When Richie Havens Sings
April 22, 2013 4:27 PM Subscribe
Richie Havens has died. Havens, who first roared onto the national stage at Woodstock with the brilliantly improvised "Freedom," has died.
I have very little to share about it except that this one kind of kicks me in the heart. I love his voice.
I've always thought the DMP song was a nice tribute to the man. You can hear it here.
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I have very little to share about it except that this one kind of kicks me in the heart. I love his voice.
I've always thought the DMP song was a nice tribute to the man. You can hear it here.
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He will be missed. and he showed his sense of humor by participating in this. Rock on, Mr Havens.
posted by jonmc at 4:38 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by jonmc at 4:38 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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He has a pretty great bit part in I'm Not There playing Tombstone Blues.
posted by shakespeherian at 4:42 PM on April 22, 2013 [2 favorites]
He has a pretty great bit part in I'm Not There playing Tombstone Blues.
posted by shakespeherian at 4:42 PM on April 22, 2013 [2 favorites]
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Last year we discovered he lived a few blocks away from us.
posted by fings at 4:42 PM on April 22, 2013
Last year we discovered he lived a few blocks away from us.
posted by fings at 4:42 PM on April 22, 2013
Freedom. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom.
posted by emmet at 4:42 PM on April 22, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by emmet at 4:42 PM on April 22, 2013 [2 favorites]
He led a good life. The world is a little better for his being in it.
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posted by pxe2000 at 4:47 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by pxe2000 at 4:47 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
I got to see him once a number of years ago (and dragged my kids along as part of their continuing cultural education) but I passed up some later opportunities to see him perform. I just thought he'd be around forever.
posted by maurice at 4:50 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by maurice at 4:50 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
I met him on the street in London and he was unbelievably sweet and gentle. I've met a lot of famous people but he's the one I was most excited to have spoken with.
posted by staggering termagant at 4:53 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by staggering termagant at 4:53 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
I met Mr. Havens one time, in a restaurant in L.A. in 1968 while I was a roadie for a SF rock band. Hard to believe he was only five years older than I am. He seemed much older than the 27 years he must have been.
posted by Repack Rider at 4:54 PM on April 22, 2013
posted by Repack Rider at 4:54 PM on April 22, 2013
Just remembered a recent story about him. Two summers ago he played at an outdoor concert series in a park in Portsmouth, NH. Late afternoon, the skies darkened and there was an enormous downpour. The show could not go on! But Havens had the park staff open up the big tent that is usually used as storage and green room, and everyone piled in the tent and got an up close, personal acoustic concert, with the summer rain falling outside.
I wasn't there but it was one of those things where the next day, everyone who was could not stop talking about what a special moving experience it was and how generous he was to find a way.
posted by Miko at 4:56 PM on April 22, 2013 [7 favorites]
I wasn't there but it was one of those things where the next day, everyone who was could not stop talking about what a special moving experience it was and how generous he was to find a way.
posted by Miko at 4:56 PM on April 22, 2013 [7 favorites]
I don't see a link to the Woodstock Freedom video, so here it is. Havens was a fantastic artist.
posted by HuronBob at 4:57 PM on April 22, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by HuronBob at 4:57 PM on April 22, 2013 [7 favorites]
I feel like a motherless child...RIP old buddy.
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posted by bjgeiger at 4:59 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by bjgeiger at 4:59 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Drat. Knew I forgot something essential. Thanks, HuronBob.
posted by NedKoppel at 5:03 PM on April 22, 2013
posted by NedKoppel at 5:03 PM on April 22, 2013
Just remembered a recent story about him. Two summers ago he played at an outdoor concert series in a park in Portsmouth, NH. Late afternoon, the skies darkened and there was an enormous downpour. The show could not go on! But Havens had the park staff open up the big tent that is usually used as storage and green room, and everyone piled in the tent and got an up close, personal acoustic concert, with the summer rain falling outside.
I wasn't there but it was one of those things where the next day, everyone who was could not stop talking about what a special moving experience it was and how generous he was to find a way.
Miko, I want to steal your story and tell other people it. Hope you don't mind. I suspect it tells a LOT about the man and the artist.
posted by NedKoppel at 5:13 PM on April 22, 2013
I wasn't there but it was one of those things where the next day, everyone who was could not stop talking about what a special moving experience it was and how generous he was to find a way.
Miko, I want to steal your story and tell other people it. Hope you don't mind. I suspect it tells a LOT about the man and the artist.
posted by NedKoppel at 5:13 PM on April 22, 2013
♪
posted by Smart Dalek at 5:19 PM on April 22, 2013
posted by Smart Dalek at 5:19 PM on April 22, 2013
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posted by jim in austin at 5:26 PM on April 22, 2013
posted by jim in austin at 5:26 PM on April 22, 2013
I'm really sad to hear this.
I met him once, about 20 years ago. I was working as a front desk clerk at a hotel in Northampton, Massachusetts. A beautiful and smiling black man wearing lots of silver and turquoise jewelry asked to check in. "What's the name, please?" I asked. Richard Havens, he said. I looked up the reservation, dazzled by his smile and thinking how nice he smelled when it suddenly hit me.
"Oh my god, you're Richie Havens!" I blurted out, and told him how much I admired him and enjoyed his work. He smiled sweetly (what a smile he had, like he was lit up from the inside) and said he was in town to play a show, and invited me to come hang out backstage. I couldn't go, I didn't get off until long after the show would have been over.
I should have quit that job then and there.
posted by Specklet at 5:29 PM on April 22, 2013 [14 favorites]
I met him once, about 20 years ago. I was working as a front desk clerk at a hotel in Northampton, Massachusetts. A beautiful and smiling black man wearing lots of silver and turquoise jewelry asked to check in. "What's the name, please?" I asked. Richard Havens, he said. I looked up the reservation, dazzled by his smile and thinking how nice he smelled when it suddenly hit me.
"Oh my god, you're Richie Havens!" I blurted out, and told him how much I admired him and enjoyed his work. He smiled sweetly (what a smile he had, like he was lit up from the inside) and said he was in town to play a show, and invited me to come hang out backstage. I couldn't go, I didn't get off until long after the show would have been over.
I should have quit that job then and there.
posted by Specklet at 5:29 PM on April 22, 2013 [14 favorites]
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All Along The Watchtower
Someone asked me about Washington... I said Washington's groovy, and it is. For Romans.
posted by R. Mutt at 5:31 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
All Along The Watchtower
Someone asked me about Washington... I said Washington's groovy, and it is. For Romans.
posted by R. Mutt at 5:31 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by Brody's chum at 5:32 PM on April 22, 2013
posted by Brody's chum at 5:32 PM on April 22, 2013
I was fortunate enough to see Mr. Havens at a very small show at Old Dominion University around 1979 or so. Only a hundred people (at the most) showed up. Instead of begging off, he unplugged and invited everyone to sit on the floor directly in front of the "stage" (actually just a riser about a foot tall) and he played the most enjoyable two-hour acoustic set. He was toothless and rambling and soulful and just plain charming. His accompanying guitar player was phenomenal. A very memorable night.
Thanks for the evening, Richie. RIP.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 5:34 PM on April 22, 2013
Thanks for the evening, Richie. RIP.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 5:34 PM on April 22, 2013
My father once saw Havens perform at a club in Greenwich Village back in the sixties. He described the performance as "electrifying." Watching Havens open the stage at Woodstock, it's not hard to see why.
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posted by Loudmax at 5:34 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by Loudmax at 5:34 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
When I saw him play in January 1989 he was suffering from a bad head cold, sneezing, coughing and blowing his nose between songs, all the while cracking jokes about his miserable condition. Maybe not in his best voice that night, but nobody minded. The most intense but gentle, passionately compassionate performer I've ever seen.
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posted by Knappster at 5:40 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by Knappster at 5:40 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm now officially old. Noticed a mention of Richie Havens' death earlier this morning and mentioned to my 38 year old coworker. All I got was a blank stare. Sigh...
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posted by jgaiser at 5:45 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by jgaiser at 5:45 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Until I heard it on the news today, I had no idea that he played at Woodstock for three hours because the other bands were late or something. He always seemed like a really good guy.
posted by freakazoid at 6:03 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by freakazoid at 6:03 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
This one has always been significant to me:
I have no idea if the link came through. If it did not, then don't mind me....
posted by sundrop at 6:04 PM on April 22, 2013
I have no idea if the link came through. If it did not, then don't mind me....
posted by sundrop at 6:04 PM on April 22, 2013
His 1999 autobiography They Can’t Hide Us Anymore is worth searching out. Near the beginning he writes, "My mom’s parents came from the British colonies in the Caribbean; my father’s father was a Blackfoot Native American from Montana who traveled the country with Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show." Near the end, "Sometimes I think people are right to believe there really are aliens among us. In fact, I know they are right—except for one thing. the aliens among us are not from outer space. The aliens among us are our kids. And if we really know what’s good for us, we’d better pay attention to what they are saying. Like the aliens in science fiction stories, they are getting ready to take over the world.
Definitely someone who made the world better by being in it. RIP.
posted by LeLiLo at 6:13 PM on April 22, 2013 [4 favorites]
Definitely someone who made the world better by being in it. RIP.
posted by LeLiLo at 6:13 PM on April 22, 2013 [4 favorites]
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posted by JohnnyGunn at 6:15 PM on April 22, 2013
posted by JohnnyGunn at 6:15 PM on April 22, 2013
RIP, Mr Havens, and the wind at your back
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posted by Fibognocchi at 6:22 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by Fibognocchi at 6:22 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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My partner and I went to see him at a small concert hall in Napa a couple years ago, more to see another guitarist who was touring with him (Walter Parks) than to see Richie Havens. I'd expected a mellow folksy sort of thing, and so wasn't prepared for the absolutely fantastic time I had listening to a living legend recount his part in the history of rock and roll in between singing and playing his heart out. He had so much life and so much energy, it's strange to think he's gone. His "All Along the Watchtower" will always be my heart's canon.
posted by rhiannonstone at 6:53 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
My partner and I went to see him at a small concert hall in Napa a couple years ago, more to see another guitarist who was touring with him (Walter Parks) than to see Richie Havens. I'd expected a mellow folksy sort of thing, and so wasn't prepared for the absolutely fantastic time I had listening to a living legend recount his part in the history of rock and roll in between singing and playing his heart out. He had so much life and so much energy, it's strange to think he's gone. His "All Along the Watchtower" will always be my heart's canon.
posted by rhiannonstone at 6:53 PM on April 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
I don't see a link to the Woodstock Freedom video, so here it is.
That iconic footage only looks like it was shot from a low angle. Richie Havens was a giant, in every sense of the word.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:17 PM on April 22, 2013
That iconic footage only looks like it was shot from a low angle. Richie Havens was a giant, in every sense of the word.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:17 PM on April 22, 2013
I'll copy and paste what I wrote and posted to FB earlier today, as it sums up my feelings about the man:
You could power a city block for a week with the energy of his right hand on that acoustic guitar. He brought his own indelible melodic stamp to the many great songs he covered, transforming them into expressions of his own soul in a way we could all feel and rejoice in. His voice was one of the warmest and most soothing that ever graced the stages and turntables and CD players of our world. And he remained an inspiration right up to the end, with a big, open spirit and calm sense of humble dignity. The very definition of "aging gracefully", for he was surely one graceful soul. We don't see the likes of Richard P. Havens very often. I'm happy I could share some time on the planet with such a man. RIP Richie Havens.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:29 PM on April 22, 2013 [3 favorites]
You could power a city block for a week with the energy of his right hand on that acoustic guitar. He brought his own indelible melodic stamp to the many great songs he covered, transforming them into expressions of his own soul in a way we could all feel and rejoice in. His voice was one of the warmest and most soothing that ever graced the stages and turntables and CD players of our world. And he remained an inspiration right up to the end, with a big, open spirit and calm sense of humble dignity. The very definition of "aging gracefully", for he was surely one graceful soul. We don't see the likes of Richard P. Havens very often. I'm happy I could share some time on the planet with such a man. RIP Richie Havens.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:29 PM on April 22, 2013 [3 favorites]
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posted by Slithy_Tove at 7:32 PM on April 22, 2013
posted by Slithy_Tove at 7:32 PM on April 22, 2013
A fine performer and musician, and a geniunely decent and kind man.
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posted by Jughead at 8:05 PM on April 22, 2013
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posted by Jughead at 8:05 PM on April 22, 2013
AAARRRRGGHHHH
But right now we need more Richie Havens!
AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHH
*
posted by Mike Mongo at 8:22 PM on April 22, 2013 [3 favorites]
But right now we need more Richie Havens!
AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHH
*
posted by Mike Mongo at 8:22 PM on April 22, 2013 [3 favorites]
Ah no, not another one. The heavenly jam session has got to be great now!
RIP, Richie.
posted by Lynsey at 8:32 PM on April 22, 2013
RIP, Richie.
posted by Lynsey at 8:32 PM on April 22, 2013
I just went out to the garage and pulled out the obscure "The End of the Beginning" record.
No hits. not a one. But it still sounds great.
A couple of years ago, for reasons I know not why, he played in Antioch California. I photographed the show for the theater and passed a few smiles with him. What a delightful man.
posted by cccorlew at 8:53 PM on April 22, 2013
No hits. not a one. But it still sounds great.
A couple of years ago, for reasons I know not why, he played in Antioch California. I photographed the show for the theater and passed a few smiles with him. What a delightful man.
posted by cccorlew at 8:53 PM on April 22, 2013
With all due respect to David Gilmour, Richie Havens did the definitive version of "On the Turning Away."
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posted by MrBadExample at 10:14 PM on April 22, 2013
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posted by MrBadExample at 10:14 PM on April 22, 2013
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posted by From Bklyn at 11:27 PM on April 22, 2013
posted by From Bklyn at 11:27 PM on April 22, 2013
I really like this live medley of Tupelo Honey and Just Like A Woman from a BBC appearance.
posted by marsha56 at 12:11 AM on April 23, 2013
posted by marsha56 at 12:11 AM on April 23, 2013
I've always felt that Richie Havens should be painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. A new improved prophet, not crying wrath and brimstone but forgiveness and compassion. He is truly a giant among us.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 12:11 AM on April 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by a humble nudibranch at 12:11 AM on April 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
He didn't just play a guitar, he played the hell out of a guitar.
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posted by tommasz at 5:12 AM on April 23, 2013
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posted by tommasz at 5:12 AM on April 23, 2013
Mr. Havens was my first concert, at 12 years old. I don't remember a whole lot of that concert, but I have a very specific memory of him playing All Along the Watchtower in an open tuning, barreing the chords with his enormous thumb. There was something about playing that song with so much energy, and so simply, that had a real influence in how I approached guitar from then on.
It looks like he never changed how he played that song.
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posted by god hates math at 5:22 AM on April 23, 2013
It looks like he never changed how he played that song.
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posted by god hates math at 5:22 AM on April 23, 2013
so sad. It's always performers like this that you wish could live forever. I know someday Phil and Mickey will pass, and it pains.
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posted by zombieApoc at 6:05 AM on April 23, 2013
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posted by zombieApoc at 6:05 AM on April 23, 2013
He actually had a great career profile, he kept ... coming back ...
Long before Woodstock, among the first folk revivalists he was
already quite renowned for his version of "San Francisco Bay Blues".
All the other folkies and jug bands freely acknowledged that he
OWNED that song, to the extent that they dropped it from their
repertoires. The 80's were a cruel decade for roots musicians, but
he persevered. The later commercial work was above criticism; like
poor Nick Drake, anything, anything, that kept that voice in public
was worth it.
posted by Chitownfats at 7:00 AM on April 23, 2013
Long before Woodstock, among the first folk revivalists he was
already quite renowned for his version of "San Francisco Bay Blues".
All the other folkies and jug bands freely acknowledged that he
OWNED that song, to the extent that they dropped it from their
repertoires. The 80's were a cruel decade for roots musicians, but
he persevered. The later commercial work was above criticism; like
poor Nick Drake, anything, anything, that kept that voice in public
was worth it.
posted by Chitownfats at 7:00 AM on April 23, 2013
Very short Richie Havens story: A few years ago I boarded a flight with my son, who was just one, toddling down the aisle behind me. Havens was already seated. As we passed him, he looked down at my son, smiled a big beautiful smile and said, "he's the future!" What a nice guy.
posted by bassomatic at 7:16 AM on April 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by bassomatic at 7:16 AM on April 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
My younger sister met Richie Havens. He was very sweet. She came home very thrilled about it.
He was really a good guy as well as a wonderful singer.
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posted by Katjusa Roquette at 7:57 AM on April 23, 2013
He was really a good guy as well as a wonderful singer.
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posted by Katjusa Roquette at 7:57 AM on April 23, 2013
I saw a documentary once that described the Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1960s, and how the coffee house performers would each do short sets of three or four songs, after which they would pass a hat among the crowd. The other performers often demanded that Havens go last because his sets gathered so much money from the audience there was nothing left for anyone who followed him.
An awesome performer and, by all accounts, a wonderful man. We need more like him.
posted by rocket88 at 10:24 AM on April 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
An awesome performer and, by all accounts, a wonderful man. We need more like him.
posted by rocket88 at 10:24 AM on April 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
I love Richie. Saw him play about 10 years ago. Much energy and good vibes. What a great timeless dude. RIP
posted by Liquidwolf at 12:40 PM on April 23, 2013
posted by Liquidwolf at 12:40 PM on April 23, 2013
1970 Afton Down, Isle of Wight, early; at the very end of the very last set as a grey day was breaking Richie changed it all to ''Here comes the Dawn''.
Later that day he ''married '' some friends of mine.
He was one of those people who made Peace and Love seem a reality.
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posted by adamvasco at 6:23 PM on April 23, 2013
Later that day he ''married '' some friends of mine.
He was one of those people who made Peace and Love seem a reality.
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posted by adamvasco at 6:23 PM on April 23, 2013
In '85 or '86, there was a traveling Vietnam war memorial event at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston, TX.
The crowd was a blend of veterans, the long-bereaved, former activists, those nostalgic for the hippie era, people interested in various combinations of those viewpoints, and the families of all concerned. The intensity of emotion was high, as you can imagine.
My mom had lost several high school friends to the war, had been an activist, and was torn between nostalgia and exasperation by that point. We went and somehow managed to snag seats in the amphitheater, even though we normally sat on the grassy hill for events there.
There were some speeches - General Westmoreland's received a notably mixed reception - and then Mr. Havens came out. He didn't approach his place on the stage like a legend of his era. Instead, he seemed to radiate an air of focus and calm that drew all eyes toward him and settled the jangled nerves before he even played a note, even in the wave of anticipation that washed through the crowd.
And then he played "Handsome Johnny". He updated it to include the military efforts of the time. I'd grown up with his music from infant on. I was a child of the Cold War. My parents were full-on hippies. I was an anti-war activist for my own generation, and an impassioned teenager to boot. And this performance - this moment of sharing space with this man known for his grounding, inspiring contributions to a chaotic scene - transformed my entire focus on my own history and how I would approach the future. He played other songs (the relieved weeping and ecstatic smiles during "Here Comes the Sun" will live with me forever), but his acknowledgement of how we'd come to this place together and how we were likely to repeat these patterns with even less self-awareness than before...he became a hero to me in that moment.
I know I'm not doing the performance or my admiration for his humanity justice, but putting words to the emotions and reactions that rippled and ignited through the crowd and within myself is turning out to be surprisingly difficult. He went from being a pleasant and appreciated voice from music around the house to being a touchstone for trying to be a better steward of my humanity.
It is so sad to me that I never did write a letter or anything else to thank him for this. I know he received a lot of admiration and positive attention. I just feel like I owed him that. All I can do now is hope that all those who love him are able to heal from losing him and can take comfort in the beautiful legacy he created.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Havens. Thank you for all you gave us.
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posted by batmonkey at 9:25 AM on April 24, 2013
The crowd was a blend of veterans, the long-bereaved, former activists, those nostalgic for the hippie era, people interested in various combinations of those viewpoints, and the families of all concerned. The intensity of emotion was high, as you can imagine.
My mom had lost several high school friends to the war, had been an activist, and was torn between nostalgia and exasperation by that point. We went and somehow managed to snag seats in the amphitheater, even though we normally sat on the grassy hill for events there.
There were some speeches - General Westmoreland's received a notably mixed reception - and then Mr. Havens came out. He didn't approach his place on the stage like a legend of his era. Instead, he seemed to radiate an air of focus and calm that drew all eyes toward him and settled the jangled nerves before he even played a note, even in the wave of anticipation that washed through the crowd.
And then he played "Handsome Johnny". He updated it to include the military efforts of the time. I'd grown up with his music from infant on. I was a child of the Cold War. My parents were full-on hippies. I was an anti-war activist for my own generation, and an impassioned teenager to boot. And this performance - this moment of sharing space with this man known for his grounding, inspiring contributions to a chaotic scene - transformed my entire focus on my own history and how I would approach the future. He played other songs (the relieved weeping and ecstatic smiles during "Here Comes the Sun" will live with me forever), but his acknowledgement of how we'd come to this place together and how we were likely to repeat these patterns with even less self-awareness than before...he became a hero to me in that moment.
I know I'm not doing the performance or my admiration for his humanity justice, but putting words to the emotions and reactions that rippled and ignited through the crowd and within myself is turning out to be surprisingly difficult. He went from being a pleasant and appreciated voice from music around the house to being a touchstone for trying to be a better steward of my humanity.
It is so sad to me that I never did write a letter or anything else to thank him for this. I know he received a lot of admiration and positive attention. I just feel like I owed him that. All I can do now is hope that all those who love him are able to heal from losing him and can take comfort in the beautiful legacy he created.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Havens. Thank you for all you gave us.
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posted by batmonkey at 9:25 AM on April 24, 2013
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posted by NedKoppel at 4:29 PM on April 22, 2013