Title:Concert By: Peter, Paul, and Mary Released by: Peter, Paul, and Mary Released on: 2000 Rating (out of 10): 10 Date: 10/22/2001
Peter, Paul, and Mary in Concert
When you go to a Peter, Paul, and Mary concert, you will be getting much more than a concert. You will gain access to a portal that will transport you back in time.
For some, it will be back to a time of innocence when they were at a scout camp and singing songs around the campfire. For others, it will be back to an era when we believed that individuals could make a positive impact upon the world by standing up for freedom, peace, and justice.
A Peter, Paul, and Mary audience is different. Though generally a bit older, there will also be younger people mixed into this mellow crowd and there will be a sense of caring for one another, even before the concert begins. Don’t expect to be searched for weapons at the door, either. That never happened when they performed in their prime.
I’ve been to four Peter, Paul, and Mary concerts so far, covering four different decades: 1967, the mid-1980s, the mid-1990s, and in May 2000.
Of course, time has aged them. Instead of the dark-haired and goateed Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey, we now have graying and balding versions, and Mary has put on a few pounds. Still, though the trio has changed in appearance and each concert contained some different material, much is the same. That magical trademark three-part harmony remains intact (Mary’s voice may be a tad lower than it was 35 years ago).
Structurally, I find that Peter, Paul, and Mary’s concert format remains the same as always. You will not merely hear the classic folk songs, but you will experience Peter, Paul, and Mary up close and personal. I’ve never heard any performers share as much of themselves as these three people do on stage. The most unique aspect of their concert lies in their ability to relate to the audience by sharing personal stories.
They introduce each song with a story that may or may not relate to the song, but gives a vignette about their own lives. This could be a story about Greenwich Village or Paul’s home in Connecticut, a story about their demonstration for civil rights in the South or fighting for racial equality in South Africa, or Mary’s horror at discovering that her daughter had decided to marry—a Republican, of all things!
After nearly 40 years, Peter, Paul, and Mary still have that same harmonious sound they are famous for. The past two concerts I heard them at, they began with a new song I’d never heard before. This could be a song that will appear on their next album (yes, they are still cutting new albums) or could be a cover of one they are working on. I’m sure it would get really old for them to do nothing but their well-known hits nightly, but these will come in time.
Even if Peter, Paul, and Mary start off with two or three unfamiliar songs, don’t fret. They are keenly aware of the audience and know that many have come to hear their old favorites. They oblige, often doing “Puff” very early in the show.
The biggest difference I detect between the “old geezer” version from their 1967 concert is that they actually encourage the audience to join in with all the familiar songs, sometimes acting as conductors and leading the audience in a massive singalong. Perhaps, just as well go with the flow here, since many of us grew up with these songs and were singing under our breaths as it was. It is kind of cool that they now encourage us to go ahead and sing out with them.
After doing several songs together, each singer does a solo bit as a “break.” This is when we get to really know them more personally and may even get a glimpse of their hearts.
I’ll never forget Peter Yarrow’s solo portion during the 1967 concert, when he told us about his brother just getting drafted to Vietnam.
He begged our indulgence to listen to a song he was working on that this had inspired, and brought out a music stand with his rough draft. He began to play “So I told him that he’d better shut his mouth, and do his job like a man. ”
Peter soon was breaking down with tears flowing. And we all joined in, and wept together. ”The Great Mandala” was released several months later, and I continue to “return” to that concert moment every time I hear it.
There was no draft to discuss this past May. Instead, Peter demonstrated self-deprecating humor by telling “old-age” stories; at one point he joked that in another 10 years they would merely come on stage and start the songs, let the audience sing, and would return when the audience had finished the song before starting the next number.
Peter then led us in a group singing of “Lemon Tree” and turned over the stage to Paul Stookey, who maintained tradition by doing a comic routine before singing a new composition.
Mary appeared solo to tell political stories, current happenings, or mother-daughter stories (launching into “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child”). After each has performed solo, the three join together for many more songs.
Real fans will recognize every song Peter, Paul, and Mary do, and the fans who only know their greatest-hits album will be satisfied.
Peter, Paul, and Mary are consummate professionals and know how to please their audience. All the expected greatest hits will be sung—“Leaving On A Jet Plane,” “Blowing In The Wind,” and “If I Had A Hammer” to close the show. Of course, the audience has been singing along and is fired up so everyone is standing and calling for more.
Peter, Paul, and Mary always oblige. Lately, they have taken to doing a rousing rendition of Woody Guthrie’s classic “This Land Is Your Land” for the main encore (with the audience joining in). And after the thunderous applause wanes, they do their final number of “Goodnight, Irene” as they begin to leave the stage, throwing love all around.
Much has changed in society during the last 35 years. Many social battles have been fought and won, yet many remain. It’s so refreshing to attend a Peter, Paul, and Mary concert and discover they remain as ever, continuing to “fight” for love, peace, freedom, and justice.
I can’t speak for everyone; Peter, Paul, and Mary’s politics are decidedly left-wing. Conservatives may not appreciate all that goes on during their concert, but I’ve had tears running down my face at some point in the program.
In 1967 it was Peter’s unfinished song for his brother, this recent May it was during the poignant “Where Have All The Flowers Gone.” It’s a simple anti-war song (written by Pete Seeger) that Peter, Paul, and Mary recorded on their very first album. I hadn’t planned to cry, but it just happened. Somehow Peter, Paul, and Mary make ideals like peace and love seem attainable, and give renewed hope to continue the struggle.
I always leave Peter, Paul, and Mary concerts feeling much better—like a return to the '60s, when we believed that we could make a difference. It’s a get-together with old friends who believe in the same ideals I do, and much of the feeling is generated by the group-singing of our old favorite songs.
