This part of Arts Day was taking in some art at its finest. Bruce Cockburn has been a long-time inspiration and has become the touchstone for a musician/poet. I headed out under treat of icy conditions on the way back, but, what the hey?! It’s Bruce.
Tix were $40 cheap, and I got a nice, center seat 40 feet away. It was cool to walk up before the show and check out his play-pen. Hanging chimes, Tibet brass bowls, lap dulcimer (on a stand), four guitars and lots of pedals, lots of pedals. Setting up the artist’s workspace is important, create a safe and controlled place so you can dance with your muse. Jaime Brockett showed me that, years ago, and I’ve opened for Tom Rush, and invaded his space.
Cockburn has the poetic ability to combine the cosmic with the internal, be radically political and yet open to the personal, spiritual yet not dogmatic.
He did two sets of great guitar work, with creative and appropriate effects, often kicking the chimes as a bed behind his instrumentals. Some stuff I’ve never heard, some familiar and favorite. I was nice to watch his chords, his thumb and his ease on stage. And so many of his songs run deep in my soul. Yup.
Powerful stuff, all around. A wonderful to experience such an artist in person.