The Nov. 11 all-star show falls in the short window right between Parsons' 80th birthday and his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. The “Grievous Angel” will be getting a salute from a lot of grateful angels when an all-star tribute concert honoring the late Gram Parsons takes place at the Troubadour on Nov. 11, three nights before the country-rock pioneer is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. One of Parsons’ key collaborators during his lifetime, Emmylou Harris, leads the bill, along with Elvis Costello, who helped make a new generation aware of his work by recording his songs in the early 1980s (and who has often harmonized with Harris himself).
Others on the star-filled lineup include the Black Crowes, Margo Price, Grace Potter, Jesse Welles, the Head and the Heart, Madison Cunningham, Jim Lauderdale, Harper Simon and Grahame Lush. Longtime L.A. favorites the Beachwood Sparks will serve as the house band… or as “cosmic accompaniment,” as the show’s poster art has it. The concert — officially billed as “A Song for Gram: Celebrating Gram Parsons’ Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” — is being co-produced by Gram’s daughter, Polly Parsons, Vector Management and Rolling Stone editor-in-chief Shirley Halperin, in conjunction with the Gram Parsons Estate and the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
Tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. The show will benefit the Friendly House Foundation and Backline, Los Angeles-area organizations supporting addiction and mental health concerns. Demand will undoubtedly quickly outstrip supply for the show, which Polly Parsons tells Variety will be a “you had to be there” affair.
Although some past tributes to her father have taken place in larger venues, Polly says that “it was really important for all of us that we do it somewhere legendary that resonated in the storyline of Gram, and Gram played the Troubadour quite a bit. My hope is that we will be doing more shows in the future. If we get that kind of support, that’s the direction we’ll go, larger venues — maybe an anniversary show at the Santa Barbara Bowl again in a couple years.” Polly is alluding to the last significant Gram Parsons tribute she spearheaded, which was 22 years ago — a two-night affair at the Universal Amphitheatre and Santa Barbara Bowl dubbed “Return to Sin City” that featured artists including Keith Richards, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle and Norah Jones.
That run of 2004 tribute shows was immortalized on DVD. Her father’s 80th birthday is Nov. 5, less than a week prior to the Troubadour show. She wasn’t able to make the first one [in 2004].
This is such an incredible time to honor the music that they created together and to be able to share that in person. And Elvis Costello has been a champion of Gram Parsons, as Chris Robinson and the Black Crowes have been for so many years, and I’m excited for them to have this opportunity to do this in a different setting. I’m also really excited at how many young musicians were so incredibly excited to jump on board with this project.
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