Randy Edelman: Walking on Hallowed Ground via Most Accomplished Composer on the Planet Stars Live at Chelsea T&S in NYC 6/9/23
After celebrating nearly 2 years of live performances via Composer Randy Edelman one might think that perhaps some enthusiasm might have dimmed or at least wavered….but NO!! Like a powerful avalanche suddenly crashing down upon an unsuspecting mountain, his unadulterated energy caused complete exhilaration that rocked the venue and everyone in it. After Friday night’s charismatically captivating and dynamic concert, I felt as though I had walked upon hallowed ground. Once again, his triumphant performance was delivered vivaciously with spirit, animation, and brilliance. Randy’s musical swagger caresses the soul and the coolness of his talent and accomplishments propels his music into eternity….
What better place to experience the poetry of Randy Edelman than New York City, an infinite romantic notion, the mysterious nexus of all love and power, a shining dream itself as that of the music of the multi-award winning maestro. “A Life in 80 Minutes” (in reality 2 hours later), Randy showcases the moments of his life and career. He lives in a unique world, a private world, a world different from those inhabited by all other humans….and tonight he shared that world…
Days before he killed it at Chelsea, the sunrise gave birth to a blood red sun followed by the heavens emerging in fire and smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Their effect trickled down to New York leaving the surroundings an eerie Armageddon type dingy, flaxen gray with a Smokey scent lingering like a bomb in wonderland, kissing the earth that was now starved of light and clean air. While the NY skyline was shrouded in the abyss and warnings of pollution threatened every event however, the Randy Edelman audience was not swayed by the chaos…
Randy quietly appeared from behind the curtains, with no announcement or prior warning and began to play his original songs and tell his heart-felt stories and inspirations that accompanied his music. “A Weekend in New England” (as recorded by Barry Manilow ) welcomed an uproarious applause from the congregation, while his own global hit recordings “Uptown, Uptempo Woman” and “Concrete and Clay” (as premiered on the iconic BBC show “Top of the Pops”), brought a revelation of appreciation to the those who were not familiar. Also included in his repertoire where his recent hits, “Comin’ Out the Other Side”, his post pandemic anthem and “Pretty Girls”, which will appear in the film “The Possession of Anne” and “Heart Strings”, both of which he also wrote the original motion picture soundtracks as well.
His original film scores were played via a mosaic of medleys and a kaleidoscope of emotion and humor. His comedies included “Billy Madison”, “My Cousin Vinny”, “Ghostbusters ll”, “While you Were Sleeping”, “Beethoven”, and others. He followed those with a montage of his serious films including “Gettysburg”, “Last of the Mohicans”, “The Bruce Lee Story”, “Dragonheart”, and more. His melange tributes the works of the late Ivan Reitman, Alan Parker, Rob Cohen, and other iconic directors.
Randy’s compositions are filled with romance. While he wants to ensure his heart is safe his lyrics often become victims of their own optimism. Sometimes if you listen really carefully you can hear his own wild heartbreak ….in a clean, crisp sound like the snapping of a flower’s stem….Then like a comet born in the outer realms of the universe venturing too close to the sun that suddenly realizes it’s blazing tail behind running brazenly through the heavens….becoming a shooting star, his music explodes in the atmosphere with the animation of a firecracker….and Randy shines from the inside out.
I watched as the the eyes of the crowd grew shiny with sacred tears as he featured his own version of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” There was a lot of beauty in his performance and people easily realized who Randy is at the deepest level, and they loved him. He stays as close to the edge as he can without falling off. He sees things from the center…big undreamed things that people who live on the edge see first…
Currently aside from his New York solo performances he is passionately working on his new album “Cannot Kill Me By Any Conventional Means” set for release early next year via Tribeca Records. He is also writing the soundtrack for new films “Heart Strings” and the Cuba Gooding Jr. And Josh Webber holiday film “Athena Saves Christmas.” Then off to London Randy will appear at the “Crazy Coqs” on August 5th. Randy returns to Chelsea September 22, 2023….