Concert Review: Arlo Guthrie in Kingston, Ontario (May 11, 2006)
Published May 12, 2006
In some ways it's quintessential Arlo, as he takes an event that happened in his life and invests it with meanings that are universal to all of us. Who hasn't experienced a moment of irony like that of Officer Obie's carefully collected "27 8x10 colour glossy photographs with circles on the front and a paragraph on the back of each one" being rendered useless because the judge is blind? All of us can relate to his breaking down in tears at this example of "American blind justice".
Something that often gets lost in the shuffle about Arlo is the fact that he is an accomplished guitar player. You're not aware of it on his records, and if you haven't seen him play in a while it's easy to lump him in amongst three chord folk singers. But last night watching him lay down beautiful leads on songs like "St. James Infirmary" and "Coming Into Los Angeles" I was reminded yet again that he's no slouch whether he's playing either one of his twelve or six string guitars or is parked behind the keys of electric piano.
His whole band delivered exemplary performances, but of special note was Gordon Titcomb on mandolin, banjo, and pedal steel guitar. Pedal steel guitar is such an easy instrument to make sound horrible, or completely out of place, but Gordon Titcomb was masterful in making it work well here.
After the concert I promised Gordon that I would do my best not to call him Brent in the review. Brent Titcomb is a highly gifted Canadian folk musician, and Gordon said that ever since he and Brent had met up at the Ottawa folk festival, they've been trying to work out how they are related. They just figure that any two people with that last name in common just have to be cousins of some kind.
The fact that I felt comfortable enough after the concert, as did many other people, to go up and talk to Arlo and the other musicians as the were packing up and getting ready to leave is an indication of the atmosphere that had been created over the evening. Musically impeccable, emotionally uplifting, and warm and friendly, it was an evening that I'll not soon forget.
He may only sing "Alice's Restaurant" every 10 years, but he has so much more to offer than just that one song. Don't wait for the fiftieth anniversary to go and see him. You'll be doing yourself a great disservice.
Richard Marcus is a long-haired Canadian iconoclast who writes reviews and opines on the world as he sees it at Leap In The Dark and Epic India Magazine.
- Concert Review: Arlo Guthrie in Kingston, Ontario (May 11, 2006)
- Published: May 12, 2006
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Culture: Arts, Music: Country and Americana, Music: Folk, Music: Live Concerts, Review
- Writer: Richard Marcus
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Comments on this articleComments
Excellent review. I'm jealous you got to hear him
sing Alice.
The review is excellent. As to Arlo, I am very happy to know that something so good is lasting so well. I saw him in Santa Monica in 1968 and heard "Alice's Restaurant" when it was relatively new. I agree that his humanity is a most important part of why he is exceptional and I hope we have the man and his music for many years to come.
I saw Arlo the last couple of nights in a row at Epcot Center (Disney World in FLorida). When he broke into Alice's Restaurant during his final set of the night, the crowd went nuts. When he did it again the next night, I had an HDV camcorder focused on him.
So I now have him in HD with reasonably good sound. This is something I will be showing to guests in my home for years to come.
I hated to miss tonight's shows, but I may just have to see all three sets on his last night (tomorrow).
I heard him sing "Alice" when I was lucky enough to get tickets for his concert in Sarasota FL.
First time I ever heard the song, for I am only 21 years old, but I instantly fell in love with his personality and his way of entertaining his "friends", corse thats how he made me feel.
And the song that keeps on swinging through my brain is "my peace" wich I love and adore in the beauty of its simplicity.
just thought Id let you know.
More or less, I experienced the Concert the same as richard, and will never forget those once in a lifetime goosebumps-breeding rollercoaster ride two hours of living music culture
I was at this Arlo concert in Kingston. It was a mystical, magical night. Contact me for a recording of this concert. Thanks for the review.
I have seen Arlo @ our local symphany hall, I also was gifted by a performance on July 7 2007,@ the "Church" in Housatonic(Great Barrington, Mass.) The Church in Alice's restaurant. I can't believe how accurate this above article is. How the writer gets it so right. I watched Arlo that night of his birthday. He is a great performer and story teller and because his legend is so personal and more private than most performers, it makes it greater. I saw him once @ Chicopee High School, in Chicopee Massachusetts. I paid $5 for the ticket and everyone had to bring a non-perishable food item as it was a food bank drive. Arlo seems to find the best places to perform and we keep finding them. It is October 7, 2007, and my boyfriend and I are on our way to "The Church" again tonight to witness another enchanting perfomance by one of the greatest story tellers know to our generation. Thank you.
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Arlo is great. I have seen him play a few times, and met him after each show. Dude is a very good guy, and a great storyteller.