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The idea was to bring people together for a good cause, Amnesty International.  The result was a beautiful and surprising night of pop music, with Aimee Mann and Beth Orton each putting on long sets that featured most of the tracks from their respective new releases.  The surprise came in the form of an unannounced mid-set performance from Coldplay's Chris Martin and Will Champion along with Mos Def.

>>Aimee Mann warmed things up.>>

Mann opened the evening, and provided much more than a warm-up for the sell out crowd in the open air of the John Anson Ford Amphitheater.  Playing for well over an hour and covering lots of ground, she put on a show that would have been worth the price of admission all on its own.  With a full band behind her, Mann's set featured most of the tracks from her new release, Lost in Space, which has found it's way into the top ten on the charts without being released on a major label.

The fairly subdued crowd, which was obviously mostly white-collared thirty-somethings, took a while to stop sitting on their hands and really get into the show.  But, by the time Mann broke into the perfect pop of her latest hit, "Pavlov's Bell," they were rather firmly behind her and had put their white wine down long enough to show their appreciation.  She did an excellent job mixing in some of the best songs from her previous releases, Bachelor No. 2, Magnolia and even reaching back to 1995's I'm With Stupid, with the current material. 

Looking like one of the elvish characters from 'The Lord of the Rings' in blue jeans, Mann, with her long blond hair and piercing eyes, showed why she's been able to get a self-released record to make it high up the charts: superb songwriting and a voice that exceeds the quality that you get on the record.

>>Beth Orton's performance was amazing.>>

The lithe, shy and equally beautiful Beth Orton, given the closing role on this evening, stepped up and delivered an inspired set that also centered around her new landmark release, Daybreaker.  Hiding behind her bangs and acoustic guitar, Orton let her voice guide the way.  Having not had the pleasure of seeing Orton live before, we were stunned by the strength of her voice, her command and the passion she lets out.  Starting with Daybreaker's opener, "Paris Train," and current hit "Concrete Sky," Orton's set was appropriately stellar on this night under the stars.  It just makes you wonder how the masses can listen to the crap on the radio when there's music like this out there.

>> Mos Def & Cold Play were a great surprise.>>

The Coldplay /Mos Def surprise came in between Mann's and Orton's sets, with Chris Martin initially coming in with just his acoustic guitar and a bottle of water.  After apologizing for the state of his voice due to a cold, he took a drink and, in perfect Chris Martin fashion, dropped his bottle of water without regard for where it might land.  He then introduced Mos Def and explained that the two had just met earlier in the day at a hotel and that today's events had come together rather quickly.  The two then traded verses on a cover of Bill Wither's "Lovely Day" and did a marvelous version of Bob Dylan's "Simple Twist of Fate."  Martin then introduced Coldplay's drummer, Will Champion, and the three of them did a cover of "Three Little Birds," the Bob Marley classic, their three voices blending nicely, with Martin getting the audience to sing along as well.

Not to let the audience forget why this event took place, there was a stirring video presentation, done to the music of U2, on the reason that an organization like Amnesty International needs to exist.  It's refreshing that top quality artists like Aimee Mann, Beth Orton, Coldplay and Mos Def will give their time in support of a more than worthy cause.  The video provided a sobering reminder that while we're able to enjoy a wonderful, perfect night of music under the stars, it's not that way everywhere.  Not everyone has the freedom to lift his or her voice in song.