Pete Seeger died last night, and its amazing to feel the wake of his departure, especially on Face Book. Across the board, folks are posting songs, blogs, pictures, recollections and stories of the man, his place in folk music, politics, the environment, peace, etc. And each person has a personal story to go with it.
Pete walked the walk, talked the talk when it came to act locally, think globally. His work spanned generations and many, many liberal and humanitarian efforts. But he never lost sight of the immediate community. Yes, that’s where it all begins. And it always began with the audience in front of him.
I base my performance values on what I saw Pete do. Involve the audience, give them something to sing along with, and create a community. It seems pretty obvious to me, and a valid way to perform on stage.
I’ll be digesting this wave of tributes to the man, and I’ll return to these thoughts again, shortly.