It seemed only fitting that last night's concert by Arlo Guthrie in Kingston, Ontario was held in a church. Aside from the fact that the current tour is a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the writing of the song "Alice's Restaurant", which features a church in a significant supporting role, ("Alice didn't live in the restaurant, she lives in the church nearby"), there was a feeling of unity of purpose amongst the audience that one would normally associate with a congregation.
We had all come to see a man perform who has for the past 40-plus years quietly sung songs that have expressed the concerns of socially conscious people for nearly the past 100 years. It's not just Arlo Guthrie's music that one hears during his concerts; one also hears the songs of the generations that preceded him that he learned at the knee of his father Woody and his contemporaries.
Attending an Arlo Guthrie concert is about more than listening to somebody sing songs; it's about becoming part of the process of keeping American folk culture alive. It's one thing for places like the Smithsonian Institute to create records of the music that has been sung by the people of that country, and another altogether to have them sung by a flesh and blood performer.
It takes a special person to be able to get up on stage and perform a song that's over 60 years old and make the audience feel like it's never been performed before. Not only does it require a deep and abiding love for what you are doing, but it also necessitates the ability to involve your audience as more then mere observers to your passion.
With some performers you know that no matter what they do, they are always going to be on the other side of an invisible wall. When you go to an Arlo Guthrie concert not only does the wall come down, it never existed in the first place. If you can imagine somebody's living room seating a few hundred people, than you can understand how his concerts feel like you've just stopped off at a friend's house for a few hours and he's offered to play you some tunes. The conversation may be a little one-sided, although you're free to chime in whenever you want, but that doesn't stop it from being fun and friendly.
But knowing all this and experiencing it are two separate things. The only other time I've seen Arlo Guthrie in concert was in the summer of 1981, when he and Pete Seeger were doing one of their tours together. It was at an outdoor venue at Ontario Place in Toronto, Canada, and the atmosphere wasn't that conducive to intimacy. So it wasn't until last night that I was truly able to understand the appeal Arlo Guthrie holds as a performer.
Article comments
1 - Lono
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.
2 - Scott Butki
Excellent review. I'm jealous you got to hear him
sing Alice.
3 - Gale
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.
4 - Steven Gotz
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).
5 - da Cat
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
6 - smack
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.
7 - Tina C
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.