Posted by Dwight
It was another eventful night at the Free Times on Tuesday at the last show before our Summer break. The club was packed...even the VIP lounge (i.e. overflow) was full!
The night featured a tribute to the recently departed Ronnie Gilbert and the Weavers. In addition to 'House of the Rising Sun' and 'Goodnight Irene', we debuted Ronnie’s version of 'Study War No More' to an audience in full voice. She had such a unique approach to her leads and Michelle and Sue did a wonderful job of making it seem like Ronnie was in the room for those special moments.
The evening was also unique in that we played a spontaneously totally unplugged version of 'We Shall Overcome'. This unplanned break gave our trusty soundman Alex a chance to work out a few tech bugs. It also created one of those tingly campfire moments that we’ll remember for a long time.
We also played our second round of folk trivia giving the audience the chance to win some fun prizes. Among other gems, we learned that Malvina Reynolds who wrote 'Little Boxes' later went on to appear on Sesame Street (but not Hee Haw).
The evening closed with rollicking versions of 'If I Had a Hammer', 'Times Are a Changing’ and 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone'.
We’re taking a break for the Summer, which will give us some time to review the more than 100 song requests we’ve received from you. We’ll add a handful for the Fall season, which starts officially on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at the Free Times. Make sure to drop back to this site as we announce our summer plans.
Thanks to Judy and the great staff at the Free Times. And a big thanks to all of you, our wonderful folk friends, for joining with us to “bring back that feeling of community and song from those far away days!” as one of you commented.
