Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 37

Austin American-Statesman D7 Monday, June 13, 1983 Success breeds success Sincere U2 captures crowd with its message of peace Demands snowball for singer Review By BOB PROTZMAN Knlght-Rldder Newt Service CHICAGO There's an expression, usually used by envious people, to describe those who have succeeded: "It's not what you know, they say, It's who." There is an Impressive roster of "whos" in singer Nicolette Larson's case, but also a growing list of "whats." One of her best friends is pop and rock superstar Linda Ronstadt; another is highly respected country singer Emmv- "A By KEVIN PHINNEY American-Statesman Staff "Hey, that's us," exhorted U2 drummer Larry Mullen. The disc jockey spun a copy of the group's "New Year's Day" single just at closing time, oblivious to the band unwinding from its Austin show a scant 50 feet away. After a night of disco dancing, patrons of the Marriott bar needed something with enough urgency to wash them out the door at 2 a.m. That's what U2's music is best at and the band proved it again at the Meadows Saturday night U2 writes anthems, not songs, so naturally when it plucks out a topic like war, the resultant music is a call to arms of pacifism confronting aggression. U2 and the Police are music's only current global diplomats.

BUT WHEREAS Sting and Co. take potshots so-called leaders speak, with words they try to jail you They subjugate the meek, but it's the rhetoric of failure" in "Spirits In the Material U2 sees the beacon at the end of struggle. After an all too brief set by the Alarm (so brief in fact that many patrons struggling to get into the Meadows got to hear the band from their cars Instead), U2 pumped into "Out of Control" from its "Boy" debut Clearly, these fellows are used to playing indoors, (they were told Tuesday that the gig was outside) and much of the band's opening intensity was scattered to the wind. "Twilight" followed, and established a pattern for the rest of the show. Responses to anything from "Boy" rated high, but "October" tunes left the crowd unable to sing along until vocalist Bono led them through a few U2 IS STEADILY losing baby fat but traces of youth remain, if only as a reminder that these four individuals have yet to turn 25.

There were some stage histrionics, including Bono's ill-conceived notion to drop a surrender flag into the audience, only to retrieve it when a fight broke out over who should be audience honor guard. Still, the "War" lp is the band's most melodic and rythymic record, more Jag- ged and forceful than either predecessor. Guitarist The Edge alternated between his instrument a slide guitar and piano, Adam Clayton bubbled in the background, and Mullen drummed out the most solid three-man percussion since Mitch Mitchell backed Jimi Hendrix. The audience watched Bono, calling for his war on war, waged for peace. By the time the band arrived at "Sunday Bloody Sunday," Bono charged from the stage and tried to plant a surrender flag at the huge sound booth that juts up midway through the crowd.

He found himself unable to get the flag to stick anywhere, and in dispair, Improvised "Send In the Clowns." Never too serious to have a good time, and always with something provocative to say, U2 did two encores, including its FM opus, "I Will Follow." Preceeding that was "Eleven O' Clock Tick Tock," a tune that Mullen recommended a few days before as "absolutely great" It was, and that's the splendor of these musicians they can actually be believed. then catching herself, asked, "Should an artist ever say too much?" Speculating on how she got so much of her music in "The Personals," she said the film's director probably heard her music on a local radio station "when he was doing the movie. He heard 'Lotta Love' and thought it would be great behind the opening credits. Then he went and bought another album, heard some other songs he thought might work. He even worked 'You Send Me' into the plot.

That blew my mind! Then he probably bought a second album and used something from that So he ended up with six songs. When I saw the movie, I thought, 'Did my father have something to do with -this?" APPARENTLY ANOTHER director liked her singing, too, for two of her songs were on the soundtrack for the movie "French Postcards," the film Debra Winger starred in before "Urban Cowboy" and "An Officer and a Gentleman." Larson's mother sang in local and regional big bands in the '40s. She doesn't recall the names of the bands, although she knows it wasn't with anyone as ous as the Dorsey brothers or Glenn Miller. "I remember she worked in Los Angeles and Chicago, though. My dad kept chasing her around until they got married and had a bunch of kids." (Six, to be exact.) The big family and constant travel might have worked to her advantage, she feels.

"I've had to get to know people fast There wasn't any time to be shy," she said. "So maybe that helps me with audiences or with talking generally with people in the music business. You know, in this business, you make friends one day and you're off on the road the next. And I probably am more used to sleeping cars than a lot of other performers!" Nicolette Larson says she has succeeded by capitalizing on opportunity. It was after she'd appeared on Young's "Comes a Time" LP that she got a four-album contract with Warner Bros.

Her first album "Nicolette" was one of the most enthusiastically received LPs in Warner Bros, history. It became a gold album (sales In excess of 500,000) and yielded two smash singles, Neil Young's "Lotta Love" and Jesse Winchester's "Rhumba Girl." lou Harris. And Neil Young, another giant in the pop and rock music business, was Involved in getting Larson's career going. But opportunity isn't always enough. "I've seen a lot of people who had the opportunity, but couldn't capitalize on it," said Larson.

But she has. LARSON SAID that she met Harris first, through pedal Steel-guitarist Hank DeVlto, who at the time was In Harris's band and was Larson's boyfriend. "Through Emmylou I met Linda. And Neil Young was looking for a couple girls to sing backup on his album 'American Stars and He wanted Linda and someone else, so he picked me." From there, Larson said, things sort of snowballed. "That's the way it goes; people listen to an album, hear a name, and say, want her on my Also, when you work with one producer, he'll recommend you to others." So, pretty soon Nicolette Larson was the most ln-demand harmony and backup singer in recording studios in Los Angeles, appearing on albums by Hoyt Axton, Commander Cody, Emmylou Harris, Gary Stewart, Jesse Colin Young, Jesse Winchester, the Doobie Brothers and, of course, Neil Young.

HER NEXT three albums were "In the Nick of Time," "Radioland," and "All Dressed Up and No Place to Go," all of which sold well and produced several hit singles. The most recent exposure for Larson's recordings came in the movie "The Personals," produced and filmed in the Minneapolis-Si Paul area. The soundtrack included six of her songs, a number that overwhelmed even Larson. "It was almost too much," she said, WE MAKE HOUSE CALLS Austin Amcriton-itaifsmon PBaSri Tonight MONDAY NIGHT LIVE Friday AUSTIN ALL-STARS Saturday VAN WILKS Tonight ROCK A DIALS Tomorrow THE SLIP 3 FOR 1 happy hour Hot Food 'til 2 11-7 7 nights a Week FREE BUFFET Best Tex-Mex Food FREE Anywhere LADIES DRINKS tonight, in the new 7-9 BEER GARDEN, 6-10 LADIES DRINXS THE 50 BLUE ALL DAYS NIGHT ANGELS 443-5011 2287E.BIVERSPEDB. -Z675 4Jtltl 1 TONITE I 40SW.2NdW 1 Jfa, I TONIGHT X) I tkiv il show i I (f jlL aRSTRT8Ti mm 1 Mfabm 1 4th 1 iffSSS 1 BRAZOS -14ReceBigBandl 472-4345 VttfSI 9 P.M.

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