The Seeger Concert: New York Shall Rise Again Posted by Al Giordano - May 5, 2009 at 8:21 am
Here's an excerpt from that blog post:
..."The concert started out slow enough, with muddling performances by the likes of John Mellancamp and an audience mainly of sixties generation folkies with a healthy contingent of their kids and grandkids, most of which didn't sing along with his version of "If I Had a Hammer." Bruce Cockburn and Ani DiFranco had some, but not much more, success getting the so far sleepy spectators to join in on Florence Reese's coal miner anthem, "Which Side Are You On?," including some inspired new lyrics from DiFranco:
"Lord knows the free market is anything but free It costs dearly to the planet and the likes of you and me Oh, which side are you on, boys Which side are you on…"
Topical songwriter Tom Paxton, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Eric Weissberg (best known for his banjo theme for the motion picture, Deliverance), and Jacob Silver (Anarchist Orchestra) did an inspired bluegrass version of "John Henry," during which the audience showed its first stirrings of life.
Weisberg then joined Laura Cortese (Anarchist Orchestra), Michael Franti (Spearhead), and Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers) for "Dear Mr. President." One of them said, "I'm kinda glad to be singin' this for this president and not the last one." The public went wild with applause...
The mother-daughter team of Bernice Johnson Reagon (Sweet Honey and the Rock) and Toshi Reagon together with bluesman Guy Davis, Jacob Silver, and Patterson Hood (who had perhaps the most awesome night overall among all the stars assembled, his infectious enthusiasm permeating each song he, his voice and his guitar touched) led the crowd in the old gospel spiritual, "Oh, Freedom" ("and before I'll be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave, and go home to my lord and be free…").
Billy Bragg did an a capella version of "The Internacionale" - "C'est la lutte finale/ Groupons-nous et demain/ L'Internationale/ Sera le genre humain" – in English. Dar Williams and some other country-rockers sung "Union Maid."
Pete came on stage with his grandson Tao Rodríguez-Seeger, legendary bluesman Taj Mahal, Toshi Reagon, and Steve Earle, to sing what really is the theme song for riding up and down the river on the Clearwater Sloop: "Sailin' Up (Sailin' Down)." The singer says "up," the audience calls back, "down! …Up, DOWN! Down, UP! Up and down the river, sailin' on, stoppin' along the way… The river may be dirty now but it's gettin' cleaner every day…
There was a kind of mostly-Canadian lullaby section of the first set featuring Kate & Anna McGarricle, Bruce Cockburn, Emmy Lou Harris and the New York City Labor Council Chorus singing "The River Is Wide" and "If I Had Wings." It brought a curious moment when Rufus Wainwright appeared from the shadows to sing a lilting verse: a bunch of the aging boomers in Section 90 of Madison Square Garden, in unison, were asking each other "who's that?" A lesson on the market-niching of America: Outside that hall, Rufus sells more CDs and wins more Grammies than almost anyone on the stage on Sunday, but the folks, at least in my section of the arena, knew of his folky aunt and mother but not about him. Well, they sure know about him now.
There was a wonderful video interlude about Pete marrying Toshi Seeger during a World War II soldier's furlough in 1943. Not knowing many people who have been happily married for 66 years, that was hugely impressive.
Taj Mahal and Tom Morello dueted on "Waste Deep in the Big Muddy," which Seeger had sung during the Vietnam War on The Smothers Brothers TV show (the tune's "old fool" character was clearly Lyndon Baines Johnson) only to have CBS Censor it. A public outcry forced the network to invite him on again for a do-over.
Joan Baez sang an obligatory "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" And Ruby Dee took the stage backed by Bela Fleck on the banjo, reciting Pete's 1969 poem, The Torn Flag"...
-snip-
And the post continues with interesting information and comments.