Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, MA
through July 15, 2012
by Eric Sutter
A hot and humid weekend had folks cool drinking during a
euphony of music in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Woody Guthrie's
birthday. Three stages and three generations of Guthries made for a festive
family reunion. Main-staged Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion kicked it off
with a folk song about their Berkshire home, "When The Lilacs Are In
Bloom." Wonderful harmonies colored Woody's "Pastures Of Plenty"
and their own "Bright Examples." The Meltdown Stage featured the
whimsy sounds of the Sweetback Sisters. Kids also loved Eloise the Great with
the ukulele. Chuck Prophet rocked a "Summertime Thing" for older
kids. He posed the question, "Who Put The Bomp?" in a modern rock
style.
The hip-shakin' Charles Bradley expressed deep emotion with
the splits, sweat and a slow burn of soul wrenching heartache. His pain
conjured a funky, "Heart Of Gold" and his "Never Give Up On
Love" rave. A kids Mardi Gras parade ensued to the beat of Dixieland.
Later, couples danced to the Latin roots-rock hits of Los Lobos. As dusk
settled, hot air balloons lifted as the last of the frisbee players left yonder
field. The Guthrie clan sang "Kindness" to the main throng of the
large audience. Arlo and Sara Lee sang "Oklahoma Hills." The whole
family rocked "Coming into Los Angeles" with Abe's stand-out keyboard
solo. His son Krishna handled electric guitar on Wilco's "Airplane To
Heaven." The fun sing-along ended with a spirited "My Peace."
Day two caught the "Ramblin' Round" spirit of Woody.
Day two featured Nashvillian Elizabeth Cook, who performed
country and gospel. Her take on Merle Haggard's "Today, I Started Loving
You" raised smiles. With a voice that tingled, she took the stage by storm
with the gospel rave-up "Hear Jerusalem Calling." Chris Smither
mellowed down easy with his fingerstyle guitar Delta Blues. Master British
guitarist Richard Thompson performed songs from "Walking On Wire"
including his classic "1952 Vincent Black Lightning." Peter Mulvey
sang a warm vibed set at the Meltdown Stage ending with "Knuckleball
Suite." The Reggae music of The Alchemystics competed with an appearance
by powerhouse zydeco player C.J. Chenier on Yonder Stage. Green River had
something for everyone, including awesome food.
