I was interested  to see that the contemporary anti-war movement isn’t trying to imitate the  anti-war movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s.

The Iraq War belongs to this generation and they are opposing it in their own way.

No sing alongs
No We Shall Overcome
No Give Peace a Chance
No folkies

Monday night’s show was decidedly 2006 with an inclusive hetero, gay, bi, trans-gender progressive feel. 

When Susan Sarandon, on stage to introduce Cindy Sheehan, remarked that there weren’t many parents out there, boy, was she right.

Some of us raised our hands — or our eyebrows. But it was mostly a young teenage through late 20’s crowd.

Someone shouted out "You’re hot" to Susan  Sarandon and she looked flattered. The crowd loved Susan and Cindy Sheehan who is one awesome, great speaker; an inspiration. A female Iraqi pharmacist spoke movingly of the pain and horror in her country.

Steve Earle:  Probably the oldest performer of the night sang two great songs. "Fuck the FCC, the CIA…" The kids loved it. A blend of Country Joe and the Fish and Hair. Then he sang a beautiful song dedicated to his sons. He said, "I opposed the Vietnam War from the beginning. But we didn’t end that war because of me. That war ended when my father opposed it, too. We have to welcome in the people who might have believed in the war at first but have now changed their minds…"

Margaret Cho: So, so funny, irreverent, says what she thinks great eyes, great presentation. Cool.

Fisher Spooner: Glam meets performance art meets Bowie meets Hedwig meets circus meets Broadway meets disco meets modern dance. Acrobats, dancers, singers, musicians in futuristic costumes.  I think they were the hit of the night.

Devendra Banhart: The 14-year-old girls from Long Island standing behind me ("My mother told me not to miss the 11:42) were out of their minds with joy when he came onstage. He’s bizarre, bearded, Jim Morrison and The Band…"We love you Devendra. We love you…."  Hot.

Moby: A surprise guest, he was very low key and came out with an acoustic guitar and introduced the song, "What is Happening Here?" this way: "It’s not Not that I’m a hippy but I went to a lot of anti-war peace marches when I was a kid and this was my mother’s favorite song. "Stop children what’s that sound…"

Peaches: To a disco/techno beat she sings about sex ("2 Girls one Guy") and "Fucking the War."  Performance art meets burlesque, in her gold lame leotard and gloves, she is indescribably ribald.

Rufus Wainwright: Utterly, totally adorable. He forgot the words to his own song, "11:11" and said he was "pulling a Judy Garland."

He then sat down at the piano and sang the almost operatic "Skunk Cabbage," which he said was the first song he ever wrote when he was at boarding school in Millbrook. And finished with an exultant version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" with his mother, folk legend, Kate McGarrigle of The McGarrigle sisters. NO ONE in the audience knew who she was and she just slipped behind the piano UNNOTICED.

Bright Eyes: Connor Orbst, the next great hope of rock and roll if you believe the hype. Unbelievably young, Dylan-y, wordy rocker sang "When the President Speaks to God." He rocked the house with his plugged in acoustic guitar and the crowd loved it.

Michael Stipe: By then, I was sick and tired of standing. Plus I knew that Teen Spirit, who was standing right under the stage with two friends, did not want to run into me (so embarrassing) so I left mid-way through Stipe’s set (which was pretty mediocre to begin with). I did like his comments about his father and grandfather being soldiers and that being something he grew up with and respected.

All in all and incredible evening proving that this generation is defining their own opposition to the war and expressing in their own  unique way. 

The show was produced by my old friend, Chris Wangro, who did an incredible job introducing the acts. The show ran like clockwork and was really thoughtfully organized and paced.