Sunday, May 3, 2009

Happy 90th, Pete Seeger!


Oh, how nice it would be to have a spot at Madison Square Garden tonight for the 90th Birthday concert for Pete Seeger, our national treasure. The line-up of musicians who've gathered in NYC to honor Seeger is tremendous.
Two years ago, my partner and I saw "The Power of Song" at the Dobie Theatre when the film came out, and we later took our teenage neighbor to see it. She learned about some US history that isn't widely taught, such as the attacks on First Amendment freedoms during the McCarthy witch hunts.
Pete Seeger rose above the ugliness of that period by standing firm for his freedoms and maintaining his community-mindedness and his fundamental belief in the goodness of human beings. The positive influence of his lyrics and music has reached millions, and he remains a man of the people.
I like the way the ticket prices for tonight's concert started at $19.19 (his birth year) and averaged $90, his age today. The concert benefits the Clearwater, his Hudson River Sloop that has done so much to raise environmental awareness in the Hudson River Valley.
Happy Birthday, Pete Seeger!

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