[Virginia>Oregon?]: [[[I
was enraged this night for reasons totally outside of the show, so take
everything I say down several notches.]]] Ed is Jeff Buckley, Tom Petty,
Richard Thompson, Tom Cochrane. But mostly Bruce Springsteen. His musical
influences are less important than the emotion of his performance. So, first,
the crowd’s emotional level was highly uncomfortable for me – people were waving
their hands, singing along. I hate groupthink as a principle – but
emotionally-infused groupthink… horror, seriously. I already knew Doverlaff
house concerts cater to the 60s counterculture crowd, a theoretical I adored as
a teen. Attending these house concerts has totally clarified for me how growing
up in the West Coast shaped my adolescent self. This concert clarified for me the
aspects of 60s counterculture ‘radicalism’ that make me insane. Ed Hanyes was
engorged with his import as a person – sincere, hopeful, romantic. “Hallejulah
no matter what” (which turned into a freestyle singalong with the crowd). Some
other choice bits: “The glass is half full. This glass is heartbreakingly
beaituful.” “Freedom won’t be freedom til poverty is gone.” “with open mind and
hearts” “we do not have the luxury of despair” … it was a lot. An Ed cover
could make Leonard Cohen sound like Julie Andrews. There was, though, an old
fellow I took to in the crowd. An old fellow in overalls. The overalls weren’t
actually fashionable or ironic …. because he was old, like all the other
fellows in the crowd. He had Texas history and told me Ed played at the
Kerrville Folk Festival, which went some way with me because I am a terrible bigot
for Austin. I enjoyed Ed’s story about how he and his daughter exchanged songs
they like as he drove her back to college – an old favorite game of me &
Rockboy’s. And I believe Ed is involved politically with his wife, so he’s
legitimately doing good work. Anyway, though,… Ed’s emotional output was so intense
TheBirds&TheBeesANDTheFlowers had to sit back. Many peace signs were thrown.
x
x
Comments
Post a Comment