Irreverent Newman Sets Tone for Benefit

A concert headliner doesn’t usually go on first, but that’s what Randy Newman did at Sunday’s sold-out Ash Grove benefit for the Violence Policy Center, which seeks to reduce gun violence in America through stricter firearms regulation.

Though Newman’s warm, casual set was brief, it established a lighthearted camaraderie that dominated the evening. Gun control may be serious business, but the veteran singer-songwriter treated the subject with his characteristic irreverence.

Newman jokingly asked if the organization was “for or against violence,” then pounded out a loose “I Love L.A.” on the piano. Joining Newman for the rest of his 10-minute set, master guitarist Ry Cooder provided spare accompaniment, stretching out a little only during the closing “Let’s Burn Down the Cornfield”--a song on which the pair first teamed on Newman’s 1970 album, “12 Songs.”

Actress-singer Mare Winningham kept up the good humor, quipping, “Randy Newman opened for me?” as she followed him on stage. Accompanying herself on dulcimer, the co-star of “Georgia” provided a more sobering musical statement with Nirvana’s “All Apologies,” an appropriate choice given that the group’s Kurt Cobain committed suicide with a shotgun.

Winningham’s clear, sweet vocals and serene material provided a sort of emotional palate-cleansing before roots diva Syd Straw and eccentric songwriter Van Dyke Parks brought comedy back to the fore during their 20-minute set.

Accompanied by a bassist and Parks’ piano, Straw offered a deliberately campy take on the standard “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.” Parks took his turn with a rollicking, bluesy bop, then Straw closed with a droll version of Irving Berlin’s “You Can’t Get a Man With a Gun,” from “Annie Get Your Gun.”

Speedy set changes and tolerable banter from hosts Taylor Negron and Merrill Markoe added to the intimate feel of the program, which also included the Hamilton High School Gospel Choir and Three Dog Night’s Chuck Negron.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment was how brief the sets were: Having paid at least $85 (for the concert alone), some folks may have felt they didn’t get their money’s worth.