{solsc} 8/31 #sol18 More Than I Expected

https://www.arloguthrie.com/shows

Sometimes, a concert is an more than the songs being played. Sometimes it's glimpse into music history, into a music family, and sometimes it's a reminder that the more things change, the more things stay the same.

And that's what Arlo Guthrie gave us last night.

To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have picked out this concert, but Arlo is was on my husband's music bucket list. He's been a fan of Guthrie's for over fifty years. The concert was about two and half hours away, so of course we went.

This tour was a dream of Woody Guthrie's, a family band, so to speak, so joining Arlo were his kids. They were not a disappointment. But it was the stories told between songs that made the story songs so meaningful. Who knew that Woody Guthrie sang a song called Deportee back in the '20's. It certainly resonated with the crowd last night.

He sang/talked Alice's Restaurant with lots of new material and bits of wisdom. The most important lesson, sing/speak loud before the "collectors" come to get you. He sang old blues songs of the friends of his father's (a history lesson in itself) telling us he first heard it and tried to sing it at thirteen (you can't sing the blues at thirteen).

Before singing This Land is Your Land, he shared that when he started a new school they sang this song to start the day, and he didn't know the words to it! It was just one of those songs dad sang at home. He didn't know everyone knew it! So Woody told him to get his guitar and taught him first to play it and then taught him the lyrics. It was magical to hear him sing it.

But, I leave you with the encore. Because it was the message of the night. The words are Woody's, the music are Arlo's, the wish is everyone's