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July 15, 2012 at 5:07 pm #42819LafayetteParticipant
I was in a hat, lwj, 😀 but I was standing in the “second row.” I may have been hanging on the fence had I not taken the wrong bridge crossing over into Canada and had to drive through countryside to get to Sarnia. A five hour drive turned into seven.
Loved Sarnia and all the locals. Everyone INCREDIBLY nice. I had a really fun time considering I was by myself on this trip.
July 15, 2012 at 6:39 pm #42820LWjettaParticipant@Lafayette wrote:
I was in a hat, lwj, 😀 but I was standing in the “second row.” I may have been hanging on the fence had I not taken the wrong bridge crossing over into Canada and had to drive through countryside to get to Sarnia. A five hour drive turned into seven.
Loved Sarnia and all the locals. Everyone INCREDIBLY nice. I had a really fun time considering I was by myself on this trip.
You must have crossed at Detroit/Windsor rather than the Bluewater Bridge at Port Huron, MI to Sarnia. Time to re-calibrate your GPS 😆
Very glad you had a great time and I wish I could have made it there but I’m considering Farm Aid. Only one of the big stah’s I haven’t seen live is Mr. Nelson.lwj
July 16, 2012 at 1:30 am #42821LafayetteParticipantYou must have crossed at Detroit/Windsor rather than the Bluewater Bridge at Port Huron, MI to Sarnia. Time to re-calibrate your GPS 😆
That sums it up in a nutshell. Customs agent was really cool. He ended up writing directions for me after the typical border crossing queries which included : Where are you going? Are you traveling by yourself? My Sarnia response prompted him to look at my GPS and he told me it was going to turn me around so he asked if I had paper and he wrote some general directions to take me through the countryside. Bob pulled out a map today and showed me (who travels with a map when you have a GPS? Answer: not me 😆 ) the lay of the land. I understand now and it confirms that the border agent didn’t punk me, as I was beginning to think, the longer I drove.
July 16, 2012 at 5:32 am #42822LafayetteParticipant@Lefty wrote:
Here’s my annual JM post, CB:
July 11, 2012
John Mellencamp’s Poetic Tribute to Woody Guthrie
By THE NEW YORK TIMESIn this week’s Arts & Leisure section, Larry Rohter writes about “Woody at 100,” a new collection released on Tuesday. The three-CD set commemorates the centennial of Woody Guthrie’s birth on July 14.
John Mellencamp, a fan of Guthrie’s since his childhood in Indiana, has recorded Guthrie compositions like “Do Re Mi” and “Johnny Hart.” For the 100th anniversary of Guthrie’s birth Mr. Mellencamp has written this poem as a tribute:
You know there’s a certain kind of individual
Who always takes the rough side
The side that nobody else wants to take
Most folks are content to take the path of least resistance
To sit on the sidelines and watch the world go by
And yell obscenities from the dark
Not this bird
He has no desire to take the easy way out
He sees the world through a long lens
And through that lens he knows
How out of kilter this place really is
He has no desire for riches
For ass-kissing, for fitting in
Or being at the right place at the right time
No, for him it’s just the opposite
Quite the contrary
It seems like he’s always in the wrong place
At the wrong time
He knows the world is full of hypocrisy
And is hyper aware of his own
This bird is not afraid to fight
To love
To get so far out there in the bones
That it would hurt our feet just to walk down his highway
But this bird soars wings on
This bird keeps us on guard
And honest
As the rest of us can be
This bird don’t mind volunteering
Is not afraid to lose
Is too moral to be a whore
And too honest to steal
But cares enough to write it all down in song ….
This bird is Woody Guthrie
And he dares you to fill his footprint
And so do I
A friend posted following YouTube on her facebook page in honor of Woody’s birthday. It’s JM covering “Oklahoma Hills.” I hadn’t seen this footage prior. A little trivia.
John was on a camping trip with his family, traveling around in an RV. He got this idea to start showing up in random parks/public places across the country and playing for free, as a thank you to his fans for supporting him over the years. This was before the advent of social media as we know it, i.e. facebook, twitter, myspace, etc to spread the word. After a few stops, word started getting out through his website & yahoo list as well as some media coverage. JM was doing these free shows, with a few musicians in tow (not part of his studio or stage band), a microphone, an amp, and a couple of speakers. That was it.
Shot in Cincinnati in 2000. Yes, I was there, about 7 rows back.
The footage is considered rare from a fan’s perspective. John disliked having his picture taken during shows (at that time). He had a strict no camera policy. However, at these stops, once the word started getting out, fans were encouraged to shoot video and pictures.
The “tour” was referred to as “The Good Samaritan” tour.
http://articles.cnn.com/2000-08-31/entertainment/wb.mellancamp_1_john-mellencamp-classic-hits-farm-aid?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ
The audio isn’t all that great.
August 24, 2012 at 9:27 pm #42823LWjettaParticipantHey Lafayette;
Great to see that Lu and JM will be at the special Guthrie show.
Just to let you know it’s too looooong a drive to Hershey, PA for this year’s Farm Aid but I’m going to the Canadian equivalent.
An outdoor festival next Saturday, Sept. 1st in Dundas, Ontario called “Greenbelt Harvest Picnic” to support local farmers.(It’s about an hour’s drive for me.)
The lineup is great including: Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois, Feist and many others.Here’s the scoop.
http://www.harvestpicnic.ca/lwj
September 20, 2012 at 10:09 pm #42824LWjettaParticipantLafayette, sure hope you and your DH have a grand time in Hershey, Pa this Saturday for Farm Aid.
Looking forward to your usual colorful report.
I’ll be tuning in to the live webcast Saturday night.lwj
September 23, 2012 at 4:30 pm #42825LWjettaParticipant@LWjetta wrote:
Lafayette, sure hope you and your DH have a grand time in Hershey, Pa this Saturday for Farm Aid.
Looking forward to your usual colorful report.
I’ll be tuning in to the live webcast Saturday night.lwj
The webcast came in clear as a bell, Lafayette.
During JM’s “Check it Out” the camera panned the crowd by the stage for a few seconds but you were nowwhere to be seen like other years.
Ms. Potter for the guys was certainly great on the eyes.
Every weekend I support my local Farmer’s Market.
Hope you had a great time and did you visit the chocolate factory there ?lwj
October 5, 2012 at 5:33 pm #42828LafayetteParticipantWe had a great time, as usual. As far as cameras go, it looked as though they were focusing on different areas of the crowd, no where near me. I was in the 8th row, center, but I think next year I will just try my luck for tickets through the regular channels, be where they may. The VIP seats are nice but the price increased this past year and they have passed my cap limit plus not too impressed with the VIP extras. Each year the experience is a little more diminished.
We didn’t make it to the chocolate factory. We tried but I did some volunteer stuff on Friday and Saturday. We did some pre show & after show dinner/drinks, and brunch the day after show – lots of socializing meant less time to be a tourist.
October 5, 2012 at 5:38 pm #42829LafayetteParticipantOctober 6, 2012 at 1:11 am #42830musicloverParticipantGreat pix. Thanks for the link.
MusicloverOctober 7, 2012 at 9:45 pm #42827LWjettaParticipant@Lafayette wrote:
My friend had a photo pass in the pit. Some amazing shots of the concert including Grace Potter, Neil Young, Kenny Chesney, Dave Matthews, Willie & JM.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharononthemove/sets/72157631628101501/
Lafayette, great reporting as usual and the pics. are superb. Is your photographer friend “smitten“
with band member Troye ? 😆 There were as many pics. of him as for JM or NEIL.lwj
October 8, 2012 at 5:32 am #42826LafayetteParticipantNo problem musiclover, I’m glad you enjoyed them!
lwj – No, my friend is not smitten with Troye. Nada. 😀
November 14, 2012 at 9:24 pm #42831LafayetteParticipantGreat summary of the Mellencamp/King musical with an Elvis Costello track from the upcoming CD release of the musical “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County” next March.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/john-mellencamps-musical-with-stephen-king-nearing-completion-20121114
November 16, 2012 at 2:46 am #42832LafayetteParticipantMore “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County” including info on release of soundtrack with Elvis Costello, Roseanne Cash, Neko Case, Phil & Dave Alvin, Kris Kristofferson, Sheryl Crow, Taj Mahal, and more.
http://www.ghostbrothersofdarklandcounty.com/
April 2, 2013 at 10:47 pm #42833LWjettaParticipant04.02.2013 – Mack, Jack & McConaughey (MJ&M), the joint fundraising effort of actor Matthew McConaughey, recording artist Jack Ingram, and Texas head football coach Mack Brown, announced today that Grammy Award-winning artist John Mellencamp will headline its Gala Night on April 11, 2013 as part of MJ&M’s inaugural, two-day event in Austin, Texas. Opening for John Mellencamp will be Austin’s very own Dale Watson.
So, Ms. Lafayette are you heading down to Austin ?
This thread on JM was getting a bit dusty so I thought I would post this before Lefty makes his annual contribution to the thread. 😆
lwj
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