John Cale setlists 1982
New York 1982-07-30
On July 30 he is part of the supergroup Deerhunter (with Ian Hunter, Todd Rundgren, Paul Butterfield) at an outdoors benefit show for Agent Orange victims/ Vietnam Vets at Pier 84 in New York. He performs two songs solo, Fear Is A Man's Best Friend and Heartbreak HotelHeartbreak Hotel. The New York Times is not impressed:
(..) although the gesture of solidarity for a humane cause gave some of the performances a special urgency, the band itself lacked much musical cohesiveness. Because of Deerhunter's influences - Mr. Hunter is a disciple of Bob Dylan, Mr. Rundgren of the Beatles and Mr. Cale a charter member of the Velvet Underground - all the music was very much rooted in the 60's rock culture.
The musical high point of the set was a slow pop-soul rendition of Eight Days a Week, the Beatles hit, in which Mr. Hunter and Mr. Rundgren shared the lead vocals in a Smokey Robinson-style arrangement. Mr. Cale's only solo turn, singing his primal-scream rendition of Heartbreak Hotel, the Elvis Presley hit, was also effective for the way it recalled Jim Morrison and the Doors. And Mr. Rundgren delivered a confident solo rendition of his antiwar song Lysistrata.
Local rado station WPLJ made buttons to support the cause.