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A gig with Arlo and Pete

Thanksgiving and Alice's Restaurant tradition -  My wife plays it every year - a tradition her sister started years ago.... tho I have a bit of an issue with it; some bazaar memories

I did sound for Arlo and Pete Seeger at Hartwood Acres in Pgh many years ago.

They almost closed that county-run venue because of their show - see this link

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2014/01/29/Obituary-Pete-Seeger-Helped-write-the-folk-music-textbook

"The commotion he caused here June, 30 1985, can be attributed to reverence and popularity. His concert at Hartwood Acres with Woody's son, Arlo Guthrie, turned into a mini-Woodstock when an estimated 50,000 people attempted to get there on the single-lane roads.

It was a benefit for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and much needed during a recession that saw a steep decline of manufacturing in Pittsburgh.

Three days before the concert, Mr. Seeger had told the Press, "I'm more of a communist now than I was when I was a card-carrying member. ... And I'm quite concerned that the human race will have to come to terms with the contradictions of some people having billions and other people not having enough to eat."

Traffic was so backed up, people abandoned their cars on Hampton lawns and walked to the show. In the aftermath, the county was forced to scale back the size of future shows."



There's a bit more to that story...

It was me, my guitarist - the late Paul Gibson, my drummer Louie Lamanna and two interns from the Art Institute. My boss from CZ Sound, Gary (the guy that owned the PA used at Hartwood) left early stating - "I want nothing to do with this - I'm going to do the Symphony at the Point - I'll be back tonight to get the gear..."

We had old ladies locked in Porta Johns backstage (Hartwood was still under construction). We were sitting with Arlo backstage -at the time it wasn't finished - so it was some old nasty trailer and I recall Arlo sitting with his back against it and getting up to use the Portajohn.

When he got to it the door was somehow locked. So Louie and I started rocking it back and forth - trying to see if maybe the latch had somehow just partially locked.

We heard a thumping inside - something fairly massive...

We stop... the door handle turns and out walks some middle age lady covered in green goo and smelling like vodka.... "I just want to meet Arlo!!!" Uh... ok...

All the county cops (it was a county park in the middle of Hampton) that were there (all 9 of them) were drunk except for one Lt and a really tall motorcycle cop we called Barney Fife. The locals didn't want anything to do with the place that day.

He had the look of extreme terror as tie-dyed ex-steelworkers rolled barrels of beer down the hill.

Recently Louie came here to DC and visit. He mentioned that day and how I assigned him to Arlo and Paul to Pete. He mentioned Arlo stating, "They want me to play the big one!"

Louie looks at him - "What?"

"Alice's Restaurant! I don't usually play that in concert..."

"Ok..."

So I'm standing there, stage left with the asst. dir of Allegheny County parks, Barney and the Lt. Arlo's manager is FOH with the interns; I'm doing monitors.

Right then,  the US Steelworkers guy comes on stage all drunk and starts dancing with Arlo (also stage left). Two drunk county cops come up and smash his head down the stairs; blood everywhere.

So the asst director states to the Lt - "They're selling beer to 12 year old kids out there!!"

The Lt looks at her - "He's the only straight cop I got left and you got to get those two [Arlo and Pete] out of here after the show. The local cops want nothing to do with this place. I can send him out there but he may not come back..."

Right then Arlo says to the crowd, "... well, I guess it's time to do this ..." and goes into Alice's...

"RAAAAAH" goes the crowd of all 70,000 (yea it was actually 70K)- one of the loudest roars of any crowd I've ever heard.

Simultaneously, the blood runs out of the asst director's face... she starts to stumble, white as a ghost.

"Here..." I said with me and Barney grabbing her and setting her in a chair behind the monitor console...

"This is getting out of hand!!" she states...

"Yea" I reply... "Maybe having Pete go off in that rant on the Thursday edition of the Press wasn't the best idea..."

So afterwards, I'm wrapping up mic cables (not many since it was just two guys) and Gary, the PA system owner,  shows up. He and his brother had to get out of the truck and physically move a passed out cop and his motorcycle to get to the stage for load out...

So Arlo's manager and the Director of County parks - Carol Brown - are getting into it on stage. He's yelling at her then states:

"And if it wasn't for him and his guys [pointing at me wrapping mic cables] I don't know what would have happened to my artists!!!"

After that she hated me... oh well.

So a few days later I'm at CZ Sound's shop and we get a call from the asst parks director. Ask how she's doing; she didn't look well after that show... from what I had heard she's now the acting Director of County Parks

So she mentions getting a call from some older residents on Middle Road (where Hartwood is located) that ask when the county was going to get the wrecked car out of their yard.

Seems that some girls ran into a pole or tree, fell out of the car, urinated on their front lawn as the homeowners were sitting on their porch, and just left the car sitting at a 45 degree with the 4 way flashers on.

Fun times...






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