1996-09-29 Severance Hall, Cleveland, OH

Scheduled: 19:30 Local Start Time ??:?? / End Time ??:??

Info & Setlist | Venue

Woody Guthrie tribute concert featuring numerous musicians and highlighted by Springsteen's first ever performance with folk icon Pete Seeger. The first six songs listed feature Springsteen solo or in the lead role. The last four songs listed feature Springsteen in a support/background role. Other performers from the night include Joe Ely, Arlo Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Billy Bragg, Pete Seeger, Ani DiFranco, Dave Pirner, Indigo Girls, Country Joe McDonald, Jimmy LaFave, Paul Metsa, Syd Straw, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Tim Robbins (who introduces Bruce), Fred Hellerman, Peter Glazer, and Craig Werner.

Woody Guthrie Tribute Concert

29.09.96 Cleveland, OH, intro to ´Car Car´
´´I was going through this Guthrie song….I was kind of excited because….I said ´Hmmm, automobiles….that´s my business….Mr.Guthrie….no disrespect but that´s my business´ (chuckles) and then….I came on, of course…..”

29.09.96 Cleveland, OH, intro to ´Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportees)´ (following ´Car Car´)
´´Shit, why didn´t I think of that ? (chuckles) directness (chuckles) directness (chuckles) oh, here´s one of my, uh….favorite Woody Guthrie songs….and uh…even as far back as (?), it´s one of those songs that….explains, I think, why his music´s been lasting forever….even as far back as the, in the Depression, I think that Woody Guthrie understood that people coming across the border working for almost no money….doing jobs nobody else wants to do, encouraged by American businesses to do so, is not the problem (chuckles) you know….that somebody wants to make you think it is….”

29.09.96 Cleveland, OH, intro to ‘Across the Border’
‘‘Asked, uh….me to do one of my own songs….this is uh….I don’t know, I guess, uh….. there was always some spiritual center at the, amid Woody’s songs, amidst all, amidst all the fun and….and tough optimism and uh….he always projected a sense of good times in the face of it all…and the thing he did the most, I think, was he always got you thinking about the next guy, he took you out of yourself….out of yourself, it’s hard….that’s something to be able to do….and he, uh….just got you thinking about….your neighbor in some sense and uh….I guess ….was that idea that, uh….salvation isn´t individual….and that, uh….we sort of….maybe we don´t rise and fall on our own, you know…anyway….so I wanna do this tonight for Harold Levinthal and Arlo and Nora and especially for Pete Seeger, people who´ve kept Woody’s flame burning and alive for so long….and so many others….”

Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi

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