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What's New
December 2009
Movie Entertainment
Bill Brownstein
The real question to ask Joel Peresman, executive producer of the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert, is who will NOT be performing at the blowout event that airs Nov. 29 and Dec. 31 on HBO Canada.
Headliners among the 35 acts in the four-hour concert include U2; Eric Clapton; Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band; Simon & Garfunkel; Metallica; Aretha Franklin; Stevie Wonder; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Friends; Sting; Little Anthony & The Imperials; Bonnie Raitt; Dion; Jackson Browne; Stevie Nicks; Jerry Lee Lewis; James Taylor, and Buddy Guy.
This could be a concert for the ages — Woodstock, The Next Millennium (minus the mud and the multitudes of humanity; plus superior sightlines and sound specs).
“We’ve pulled out all the stops,” Peresman said. “We really wanted to do something that represents what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is all about, and it’s hard to imagine how we could have come up with a greater crosssection of rock ‘n’ rollers.”
Peresman says almost everyone he approached accepted. Notable exceptions were Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Elton John, who would have appeared had they not had previous concert commitments.
“Bob couldn’t get out of gigs in Chicago and Elton had to deal with an ongoing European tour,” Peresman said. “On the other hand, U2 is doing the concert a night after wrapping its tour in Vancouver.”
Plus, there’s the added bonus of a rare Simon & Garfunkel reunion. Peresman’s biggest challenge was cutting down eight hours of music to four hours for HBO and HBO Canada, the only places where fans can catch the concert this year. The show eventually will be releasedon DVD, but it’s not going to theatres.
Peresman is also the president of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, founded 25 years ago by legendary record executive Ahmet Ertegun and others in the business as a way to honour the artists who have defined the music. The foundation led to the creation of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland.
Peresman began his ascent in the mailroom of the William Morris Agency before moving on to become head of entertainment at Madison Square Garden in the Big Apple. “I love music, but I realized early on that I had no musical aptitude whatsoever. So, I’m doing the next best thing.”
But Peresman doesn’t know how he’ll ever surpass the 25th anniversary concert: “There are going to be the sort of magical moments people have never seen or heard before. It’s very rare to get this calibre of performers together in one place at one time. And then to mix and match the likes of Sting and Smokey Robinson, Dion playing with Paul Simon, and Jeff Beck jamming with Eric Clapton. Truly awesome stuff.”
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