Smoke and Mirrors
Crowded,
Between people and themselves… Reality and illusion, Escalating emotion and dulling senses. How ironic it should be here That truth has come tonight. How fitting that truth will be ignored by those beating a stubborn retreat from the (to them) terrible
beauty of its light. Suddenly, an artist appears, So filled with truth it seems he himself can't stem the power with which this bursts from him. His voice is strong -- it's often pain-filled brilliance spreading a clarity that cuts through the dank smoke-laden air, and turns the mirror of human nature on the witnesses: the criminals that all who embrace the comfort of comfortless falsehood
are proved to be. But the artist has but a moment in which to share And he is gone… Leaving behind truth alone, Entrusting truth to others, To be embraced by those who have gazed into its mirror and begun to understand the enduring nature of truth's beauty, and the smoke of confusion it is able to dispel.
The Stone Pony Asbury Park, NJ 11/24/01
An artist prepares...(or rather, pensively paces...) before taking a seat at the piano to open his set with the always amazing "Wounded"...
"All the pretty horses
...after which Michael switched to guitar, joined by Brian Fitzpatrick, for "the first love song [he] ever wrote"..."Murder In The First Degree"...
"My veins, they roared, I couldn't believe
...followed by "Spark", a song about characters fighting to retain hope in the midst of fear and fading dreams....
"The jukebox played
"Me, I knew I needed
"Mama tells me,
...and an almost frighteningly intense version of "Junkie Girl"..
"What are you
What are you
Was it the
fear or
After this Michael again returned to the piano for the lovely "Around The World"...
"Go ahead and throw
...and the haunting revenge tale, "Murder On Her Lips"...
"I held her so And murder on
...before closing out his set on guitar, joined by Brian once again for the McDermott classic, "A Wall I Must Climb"...
...on which note I've gotta ask...based on Michael's expression in this shot, is it my imagination or do you bet this guy's talking about flying?!? In any case, you can bet I'm thinking about flying -- TIME flying that is...until Michael's next East Coast visit.... As always, thank you Michael, and, of course, Please Come Back Soon!
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