ON THE TOWN: No one would accuse...

ON THE TOWN: No one would accuse last weekend’s Rev. Jesse Jackson presidential campaign fund raiser at the Music Machine of being a typically posh rock political event. In fact, it was refreshingly free of Hollywood-star scene makers, speech-making (with the exception of a windy Jackson Browne monologue) or gala fashion statements (though one raven-haired woman wore a motorcycle jacket with the motto: “Elvis--Ten Years Is Forever”). The music was the real event, with the highlight being an impromptu appearance by X, which performed “See Who We Are” and “New World.” Earlier in the evening, Browne did an acoustic set, playing his “For America,” Little Steven’s “I Am a Patriot” and Ry Cooder’s “Across the Borderline” (a song whose time has come--Bruce Springsteen did it in his closing show the night before at the Sports Arena). When it came to rhetoric, X guitarist Tony Gilkyson was to the point, saying he supports Jackson “because he inspires hope in political deadbeats like me.” Fronting a trio that included D.J. Bonebrake on drums, Gilkyson performed an inspired set of razor-sharp rock songs and joined Exene Cervenka in a twangy duet of “Jackson,” transforming the old Lee Hazelwood-Nancy Sinatra tune into a campaign broadside. The night was also crammed with song dedications--our favorite coming from ex-Blasters singer Phil Alvin, who sent out “Titanic Blues” to “all the great guys in the Reagan Administration.”