep
passionate compassionate hearts. They have an innate inherent wisdom
that is both ancient and childlike. All those elements birth a charisma that
is electrifying. The energy at The Rud was electric. 4-hour concert. The
audience in rapt attention. There is more. The union of male (Jim) and female
(Sarah) energy produced a duet unlike any other duet, past or present. Plus.
No singers have the courage or ability to go where Jim and Sarah went at
the Live at The Rud concert. They covered the spectrum of musical genres:
from acappella mountain to oldtime to country to blues to jazz to folk to soul
to rock to R&B, from broken hearted spirituals to steamy romance, and more.
In one concert Jim and Sarah proved that they are master singers in any genre.
The audience was mesmerized. Not one person, including the performers, will
ever be the same. That includes Carl Broemel (amazing), Andy Cook (brilliant),
and me. The night was more than special, it was pure alchemy. We were
transformed transported to new realms. Spirit and sex became one energy.
The Holy Spirit The Great Spirit moved in us and through us. The Rud was
filled with angels with spirits. We heard angels sing, perform. We will never
be the same. My heart is open. Tears of joy. Amazing Grace. Thanks.

Ron Whitehead
June 4, 2007
The Highlands
Kentucky
AHA




SARAH



RON



SARAH, RON and JIM



LIVE at THE RUD
Jim James, Sarah Elizabeth & Ron Whitehead
with Carl Broemel and Andy Cook

MMJ sound by Ryan Pickett

june 3, 2007

The Rudyard Kipling
Louisville , Kentucky

Ron/Sarah set:

1) Ron welcome
2) Andy, 2-minute didgeridoo
3) Sarah, Bury Me w/Andy percussion
4) Ron, lost poem w/Sarah dulcimer
5) Sarah, Single Girl Married Girl acappella
6) Ron, Happy Birthday song to Allen Ginsberg & Christian Hansen (Ron & Sarah's official photographer) & all Geminis
7) Ron, Zen & The Art of Driving 110milesperhour past Mayor Abramson
& others from Twice Told Coffeehouse on Bardstown Road to the airport:
Part IV: Down & Out in Kentucky , Allen Ginsberg: The Bridge
8) Sarah/Jim, Fortified Wine w/Sarah & Jim guitar w/Carl pedal slide
9) Ron, I Refuse
10) Sarah/Jim, White Rabbit w/Sarah & Jim guitar
11) Sarah, Those Memories of You acappella
12) Ron, Tapping My Own Phone w/Andy didgeridoo
13) Sarah/Jim, House of The Rising Sun w/Sarah & Jim guitar
14) Ron, As Long As Space Endures (for Jim) w/Sarah wind vocals
15) Sarah/Jim, The Sounds of Silence w/Sarah & Jim guitar
16) Ron, Thank Yous/Message/Presentation of gifts to Ken & Sheila Pyle (Sheila too sick to attend so Rud manager Erin came up w/Ken)
17) Ron, Never Give Up (for Ken/Sheila/Rud, poem Ron wrote  
w/His Holiness The Dalai Lama) w/Jim guitar & Sarah wind vocal
18) Sarah, Don't Die Yet w/Andy percussion

20-minute intermission

Jim set:

1) Jim, Tonight I Want to Celebrate w/ Jim omnichord
2) Jim, Look at You w/ Jim guitar and Carl lap steel
3) Jim, At Dawn w/ Jim guitar and Carl lap steel
4) Jim, It Beats 4 U w/ Jim guitar
5) Jim, Bermuda Hwy w/ Jim guitar
6) Jim, Hopefully w/ Jim guitar
7) Jim, Old Sept w/ Jim guitar and Carl guitar
8) Jim, Way He Sings w/ Jim guitar and Carl guitar
9) Jim, Gideon w/ Jim guitar and Carl guitar
10) Jim, I Will Be There When You Die w/ Jim guitar
11) Jim, Wonderful (The Way I Feel) w/ Jim guitar
12) Jim, I Needed It Most w/ Jim guitar
13) Jim, Dancefloors w/ Jim guitar and Carl guitar
14) Jim, Wonderful Man w/ Jim omnichord
15) Jim, Nashville to Kentucky w/Sarah vocal & Carl sax
16) Jim, Knot Comes Loose w/Sarah vocal & Carl omnichord
17) Jim, Wordless Chorus w/Sarah vocal Jim guitar & Carl  
18) Jim, Golden w/Sarah vocal & Carl pedal steel
19) Jim, Into The Woods w/ Jim guitar
20) Jim, The Bear w/ Jim guitar
21) Jim, By My Car w/ Jim guitar
22) Jim, Dondante w/ Jim guitar and Carl sax
23) Jim, Ordinary w/ Jim guitar
24) Jim, Anytime w/ Jim omnichord and Carl sax
25) Jim, Cherish w/Sarah vocal & Carl  
26) Jim/Sarah, Settin The Woods on Fire w/Jim & Sarah guitar & Carl pedal steel
27) Jim/Sarah, Louisiana Woman Mississippi Man w/Jim & Sarah guitar & Carl pedal steel
28) Jim/Sarah, Grievous Angel w/Jim guitar & Sarah vocal & Carl pedal steel
29) Jim/Sarah, Nobody w/Carl pedal steel
8-)

[BH]

Chills up and down my spine.

[sweatboard]

Yep,

Here is one of Ron's poems that was performed at the Rud.....



I will not bow down America
To your government, to your religion.
I will not bow down America
to your materialism,
to your international corporations,
to your religious shrines,
your stock markets,
your shopping malls.
I will not bown down America
to your coal mines,
to your power plants.
I will not go crawling down the deep shafts at midnight.
I will not bow down America
to your invasion of privacy,
to your moral absolutes, your religious, political might.
I will not bow down America,
to your assassins,
the CIA, the FBI, the corporate police state,
your killing, murdering machines.
I will not bow down America,
to your bureaucracies,
to yhour schools,
to your attempt to make me the model citizen
of your state, of your church,
I will not bow down America,
to your history of lies, to your secrets in the best interest of, to protect the people.
America, I pledge allegiance
to those who were here before you,
to those who will be here after you are gone.
America, I pledge allegiance
to the holy spirit,
to the word and to silence,
I pledge allegiance to dreams,
to birth, to the journey and to death.
I pledge allegiance to candour,
to sincerity, to laughter,
to irony, to passion,
to compassion,
to empathy and to helping those in need.
I pledge allegiance to resurrection of the heart.


No America, I will not bow down.

[EC]

I pledge allegiance to resurrection of the heart.

things like this make my whole body buzz.
sounds like a wonderful person.

[sweatboard]

Yeah, Ron talked that night about how we as culture put so much emphasis on, and spend so much time and energy on developing our brain; he recommended that we all spend more time developing our hearts.  It's these kind of thoughts that make the world a better place and make us all much more happy.

Man, I wish you could have been there Meg.  I have thought on multiple occasions about how much you would have appreciated it.  

[ali]

you lucky, lucky people.... that looked like one AMAZING gig!

[EC]

Man, I wish you could have been there Meg.  I have thought on multiple occasions about how much you would have appreciated it.  

Yeah, for a lot of reasons.  I was there in spirit.  And I get to hear about it, so the vibe is spread. :) xx

little fingers spreading like wildfire...

[sweatboard]

Ron is getting ready to upload something like 200 photos from the show to his website at some point today.  The photos will include behind the scenes stuff.  Check it out....


http://www.tappingmyownphone.com

[sweatboard]

I'm thinking Jim and Sarah are going to become the best combo since Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris.  I'm looking forward to a long list of colaborations between these two.  I can't quit gushing about this show...Sorry.  It's insane that Sarah is so under the radar.  She won't be much longer.