Journals (screen grabs : SusanS : click here for more)
*Barbara & Richard Younger (* = new) ______________________________________________________________________________
Author: iforgot
Subject: An Englishman In New York
I think that what I just saw was one of the most profound performances
of Bowie's career. Totally moving and apt. Wow indeed!
_______________________________________________________
Subject : text message live from MSG to spaceface
Beautiful,
Beautiful, tell them all he was beautiful, so beautiful, so inspirational.
I'm buzzing, just euphoric, and you would never believe how sexy
he looked tonight...
His voice was so pure and moving, you could feel the gasps all
around. As for me, I'm shaking with emotion. He does it all so
effortlessly. It is incredible.
Just a little smile and my heart cries. So proud of him. Just tell them all he was beautiful. Bye, Susan choked.
PS : Apologies 4 being emotional K. i just love him, that's it.
K I can't get off my seat.. Please add a thank you to Sailor for a wonderful thrilling memory.
and :
Author : susans
Subject : Arrived back in London
Well ok, here's how it went from my seat. Sorry I can't tell it straight..you gotta have the emotions too lol.
I was sitting down waiting (the suspense was unbearable) and I noticed a bit of movement...and I could see Gail...and the rush hit me - OH HERE WE GO !!!!!!! and suddenly there he was, confident and magnetic, strolling onto the stage looking SEXY and casual. I LEPT about 4 feet up in the air full of adrenaline, and cheered like crazy :)) Anyway, I think he just went to the front of the stage and sat down and the lights went off. A spotlight went on him and he started singing that beautiful version of America. So bold. I just kept thinking how beautiful he was over and over. Every now and then there were gasps all around - he really had MSG in his hand. I was completely frozen to the spot - transfixed - exploding!!! inside and trying to soak up his every expression. It was an emotional avalanche for me. I only have to look at him and I go crazy but when he hits those notes, looks up, bites his lip, smiles...oh hell - I'm just gone completely, its hopeless.
He launched into 'Heroes' and gave it so much. Incredible. He had the place rocking with joy..and GOD he looked sexy. I could hardly stand it. At the end I just fell back into the chair completely shot. What a zombie lol. I was shaking so much I daren't get up...(it was a long drop). Some guy (who I have never seen before) ran up the stairs to tell me David was wonderful and then ran back down again lol. He didn't get much sense out of me :))
I'm still
buzzing, it was THAT good. 
............. It really was one of those moments to savour for me. It was a beautiful version of America....and Heroes just soared, particularly when it crashed back in at the end....you think you can't get any higher and then 'BAM' up you go. Tremendous.
It was a joy for me to see him again. He has this amazing ability to just peel off all my inadequacies and anxieties, leaving me feeling whole. Strong stuff. Love him.
...and he really knows how to chose the most appropriate clothes. I loved them immediately. I thought they were a perfect choice. Stylish and youthful with a bit of USA. He looked really fabulous, just gorgeous.
SusanS
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: cavebat
Subject: My Brief (Bleary-Eyed) Concert Review
At 6:45 the hall was less than half full. People were slowly
filing in. Then one of the monitors said that the concert would
start in 6 minutes, 30 seconds. Tick-tock, to Paul Shaffer's
band warming up the crowd that was still barely 3/4 full.
Then David Bowie walked onstage, sat cross-legged on the floor, and started. First there was murmuring all around me, "He's sitting on the floor. Cool." It took people a moment to recognize the song. Then everybody got it and just SCREAMED.
It was the perfect opening to the show. Poignant, simple, and fresh. It almost seemed religious - the gentle singer, the immigrant's song.
Then he stood and said he'd like to especially thank his own ladder company "You guys know who you are." It was like a little tip of the hat - I'm a New Yorker too - I live in the neighborhood.
And of course next was "Heroes." Which everyone expected. And which surpassed all the expectations of an emotional crowd. The floor of the Garden was comprised of firefighters and police and their families. So from where I was sitting you just saw their backs, most in uniform. And when he got to "we could be heroes, just for one day," and held out his hand to them, it was a SEA of blue shirts. Standing and SCREAMING. It was a beautiful homage paid to them, and they embraced it open-armed, with love.
The word catharsis is tossed around a lot - especially after a crisis. But that song, Heroes, at that moment was truly cathartic.
The whole evening was magical, and emotional, and I'll never forget it. And the opening two songs were perfection.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
David Emerson has his own page about the event, including a review and pics. Click here.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author:
mossgarden
Subject: Thank you
Thank you, David. That was. . . well, how can words match
that performance? That was perhaps the greatest performance ever.
Tonite, David Bowie was not a celebrity, David Bowie was not
an icon, David Bowie was an artist, and the music was incredible!!!!
I knew it would be great, considering the nature of this concert, but. . . WOW!!!!!!!!
So great to see everyone getting into it. The sound quality on the TV was superb - didn't expect it to be that great, esp. given the LOUDNESS of the performance.
The first song, I had never heard it, but just hearing you sing the word "Pittsburgh" was incredible. A very gentle yet powerful performance. Probably the best "Heroes" ever. Great voice, great music, oh God. . . I could go on and on.
Fuck it. We all know how good it was. How good it is.
Thank you, David. Proud to be an American, proud to be an earthling,
moss
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: bianca
Subject: What a beautiful and special performance, sailor!!!!
Although I only could watch it on TV and have not been there
myself I could feel the magic which was coming from your wonderful
performance!!!
What a wonderful gift to all of us!! Music has never been important as it is in these days. The choice of playing "Heroes" could not have been better!! You played "Heroes" partly in German in Berlin after the wall came down and now you sang this special anthem for New York! A very special song for a very special occasion!! And what a treasure it was to hear "America" by Simon & Garfunkel.
Thanks so much for one more magic performance and gift for us all!!
Lots of Love from Bianca :))
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: starla
Subject: Thanks for bringing a smile through pain, David
My husband woke up from surgery in time to see your performance.
He enjoyed it very much, it was wonderful. THanks for bringing
a smile to his face and mine, through so much pain. Hey, my 1
year old daughter (she turned 1 on the 17th of this month) dug
you, too! Must be that new daddy air about you that she liked
;) Great job, dear. Thank you
Kris aka starla
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: katja
Subject: Brilliant and very poignant
Compliments for the brilliant and absolutely poignant performance
tonight, David.
It´s a special situation to open a show like this and you
got them all right from the beginning.
A pleasure to watch and listen to!
Love
Katja
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: simone
Subject: Thank you David :)
You were just incredible...
So great that I just can´t tape the whole show now as I planned to..but I have to rewind to see your part again....sigh..
So moving! Loved it to pieces!!!!
I´m so proud of you!! Wow.
And you really DID knock the audience off their seats it seemed...yeahhhh
B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!
Love ya, xox Simone
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: dbfan1847
Subject: THAT WAS SOOOOO GREAT!!!!
David was absolutely FABULOUS!!!!!! I almost cried! Oh man, I
wish I could have been there!!! Oh well I'm glad for everyone
who did go!! :-)
Congrats to Sailor on a Job VERY well done!!! Your clothes were FAB, and you look absolutely gorgeous! Love the length of the hair too!! I just can't say enough!!
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: jamantyla
Subject: WOW.........
What can I say? Except.... David, you were wonderful. Great performance.
I'm in tears.
Thank you David for your part in this worthy cause.
judy
"Life's a River"
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: l_billings
Subject: Sailor's performance
Sailor's performance was so excellent that it brought actual
tears to my eyes! He's the greatest that there will ever be:)
Leigh
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: carola
Subject: Thank you so much for that gift last night in NY !!
Dear sailor !
Your performance was sooo great and fantastic - it just blew
me away from my sofa !!
I mean I like
Bon Jovi and Mick Jagger and Paul Mc Cartney - but your opening
was really really
the absolute highlight.
You gave the fireman and others a big smile on their face back :)
I thank you so much (a big hug from the far away)
Much greetings from Berlin :) Carola
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: mannanan
Subject: david Big thank you!
david your performance was sweet and warm tender and beautiful
just right and opened my heart
I thank you very much:-))))
looking for america a very cute song sung very cutely sung by
you :-) handsome man!
that handorgansound played like on the corner of a street i imagined
like some Brecht songs i liked it very much and how you sat onstage
i loved Heroes
is great as ever too and sweet
:-) also i loved to see the dancing policemen in the audience
enjoying themselves to your music
new yorkers yes!
zim now i go to sleep its late over here Big thank you
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: spidey
Subject:
Words to America
What a PERFECT choice to open with!!!! 
____________________
America
P. Simon, 1968
"Let
us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together
I've got some real estate here in my bag"
So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner pies
And walked off to look for America
"Kathy,"
I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
"Michigan seems like a dream to me now"
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw
I've come to look for America
Laughing on
the bus
Playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera"
"Toss
me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat"
"We smoked the last one an hour ago"
So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field
"Kathy,
I'm lost," I said, though I knew she was sleeping
"I'm empty and aching and I don't know why"
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all come to look for America
All come to look for America
All come to look for America
____________________
so moving :-) WOW Spidey & Don XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
and :
What a weekend
'eh??? :-))
I was dreading this weekend, coz it would have been my Mum's
birthday today.........and I knew it would be a very emotional
day for me....
David has helped me so much.....AGAIN!!! bless him................the
concert last night has kept my mind and emotions occupied....I
don't know how I would have coped else!!!!
We managed to watch it live last night on RTL (the German channel)
but tonight showing on VH-1 was so much better....so polished......they
didn't cut the beginning off (like RTL did) and there was no
annoying German talk over :-)
WONDERFUL.......how perfect was that song America to open up
with????? WOW BEAUTIFUL.......even better than the original (and
we've always loved S & G) :-) and Heroes could have been
written for Sept 11th couldn't it? WOW
Me and Don both sat there watching it again tonight.......and
both filled up and had these huge silly grins on our faces!!!
I feel a glow all inside me now.............we are so very VERY
proud of 'our' Sailor :-)))))))))))))))))))))))))
I bet the crowd there wished he had stayed on stage all night
:-)))))
Can't wait till we get to see him live again.......and all meet
up again too..........it's been too long :-)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author: lalalinda
Subject: David, Your Performance Was Breathtaking!!
I watched you on VH1 as you came on exactly at 7:00 p.m. I waited in anticipation to hear what you were going to perform. As I saw you sitting on the stage, the spotlight shined on you, your hair neatly trimmed, and in a casual but very cool jean suit, you began to sing a slow and quiet song in which it was America. It was beautiful. At that moment I felt so proud of you and how you were chosen to open the concert with this song and then your own Heroes. It was all so appropriate for the evening.
I watched the entire concert and was happy to see how well everyone had performed. Even though there were only 2 songs per group, it was enough so that more groups could perform to show their support.
As an American, it meant alot to see some of my most fav all-time artists (and mostly British!) perform at the same concert honouring the Heroes of the NYC Tragedy. I felt sorry for those that were lost and their families left behind. But I could see in the faces of the firemen and NYC police how happy this concert made them. It made me feel good inside about all the fears and confusion I've felt myself since September 11th.
Thank you David, and thank you to all the artists for doing something very worthwhile and appreciated!!
Love on ya,
LaLaLinda xoxo :))
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Subject : Profoundly moved by DB
I watched
with anticipation for David to open the show wondering what he
would play besides "Heroes." Never expecting to hear
Simon and Garfunkel's "America." Not only was is appropriate,
but profoundly moving. Add "Heroes" to that and I have
to say that David's set was truly one of the highlights of the
entire show, certainly one of the most emotional. I was moved
to tears and jubilant all at the same time. Watching days later
with my wife, who tuned in too late to catch the performance,
I still got a chill. I have never been
more proud to be an American and have never been more proud to
be a fan of David's. Thanks, David and much love. God bless you
and the "Heroes" you saluted. It was a truly remarkable
performance.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Subject : Our "Sailor" does us PROUD ONCE AGAIN!!!
A big "THANK
YOU" to space, SusanS, DE, etc... Most of all to sailor
himself for giving me the will to smile,laugh. and cheer for
the 1st time in a long time!!
It's been a sad,sad 6 weeks( for me 5 months) for me and it felt
so good to feel good feelings after so, so long.
Sailor comes through for us and his fellow adopted NewYorkers when he is needed most! His writing "Heroes" is a song that means so much to millions of people and it is a song that will stand the test of time. It will still be sung 50 years from now and Bowie will never be forgotten. It will stand the test of time......
Sheila
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Just a word
or two about the opening song of the Concert. This is not to
dismiss the other artists and people who put this whole thing
together. They were, each and every one, a hero. But I just wanted
to say a couple of things about that opening number to other
db fans.
A single light, illuminating really quite a sad looking db. Or
was it just seriousness? Both I imagine. After all this was an
affair born out of sadness.... The day we will all remember,
the Eve of the Twelfth of September. A day when the world changed
for all of us, some more than others, as the dust settled on
a shocked and stunned America.
But from that
dust, those ashes, rises the phoenix of freedom, the voice of
the good, and this evening the man who changed my life when I
was just a boy, sits 'boy-like', cross legged beneath a single
shaft of light, with a small toy-like keyboard, like a child
on Christmas morning.
Then came what sounded a little like fairground music, as the
keyboard came to life. It stopped.........then started again.
I sat puzzled, yet excited, refusing to blink. A few bars later
as db approached the mic, he seemed to sing the most beautiful
silent note I've ever heard. I heard it, definitely heard it.
Did you?
Then, in his native cockney tongue he sent that lovely song into
the fluttering hearts of millions. No airs, no graces, just a
boy and his toy singing what use to be, to me, a lovely singalong
song. But on this occasion it was much more than that, being
stripped down to its most beautiful naked form. Words of longing,
of heartache, of freedom, of joy, of sadness and of....well,
whatever it makes you feel. Me, I felt tears, I felt Christmas,
I felt powerless yet strong, numbness yet elation. I felt like
a parent watching their child sing in the school play (you know
what i mean Ma's and Da's). Maybe that sounds as if I'm trivialising
things but I dont mean to, I'm sorry.
Then, as he relaxed into the song, mesmerising us, it became
evident that he was enjoying himself, if that can be said amid
such solemnity. The crowd quickly caught on and the cheering
and arm-waving was a great show of togetherness. The odd smile
from db, looking very cool and, although child-like in pose and
props, extremely sage-like. His face is a life in itself.
On reading
some of the comments since the Concert on various mb's, I've
heard people say 'He looked older!'. Maybe he does, but I think
we've all aged a great deal these past six or seven weeks.
When db sings you dont just hear the words, you 'feel' every
word, and oh how we felt this song. I've watched it, salty eyed,
a hundred times since, and it moves me every bit as much as the
first time. He embodied our feelings when he 'gave' this song.
Our emptiness
and our aching, our heartfelt sadness and ultimately our strength
to rise above the temporary hell, was what we were here to remember...the
Eve of the Twelfth of September.
spud.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author : Barbara & Richard Younger
Subject : The Concert for NYC
In a rare
moment of good humor, I had purchased a single ticket for the
show at a princely sum for my husband, who is quite possibly
the world's biggest Paul McCartney fan. Shortly after the ticket
arrived in my mailbox, the headlines on Bowienet were proclaiming
that DB was going to open the show, so I promptly "Indian-gave"
the ticket back from my poor husband, who was left speechless
and depressed by my selfishness. "But honey, it's David
Bowie," I pleaded, but that wasn't enough. (My husband used
to love Bowie before we met, but thanks to my obsession he now
has a fairly short fuse on the subject.) Well, as the nuns would
have said when I was in grammar school, the Holy Spirit must
have been smiling on me because the very next day they put a
second block of tickets on sale, so all I had to do was shell
out yet another enormous wad of money so we were both able to
go.
I have to admit, I am not really in love with Paul Simon's "America,"
although in my opinion, David SANG THE SHIT out of that thing.
My God, vocally, it was simply spectacular.
Likewise, I am no big fan of the ubiquitous Paul Shaffer and
his band. They surely have spirit, and they have chops, but they
are a little slow on the uptake. They are what my father would
have called "a cheese band." If David Bowie can make
that bar mitzvah band look good, it is even further tribute to
his great genius as a songwriter and performer. God bless Dorsey
& Plati for their contribution in that effort.
My only regret was that he only performed two songs, because
clearly he was (and we all were) in the zone. Especially since
Gail was there, I think that Under Pressure would have a) rocked
the house and b) really crystallized what's been going on in
NYC and the world in recent weeks.
Next, I want to give a nod to The Who, whose performance that
evening hasn't really been discussed on Bowienet much, I guess
for obvious reasons. I am a really, REALLY big Who fan. The performer
I have seen the most times in concert is by a wide margin DB
(and he is and will always be my #1 musical God). But following
him, it's The Who, whom I have seen over 20 times. On October
20, if David Bowie was Jesus, then The Who were the Apostles.
They were positively transcendental. I think I was actually teleported
out of The Garden for their four-song set.
And if DB was Jesus and The Who were the Apostles, then Billy
Joel was John the Baptist, because he also delivered one of the
truly tremendous performances of the evening.
Amen.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Subject : awesome, in the purest sense
I was absolutely awestruck and could not move while David sang America; it was like he was in the beginning of his career, stripped down and poignant. "Heroes" just got the survivors of NY uplifted so high! It was the best opening ever! Kudos to Bowie for a truly awesome performance. His music said it all; absolutely no other words necessary; a true genious, naturally!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Subject : NYC Concert
I got home
rather late the nite the concert aired. My husband had taped
the concert but he didn't get to view it while he did. He told
me that he had no idea when sailor played:) So,here I am at 3,
I pushed play and began watching right on cue as the single light
illuminated Sailor. It was such a fantastic tribute and so very
moving that once again sailor brought me to tears as I watched
him give his voice with everything he has. Bravo David. I must
say I will never tire of Heroes..It is such a magnificent piece
of writing and music and is truly eternally inspiring.
Love MzRed xox
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author:
spaceface 
Subject: Re: I'm empty and I'm aching and I don't know why....
Oh!! I so do wish I was there too!!! I've wept at that line in
that song, many times before when Paul sang it. I've got a cassette
of Paul singing it live, and the audience roared in exactly the
same place on the tape as they did at MSG last night. "Counting
the cars on the New Jersey turnpike". I didn't even know
what a turnpike was... but it still made me cry..
And then my lovely boy sang it last night...oh dear me...
It was like Paul Gasgoine.. The tears just squirted ...lol. I'm going all funny again, just thinking about it..
And then when the shots of those big lovely firemen came on - their faces transported with delight at seeing David singing one of his "big" songs, just for them...
It was just dissolve time....
For the record, I found the choice of song hugely moving, and the rendition typically, surprisingly Bowie. I thought the "cockney" version of those quintessentially American words to be totally apt for the occasion.
big happy sigh...
David, you did us proud - once again!
xoxoxo K
______________________________________________________________________________________________________