Yes, I'm a folkie. No matter what I do I can never reverse this aging process, so at the risk of dating myself (over and over again, but who cares), let me say I got a healthy dose of folk music and by the best ever.For those of us who remember, Pete Seeger is a living legend, folk singer par excellence, peace activist, environmentalist and a cool as a cucumber fellow who became an inspiration to generations. With his sloop Clearwater, he led the movement to clean the Hudson River of weeds, debris and trash of sorts. It was remarkable.
Pete's 90th birthday celebration at the Madison Square Garden, later broadcast as a Great Performances Special, was an all-star cast of no one but the best. No extravagant sets, it was staged on the deck of a "boat" and the most moving performance of musicians making political statements with their compositions. All smart stuff and fun.
There's a whole list of musical numbers but the most powerful of all is "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" by Joan Baez herself, then "Turn, Turn, Turn" led by former Byrds singer Jim or Roger whatever McGuinn. Dave Matthews injected a bit of humor with his "Rye Whiskey" and with Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Richie Havens in the mix, who could ask for anything more. There was Tom Chapin and Oscar the Grouch singing "Garbage, Garbage, Garbage"... what a gold mine!
Known for his great 5-string banjo playing, Pete Seeger is an icon and a hero. And with a stage full of sounds of feels-so-good-music from my favorites, I was blown away.
How about that gleefull rendition of the circular song "There's a Hole in the Bucket, Dear Liza (Liesl)", by Kris Kristofferson and Ani Di Franco? Not just for kids, it was entertaining.
When you reach my age, you get these nostalgic feelings quite often but this time it was self-inflicted. I watched the show three times, three rounds felt so addicting and drove me to this trip to nostalgia lane. Good music, where have they all gone?
Happy birthday, Pete. Your music and flannel shirt will remain fashionable anytime. Thanks for the memories, y'all!
