From: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org (jangle-poets-digest) To: jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Subject: jangle-poets-digest V9 #182 Reply-To: jangle-poets@smoe.org Sender: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jangle-poets-digest Monday, June 23 2008 Volume 09 : Number 182 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [JP] "Dance Around in the Rain" again - TK 6/22/08 Clearwater [MercyHouse] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:18:24 EDT From: MercyHouse1@aol.com Subject: [JP] "Dance Around in the Rain" again - TK 6/22/08 Clearwater In a message dated 6/19/2008 10:40:21 AM Eastern Daylight Time, MercyHouse1@aol.com writes: > >I couldn't wait until Clearwater to see TK again, and > >with their impending removal from my home state of MA > >hanging over my head like a thundercloud > Well the thundercloud followed the action to Clearwater, where P&M were barely able to get in a complete set before the threat of thunderstorms cancelled the remainder of the Clearwater Festival. It rains quite heavily at FRFF every year does it not? Yet I can't recall thunderstorms blasting through Hillsdale ever cancelling Falcon Ridge. I was just leaving Pete Seeger's set at the Rainbow Stage when the heavens opened up for the first time on Sunday, ca. 12:30. After huddling for a few minutes under the shelter of a volunteers and performers pavillion which had been temporarily opened up to wet audience members like me, I decided to brave the elements and make the Kennedys 12:45 start at the Hudson River Stage. The rain had stopped by the time I reached the Hudson River Stage, which was nearly devoid of audience members due to the recent onslaught of downpour. P&M had not yet started to play, and I had a few minutes to chit-chat with Strangelings members Rebecca & Ken who were there to see TK. A second bout of rain began, coming right off the river, driving Rebecca & Ken to seek shelter, since they were slated to play on that same Hudson River Stage later in the day. Seeing people starting to flock from other stages to see TK, I found a spot in the front row that was still open with just enough room for me and my umbrella. P&M began their set far, far from the front of the stage, back near the back of the stage in fact, so that they could barely be seen from some angles off to the sides, perhaps as a precaution against rainborne mishap (or worse). During their opening song, the sun came out and the rain stopped. I dropped my umbrella, took off my raincoat altogether, and put on my brand new Strangelings t-shirt (which debuted at the festival). Didn't It Rain (P&M sang, "There's no protection on the Hudson Stage") Speed of Soul impromptu Here Comes the Sun I Found a Road Breathe Chains Alabama Rain The stormclouds were regathering their muscle during "Alabama Rain," and then socked it to festival for a third and final time. A fateful choice of song under the circumstances? I joked with Pete some time ago (at West Hartford) that he probably shouldn't have played "The Devil's Boat" when P&M played on the cruise! :-) What followed next was another page in the Kennedys legend, torn out of the playbook of both of the other two legendary Kennedys Rain Shows I mentioned when I reviewed the Madison Square Park show on Thursday -- i.e. Mayfair '01 (impromptu unplugged set by TK during a drenching rain) and the Bridgeton Fountain '02 (breaking out "Rain" by the Beatles). That makes at least four legendary Kennedys Rain Shows in all, with 2 of the 4 coming just this past week! After the plug was pulled on the Hudson River Stage sound system (and presumably on the entire Clearwater festival as well), P&M came to the very edge of the stage, from out of the depths of the recesses where they had played the rest of their set -- and the crowd was instructed to come right up to the edge of the stage too (where there'd been only 2 folks in the reserved front area up till then). Kennedys Unplugged Magic ensued! Rain Life Is Large Big River It was just fantastic. "Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry, And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky, And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you Big River Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die. "I met her accidentally in St. Paul (Minnesota) And it tore me up every time I heard her drawl, Southern drawl. Then I heard my dream was back Downstream cavortin' in Davenport, And I followed you, Big River, when you called. "Then you took me to St. Louis later on (down the river). A freighter said she's been here but she's gone, boy, she's gone. I found her trail in Memphis, but she just walked up the block. She raised a few eyebrows and then she went on down alone. "Now, won't you batter down by Baton Rouge, River Queen, roll it on. Take that woman on down to New Orleans, New Orleans. Go on, I've had enough, dump my blues down in the gulf. She loves you, Big River, more than me. "Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry, cry, cry And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you Big River Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die." - --- "Big River" (Johnny Cash) What a way to end the Hudson River Clearwater Revival festival for '08 -- with TK singing "Big River"! After P&M's 3-song unplugged set, the crowd was urged to disperse as an intensification of thunder, lightning, and torrential rain descended mightily from on high. "Didn't It Rain" indeed! I had just made it over to the covered Dance Tent in hopes of seeing Gandalf Murphy when the announcement went out that the remainder of the Clearwater Festival was being cancelled on account of the bad weather. Bruce Check out the Kennedys' Official Home Page: http://www.KennedysMusic.com/ Fab photos, the Official tour diary, dashboard Buddha haiku, groovy merchandise...what more could you ask for? ------------------------------ End of jangle-poets-digest V9 #182 **********************************