Anthology

By Mike Hall | examiner.com

Richie Havens is usually described as a folk artist, but that hardly scratches the surface of who he is as a performer and a person. Best known for his rousing Woodstock folk anthem, “Freedom,” there are elements of rock, blues, world music and classical guitar in his repertoire.

He grew up in Brooklyn in the ’40s and ’50s, and he speaks fondly of “crossing the bridge” to another world in Greenwich Village in the ’60s. There he hung out with beat poets and artists, teaching himself to draw portraits on the street and play guitar. He frequented coffee shops and small clubs and listened to folk music into the night. He got to know Jack Kerouac, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Peter, Paul and Mary.

And it was there he developed his love of live performance, of connecting personally with the crowd, and improvising. So when he found himself at Woodstock, he was fine with taking the stage first instead of his scheduled fifth spot. Instead of walking out from backstage, he rode in a helicopter for the first time, getting a bird’s eye view of the half million strong (and growing) crowd. And instead of his scheduled twenty minute set, he was asked to keep playing. Six encores later, and at almost three hours, he improvised “Freedom” from the old spiritual “Motherless Child.” He said he felt like his grandmother was with him that day, helping him find the words.

Havens described the whole Woodstock experience as “beautiful chaos.”

When Richie takes the stage this Saturday at Anthology, you can expect the unexpected. He never has a set playlist, other than choosing the first song and the last song ahead of time. He prefers to take things as they come, and have one song inspire the next. To feed off of the crowd. Drawing from his deep library of original music or one of his uniquely realized cover songs, he’s never at a loss for words.

When we spoke on the phone, I was struck with how open and personable he was. He came across as unassuming and almost quiet, in stark contrast to his powerful, booming singing voice. He’s quick with a story, and in talking to him it becomes very clear that peace and harmony aren’t just lyrics to him, they’re a way of life. As I tried to steer the conversation to reveal something more about him and his talent, he always seemed to drift back to his audience, creating a common bond with the crowd, and the magic of Woodstock:

“Everybody calls it Woodstock, but it wasn’t actually in Woodstock. It was in Bethel, New York. And Bethel means ‘sacred place.'”

Richie has never stopped performing, but he’s been rediscovered by a whole new generation of fans due to last summer’s 40th anniversary of Woodstock and the Ang Lee film, “Taking Woodstock.”

You can expect to hear “Freedom” Saturday night, and most likely his hit version of George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun.” And there’s also likely to be at least one Dylan song in there, whether it’s “All Along the Watchtower,” “Just Like a Woman” or “Tombstone Blues.” Nobody knows, including Richie. Expect beautiful chaos.

Richie Havens will play two shows, 7:30 and 9:30, and he sold out the place last year. If you’re a fan of folk, rock, the blues, Woodstock, social causes, peace or harmony, don’t miss this show.

http://www.anthologysd.com

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Via examiner.com