So, here we are, my friend Ansel and I, opening the Sunday PFF with a great sound system, disappearing rain showers and an empty hillside. As we were setting up, I brought Ansel up to view the magnificence of the situation. It’s 10:45 am for a 11 am show, and nobody’s out there. Let’s be folk musicians….
No problem. Some very, very good friends in the audience showed up and we launched into Don’t Call Me Early (how F’n appropriate!), followed with July and It’ll be Me. A nice way to set the folk stage – Celtic, Folk, Blues. I popped an A string on the last one, so Ansel stepped up with another eclectic and virtuoso harp solo, while I changed a string. A nice turn in the set.
I came back with Lessons from Pete as a solo, a tune that shown the day before at the Pete workshop. I did ask if anyone was there the day before, and, I shouldn’t have been surprised, two folks raised their hands. It was nice to be able to play this song on these hallowed grounds, once again.
We did a fat Giants, with a hippie guy sitting up front (that’ll teach ya) invited up on stage to do Thunder Tube. He was great. He had no fear exploring the ‘possibilities’ of the instrument, and he made for great theater.
We finished up with Pay Bo Diddley and had some fun. A set that I was proud of.
Though it was a sparse crowd, it was The Philly Folk Festival. Dave Fry and Ansel Barnum. Tank Stage. Sunday, 11 am. Good set.
next: Kathy O’Connell’s Kids Corner set.