With all due respect Tinker, I don't think that we give the Folk Community enough credit with our political influence. It was only by an incredibly slim margin that George W. Bush was elected President. Only a handful of votes in Florida decided the outcome of that election so it doesn't need to be tens of thousands of voters attending a concert to sway an election.

Joy, I'm intrigued with your comment about the Grand Bard not being able to sing Stephen Foster songs. Do you know why? There was a very popular CD of Stephen Foster songs "Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster" released a few years ago with such performers as Alvin Youngblood Hart, Roger McGuinn, Allison Kraus and John Prine. A Kentucky Derby tradition is the singing "My Old Kentucky Home". Granted, the lyrics are a little more "PC".