Bernard Watson

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Bernard Watson was the opening act at the American leg of the Live Aid concert in JFK Stadium, Philadelphia on July 13, 1985. An 18-year-old from Miami Beach, he had just graduated from high school and had no professional musical experience. After sleeping outside the stadium for a week, he persuaded the concert's producer Bill Graham, in the spirit of charity, to let him perform.

One of the strings on my guitar broke, then I dropped the pick and that wasn't very professional. But I felt happy that I got a chance. I'd like to make it in this business. It was the dream of a lifetime. That's what it was. — Bernard Watson

"David knew about the purpose of the Live Aid concerts and how they were to be presented from the different regions of the world. He, along with millions of others, thought it was a great idea : popular, wealthy performing artists rasing money for food for the straving people of Ethiopia. He wrote a song called "Interview" that he ultimately performed on that day. It was a spontaneous decision, he recently told me, that was probably a mystake, because he originally had planned on doing Bob Dylan's "All I Really Want To Do".

David and I had recorded several of his original songs in our studio at Miami Beach Senior High School. When we started this session, instead of singing he spoke these words : "Dear Mr; Graham I would like to begin the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia with this song". I asked him what was going on and he informed me that that's exactely what he was going to do. Knowing that David was a little unorthodox, spontaneous and driven, I did not ask any further questions, said "OK", and finished the session. A few days later the principal called me in his office and knowing that David and I were quite close, wanted to know if I knew where he was. Apparently his mother had called to say that he had not been home for a couple of days. My response was that "I didn't know where he was but that he had talked about driving to the MTV studios in New-York to try to get on the program for the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia".

The principal looked at me and asked "Why do you know where he is and his mother doesn't ?". I couldn't answer that but, as it turns out, that is what he did, indeed. MTV told him that he was in the wrong place and that he should go to JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. After driving to Philadelphia he went directly to Bill Graham's office and asked his secretary to show his folder with the tape in it to Mr. Graham. He did this twice and both times was told that Mr. Graham had more important things to do and not to come back. David then went on the parking lot, sat in his beach chair, took out his guitar and while practicing was interviewed by a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer.

After David told him his story it appeared the next day on the front page with a picture, where Bill Graham read it. He wanted to know why he didn't know about this and went to the parking lot, listened to David's song and told him he had a chance to open the concert on Saturday morning.

As the story goes, the next day Mr. Graham walked over to David with big steak and a Coke and told him he had better eat because he was opening up the concert Saturday morning !

When David called me that Thursday evening and informed me that he was opening up the concert I did not believe him and advised him to see a psychiatrist because he was suffering from illusions of grandeur.

But it happened to be for real ... As you may see on the pictures. http://liveaid.free.fr/rewind/complete/images/010bernardwatson/02.jpg http://liveaid.free.fr/rewind/complete/images/010bernardwatson/01.jpg http://liveaid.free.fr/rewind/complete/images/010bernardwatson/00.jpg

David Weinstein was a student of the Miami High School Rock Ensemble.

More about the school : [ http://www.rockensemble.com/ ]

David Weinstein school year page : [ http://www.rockensemble.com/timeline/1984_1985.htm ]