Local music stars big and small delivered performances for the All in WA: A Concert for COVID-19 Relief Wednesday night. The 75-minute broadcast featured a who’s who of Seattle music talent with Pearl Jam, Macklemore, Brandi Carlile, The Head and the Heart, Sir Mix A Lot, Dave Matthews, Sleater-Kinney and many others contributing pre-recorded performances. So far the event has raised more than $45 million for local COVID relief causes.
While the big names were the attraction, anyone who follows the music scene saw many familiar faces with the likes of Budo, Allen Stone, Noah Gunderson, Travis Thompson, Jessica Dobson, Mary Lambert and others contributing. The whole event felt like a musical get well card to the state of Washington from loving local musicians who adore the Evergreen State.
Anyone watching could tell it was a made in Washington production, but there were several references and small touches that made it feel especially heartwarming and homegrown for Seattleites and Washingtonians. Below are seven of those moments that stood out.
Donate to All in WA here. You can watch the event on Amazon Prime Video for the next 30 days.
Dave Meinert gets called out
The first song of the night belonged to Travis Thompson who brought some local hip-hop royalty with him for a performance of the track “Glass Ceiling” off his latest album “Reckless Endangerment.” As if bringing together three generations of local hip-hop with Macklemore, Blue Scholars’ Geologic and Sir Mix A Lot wasn’t a big enough Seattle moment, the song features Macklemore addressing one of the biggest local music stories of the past decade with the below lyrics:
I remember when the scholars sold out the Chop Suey
I hit the u-ey
The line was wrapped around the block
And if it wasn’t for Geo and Saba
Letting us open at the paramount for the scholars
And Meinert’s shady ass
Paying us a couple hundred dollars
I might not be in this house
Looking over the water
And I don’t know if I believe in karma
But I got daughters and ain’t eating at five point ever
Fuck an omelette
The lyrics are a reference to alleged rapist David Meinert, who owns popular greasy spoon The Five Point and was a former kingpin in the local music scene. Sure it’s a bit inside baseball within the Seattle music scene, but Macklemore putting Meinert on blast in front of a global audience was a huge moment for those who know about the situation.
Bring back the Sonics
“Glass Ceiling” wasn’t the only appearance by Mix A Lot. He later appeared for “Baby Got Back” and during his in-studio performance he pulled out a Seattle Supersonics jersey and demanded the return of an NBA franchise to Seattle. The theft of the Sonics by Clay Bennett is sore subject for every Seattle sports fan and the hunger for basketball to return to the town is huge.
Record stores got some love
Brandi Carlile and the Hanseroth twins delivered a beautiful acoustic version of “The Story” and during the performance both Carlile and one of the twin were sporting Easy Street Records apparel. And during Pearl Jam’s performance of “Dance of the Clairvoyants” Mike McCready was seen in a Sonic Boom Records shirt before he went all Busta Rhymes. The relationship between local artists and local record stores is symbiotic in any city, but it feels more special in Seattle knowing that so many artists have deep connections to shops like Easy Street, Sonic Boom and others.
Seattle’s original rockstar gets a nod
Local up and comers The Black Tones were the second act on the bill and for their contribution they delivered a scorching “All Along the Watchtower.” You can’t have an event celebrating Seattle music (which is partly what this felt like even though it was for another purpose) without acknowledging Jimi Hendrix, and The Black Tones properly paid their respects with a powerful performance.
The beauty of the Northwest
Director Jason Koenig and his crew did an exceptional job of not only putting the focus on the artists but also displaying the majestic beauty of the greater Seattle region and Washington state whenever possible. The tri-panel frames used during The Head and the Heart’s “Rivers and Roads” showed off Evergreen woods and the cityscape on a sunny day. Dave Matthews’ performance was sandwiched between shots of the Columbia River Gorge and The Gorge Amphitheater, a place Matthews has called “heaven’s amphitheater.” And Ben Gibbard’s “Such Great Heights” showed off how Seattle can glow at night. The inclusion of landscapes is a testament to how good nature treats us here in the upper left.
The spirit of Kurt was present
While the Black Tones acknowledged the spirit of Jimi, Rainn Wilson acknowledged the spirit of Kurt Cobain during a skit encouraging donations for All in WA. There was no mention of Nirvana or Cobain, but in the background of Wilson’s frame, a large picture of Kurt Cobain performing during the In Utero tour can be seen. Between Nancy Wilson making an appearance, the Black Tones’ Hendrix cover, Pearl Jam playing a song and Wilson’s Cobain cameo just about every major member of Seattle rock royalty this side of Soundgarden was represented.
Dick’s is the place where the cool hang out
Macklemore’s event-ending “Can’t Hold Us” was the perfect choice to close down what was an inspiring and uplifting program that showcased the strength and resiliency of Washingtonians. He was accompanied by his oldest daughter Sloane and the two make their way through Seattle. Ultimately, they end up at Century Link Field, but before hitting the turf they drop by local iconic burger institution Dick’s Burgers. Dick’s is the about as Seattle as the Space Needle and of course it’s one of Macklemore’s favorite joints.
