The highlight of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Saturday was Steve Earle and the Bluegrass Dukes closing the main stage with Woody Guthrie‘s This Land is Your Land. My wife has been trying to create a political video to support Barack Obama using this anthem for the working man, and was in contact with Nora Guthrie (Woody’s daughter), who made an introduction to Steve Earle, who responded enthusiastically. We don’t know if all the performance rights can be worked out, but it was a tremendous moment for us tonight. As always Steve delivered a dynamite show, this year in the bluegrass style, with personal favorites like Carrie Brown, Jeruasalem, and Lowell George’s Willin’. They played in a true acoustic style with a central microphone, so the sound was uneven at times, but overall it was a lot of fun.
We had a great spot at the Banjo stage on the side of the embankment, and though we were prepared for rain soon realized that we had forgotten our sunscreent. Unfortunately we arrived too late for Jimmie Dale Gilmore, but heard Laurie Lewis and Friends (including Alison Brown, and Dudley Connell) deliver Val’s Cabin and Texas Bluebonnets among the usual numbers.
Peter Rowan‘s bluegrass band came on immediately after, with Jodie Stecker on mandolin. He is a bluegrass festival unto himself, so his abbreviated set could not do him justice, but we did hear Panama Red.
Hot Rize continued the bluegrass sound with their fabulous harmonies — I wish there were more harmonies. Of course one of my favorites was the famous Colleen Malone.
Three Girls and their Buddy (Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, Buddy Miller) did a singer-songwriter circle, with several round with each singer accompanied by Buddy.
Just before Earle, came the famous Odetta in her first appearance at the festival, arriving in a wheelchair and accompanied on piano. Though her voice wasn’t loud, it was still powerful and full of passion as she sang songs of Leadbelly and Bessie Smith.
My only regrets were that I missed Richard Thompson and Dave Alvin. I’ll have to try to catch them at Slim’s.