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Posted: April 18th, 2009
Folk legend raises spirits with tall tales, comedic puns, and memorable songs
by Kenneth Fibbe
In the midst of national recession, it seems the spirits of Americans have been lowering at the same rate unemployment has been rising. Understanding the woes of today, Arlo Guthrie took the adventures and experiences from his yesteryears and for one night, invited audience members to forget the troubles they are facing and emerge themselves into his free-spirited music. From the first string he plucked to the final encore performance, Arlo captured the audience with his charisma and never let go for the entire 2 and half hours.
Seated in the first row at the center of the balcony, I had a clear view of just about everyone in the audience; and it didn’t take long to see why they chose to escape for an evening with Arlo. Everyone had their own interpretation of the music. A woman in the front row swayed her body back and forth to the rhythm of songs like “The Motorcycle Song” as if she stepped into a mental time capsule and was flowing to the live music at Woodstock again. A little girl on the other end of the front row twirled and danced with her mother while the crowd proudly cheered, sang, and clapped along to “This Land is Your Land.” The woman to my left grinned from ear to ear and leaned at the edge of her seat in a surreal state of anticipation and appreciation for every song he played. The overriding theme of the night was apparent: soak it in, chime along, and get lost in the music.
But a night with this popular folk musician isn’t all about watching him showcase his talents with acoustic guitars, harmonicas, and pianos. Arlo would also tell tales about his many adventures on the tour bus in the 60s and 70s, his days of performing at Woodstock (“The ones that I can remember,” he joked) and the inspirations he got from his father and folk-music legend Woody Guthrie. The pace at which he played felt conversational. He didn’t rush and overlap songs, as if he wanted the audience to settle in, relax, and simply take what he had to say and play for whatever it was worth. Almost all song transitions consisted of a background story on why the next song was written or were anecdotal jokes that would always be followed by roars of laughter from the crowd. At one point, Arlo stopped in the middle of a song and said: “I think I have Attention Deficit Disorder. I think everyone does. But has it ever occurred to anyone that maybe there just isn’t that much to pay attention to anymore?” Then he continued the song after the crowd whistled, laughed, and applauded in agreement.
It was a comedy show, history lesson, and jamming concert all rolled into one – and the audience and I were all eating out of the palm of his hand. Families and couples of all ages were joyfully engaged by his mastery of the art of storytelling and his unfaltering, crisp instrumental precision and soothing vocals.
Many artists present themselves as larger-than-life musical gods. But not Arlo. After seeing him I felt like I could approach him after the show and share a drink with him at the local bar. (As a matter of fact, he told a story about a man did just that and how he has been good friends with him ever since.) He really connected with the crowd on a level that even the phrase “down to earth” doesn’t seem to properly justify. And his charismatic, free-loving style clearly surfaced in the attitudes of the concert goers. Before, during, and after the show I was greeted by people of all ages who shared their Arlo musical experiences. In particular, one woman spoke to me about a time when she saw Arlo at a small coffee shop where he performed with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a passion for playing music. She fell in love with his music after that night. And seeing how this was my first Arlo experience as well, I can now say the same.
Kenneth Fibbe is a graduate print journalism student at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. He has been writing music reviews for collegiate publications since 2006, most frequently as editor-in-chief of The View newspaper at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, KY. His first concert was They Might Be Giants in 2000, and he has attended countless shows since then. From Poison and Brad Paisley to Less Than Jake and The Backstreet Boys, Ken has been enjoying and writing about live performances in just about every genre of music imaginable. He also has bachelor degrees in Mathematics and Business Management, and has contributed news stories as a freelance writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be contacted at kfibbe@pointpark.edu
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