Bridge 1994 Day 2 (Zion-006)
Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA – October 2, 1994
(59:55): All Along The Watchtower, The Needle And The Damage Done, My Heart, Prime Of Life, Drive By, Sleeps With Angels, Hey Hey My My, Train Of Love, Change Your Mind, Piece Of Crap
The Bridge School Benefit VIII in 1994 is one of the most famous of this annual event because of the hysteria surrounding the apperance of Pearl Jam during their Vitology period. Such was the demand for tickets that a second concert was added. This new release is Neil Young & Crazy Horses’ closing set of the second show.
Zion uses a clear, excellent complete soundboard recording that is very detailed and vivid. The only minor flaw on the tape is the slight right channal bias for vocals and guitars. The acoustic set begins with a might cover of Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower,” but the bulk of the set is derived from Young’s latest LP Sleeps With Angels. Many who attended the event said that, despite the excitement surrounding the talent on the bill, Young was able to steal teh spotlight and win over the grunge crowd on the strength of his voice and guitar alone. ‘
That power comes through here with effective versions of “My Heart,” “Drive By,” and “Hey Hey My My.” The focus through is upon the epic “Change Your Mind” where you can almost see the audience hanging on every word, note, and phrase. The final song isn’t the expected “Rockin’ In The Free World” but “Piece Of Crap,” with contributions from the other artists. You can clearly hear Tom Petty, Eddie Vedder, and Al Jourgensen of Ministry taking turns spitting out the angry lyrics.
Bridge 1994 is another quality title from Zion and is definitely worth having. The only way it could be improved is if the entire benefit were released in a box set so all of the performers can be heard. From all accounts Tom Petty’s performance is legendary and both Pearl Jam and Ministry played very interesting acoustic based sets. Since tickets were hard to come by and most of us couldn’t travel to California, a set like that would be most welcome.
