It wasn’t just the candles and somber atmosphere. America: A
Tribute to Heroes, the near-unprecedented celebrity telethon cross-broadcast by
more than a dozen networks in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,
featured some legitimately amazing moments, soaring musical performances and
moving testimonials that captured with shock-to-the-system incisiveness just
what it felt like to be an American — indeed, simply a normal, reasonable
person — after being confronted by such images of destruction and human tragedy.
. There’s also a searing moment in Neil Young’s gloriously<br />
craggy-throated take on John Lennon’s “Imagine” in which he turns, ever so<br />
briefly, to the camera after the lyric “Nothing to kill or die for/No religion<br />
too.”</p>
<p><b>Of course, there were some missteps too</b>: the curious pairing of Limp Bizquik<br />
with Goo Goo Doll frontman Johnny Rzeznik on Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,”<br />
Mariah Carey’s “Hero” double-clutch and finally <b>the closing debacle that forced<br />
the nation to watch Willie Nelson warble “America the Beautiful” by himself<br />
while a passel of celebrities impersonated deer after the first chorus</b> (what,<br />
could no one pass out a lyric sheet?). Still, the telethon’s home video release<br />
is for a worthy cause (proceeds equal to the distributor’s net take will<br />
continue to benefit the Sept. 11 fund) and it’s not a bad idea to have a<br />
document that reminds our children and grandchildren — as well as ourselves — of a<br />
time when we all stood together as a nation, wounded but indivisible<o:p></o:p>. <a href=)
To purchase the disc via Amazon, click here. A- (Concert) B (Disc)