The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #119517   Message #2625320
Posted By: mark gregory
06-May-09 - 07:15 AM
Thread Name: Pete Seeger 90th Birthday party at MadisonSqGarden
Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Birthday part at MadisonSqGarden
and from
Variety

'Seeger was done proud by younger artists -- a comparative term, given the absence of Gen X and Y names -- who tweaked and modernized his classics. Ani DiFranco, for instance, retrofitted "Which Side Are You On?" with a potent feminist after-burn, while Michael Franti inserted a smile-inducing pro-Obama rap into the otherwise dark "Dear Mr. President."

The most moving offerings, however, came from those who honed their craft directly under Seeger's watchful eye, from Taj Mahal (who teamed with Tom Morello for a loamy rendition of "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy") to Tom Paxton.

The spirit took further flight when the stage became more of a hootenanny site than an individual showcase. That was the case for a good bit of the concert, with teamings such as Kris Kristofferson, Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Richie Havens (who joined forces on "Maggie's Farm") and the McGarrigle Family (sisters Kate and Anna and offspring Rufus and Martha Wainwright), who tackled "The River Is Wide.'