RIP Richie Havens

[guildfire]

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1559103/richie-havens-folk-and-woodstock-legend-dead-at-72

[C70man]

One of my favorite performers .....saw him down at University of Illinois in 1970-71. Incredible show.

Never got another chance, but followed his career....a real person.

[BarryG]

I saw Richie Havens perform live three times.  The first was in the early 1970's at the Fillmore East.  Of course, he was quite stoned and talked about as much, if not more than, he played.  But when he played, it was magical, even from the back of the house, where I was.  The second time was in Chicago at a concert full of stars at McCormick Place in honor of Steve Goodman after he passed away.  (This incredible show included John Prine and Bonnie Raitt. Dave Bromberg led the house band.)   Havens sang just one song that I recall, a funky song called "I don't want to know."  http://youtu.be/XVoKKkMFrvQ.  Finally, I saw him in the mid-2000's at the Turning Point in Piermont, NY, which is just over the Tappan Zee Bridge in Rockland County.  To call the setting intimate is an understatement.  This time, there was more music, less rapping, than the Fillmore East show.   You could see from the sweat covering his head that he was putting his all into the music.  He always did.   If it's true that "it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing," then Havens' music was fraught with meaning and emotion.  The emotion came from his soulful singing voice and his amazing right hand.  For him, the guitar was primarily a percussion instrument. 

[C70man]

Man, I don't know how I missed that Goodman concert...I was at the Jam Productions.....Saturday January 26th, '85 Arie Crown Theatre show that also featured John, Bonnie, Mike Smith, Bonnie Koloc, Arlo, Bromberg, Jethro, and many others, but unfortunately not Richie..I cried my eyes out.....I'm soooo jealous....I must have been out of town or something....damn.