Appearing: Ralph Nader, Medea Benjamin, Jello Biafra, Danny Glover, Eddie Vedder
Ed's participation: Soon Forget, Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon, I Am a Patriot by Steven Van Zandt/People Have The Power by Patti Smith

"People Have The Power"

Photo credit: Mariann

What an event to experience at a time when I was needing a little direction and recommitment to life! It was easy to get caught up in the waves of energy from so much social activism. There were so many different causes and messages to take in. Everywhere I looked, there were booths, petitions, banners, and enthusiasm for making change. After a morning of workshops, I made my way to the floor, getting just 6 rows from the stage. From that point on, it was one speaker and performer after another, each with their unique expressions of inspiration.

When Ed was introduced, I think I did a triple take, as he had short hair and was clean shaven. That, to my surprise, led me to lower the pedestal that I had placed him on all these years, and allowed him to look/act/be less rockstar-ish and more human to me. He appeared humble and played beautifully, with humorous banter in between songs. The John Lennon and Patti Smith songs were surprises to me, and he played them with such focus and tenderness. He introduced Ralph and then disappeared.

I had expected to see and meet him in the post rally event, where fifty of us gathered in an intimate banquet room in the Rose Garden, but they announced that Ed could not attend because something came up, and while disappointed, I had to remember that he had volunteered his time to this event and that this whole collective gathering was not about him anyway. So I sat in this small room, content listening to Ralph and Jello expand on their philosophies and experiences until near midnight, privileged to be surrounded by so many great minds...to be able to listen...and learn.

Photo credit: Mariann

What can I say? It was an amazing day! Even if Ed had not been at this rally, it still would have been great (not quite as great, but great). Got off the light-rail in the early afternoon and followed the chalk drawings to the Education Centers and signed a half dozen petitions (which I have been looking for ever since Oregon outlawed collecting signatures outside stores and markets!) I spent the afternoon listening and learning about ‘alternative media’, star wars, clear-cutting, hemp, the phony energy crisis, instant run-off elections, and a lot of things that the corporate media slants or refuses to cover.

Photo credit: Mariann

At around 6 we went to the Rose Garden. Once inside there were dozens of tables with more organizations to gather information from. After the last Nader rally here we were better prepared and Jim brought a backpack, which was rapidly filling up. We bought t-shirts, signed a few more petitions, gathered even more information, and went inside. The seating was for the ‘theater in the clouds’ A great setup that I’ve seen at concerts there. The stage is in the middle of the Rose Garden, thirty or so rows on the floor before the seat start going up. We found seats about 4 rows up and relaxed. A band came out and played for ½ hour. I think their name was T ? They did a good job. Then Jesse Colin Young came out and played a few tunes, closing with a sing-along of “Get Together”. Next up was Danny Glover, who read a great poem…. damned if I can remember who wrote it! I’ll think of it as soon as I finish this. ;) Then he introduced Jello Biafra followed by Medea Benjamin. Both gave great, rousing speeches to much applause. All of the speakers were very inspirational and forceful, getting great receptions from the audience.

Photo credit: Mariann

Finally, Danny Glover introduced Ed to a standing ovation. He strolled on stage with his ukulele and many in the audience knew what the first song would be…...but equipment problems hit first. So Ed talked and joked with the audience (which joked back =). He joked about Paul Allen (boos from audience) and ‘compassionate conservatives.’ It felt like a living room concert (with 7500 people!) He finally gave up on micing the ukulele and bent down to share his voice mic with it =) saying ‘it’s just a rally’ and proceeded to play ‘Soon Forget’ – and when he screwed up the chords, you could hear him say ‘its just a rally’ causing the audience to laugh with him. He replaced the uke with the guitar and broke into John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth” ...apologizing at the end because he was looking forward to changing the ‘Tricky Dicky’ lyric to ‘Georgie Porgie’ but messed up… someone in the audience invited him to sing it again, but he went on to ‘I am a Patriot’ – great song! Towards the end he strummed ferociously and continued into Patti Smith’s ‘People Have The Power’ - very appropriate song for the night! The audience joined him on the choruses that ended the song. Ed received another standing ‘o’ and thunderous applause, thanked everyone and introduced Ralph Nader, going up and shaking his hand before leaving the stage.

Ralph was amazing. I'd expected him to point out all the things that Bush has screwed up in his first 6 months in office, but he knew his audience was intelligent enough to know these things already. Besides, Ralph was too busy encouraging us to fight for the changes we all know are necessary. He was very optimistic and encouraging. Not blaming or condemning. A very inspirational night for all! Full of hope and encouragement.

It's not the destination; it's the journey.