Close to Nowhere

I grew up listening to Lawrence Welk (and a one and a two). To anyone who doesn't know Lawrence Welk, that means nothing. But if you ever saw his show, you know!

I saw something on Facebook frequently ­ "Yes, I live in the past. And the music was so much better then!" It really was.

April 18 a live show was on TV about relief for WHO and healthcare workers, etc. I didn't watch at the time, but recorded it to watch later. I watched it Sunday night and was totally underwhelmed.

I've turned into my father. I don't like or understand today's music.

Paul McCartney and Elton John sang. Paul, a former Beatle, sang "Lady Madonna," one of my favorite Beatles songs. He's so old. And he sings like a really old man. I was embarrassed for him. Elton John sang "I'm Still Standing," another favorite. He's old. And he sings like a really old man. I was so sad.

There were some artists I didn't know and some of them had great voices. A girl named Lizzo sang an old Sam Cooke song, "Change Is Gonna Come." I'd never seen her before but she nailed it.

I loved Motown growing up, and Sam Cooke will always be a favorite, It's hard for someone to cover one of his songs and do it well. But that girl can sing!

Lady Gaga, who I've always considered weird but extremely talented, organized the show. She sang several songs beautifully. And she was dressed like a normal person, which I think is unusual for her.

As underwhelmed as I was by the show, it raised a lot of money for WHO, healthcare workers and other frontline workers The tone was totally optimistic and I can't imagine they thought the virus/pandemic would be dragging on this long. Oh well.

The finale of the show was spectacular. Celine Dion, Andrea Boccelli, Jon Legend, Lady Gaga and a pianist I didn't know but who was hugely talented, performed "The Prayer."

(Written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager, Tony Renis and Corey Hart)