"A Prairie Home Companion" Sets Down in Lenox
Last night Garrison Keillor sang in the rain. In his white shirt and red tie, fifteen minutes before the live Saturday night broadcast of "A Prairie Home Companion" at the Koussevitsky Music Shed in Lenox, he serenaded joyful fans seated on the lawn with a version of the Gene Kelley song, walking in the light rain and singing gently. The crowd walking to their seats in the shed craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the minstrel as he passed by, smiling and singing. Later he would comment on the copious amounts of food and drink being enjoyed. "They've got sangria out there! And picnics!"
I thought about the folks who followed him on the lawn as he walked, he was taller than most of them, and amidst his fans, and I thought about how much they love him. What a soft and gentle man he is, and how much the gathered faithful all love the memories of this radio show that has been broadcast since 1974.
This was our fourth year taking in this grand affair, with requisite picnics, and carpooling, it was planned way back in the cold month of February. Cindy and I were joined by Joe and Susan, Marc and Betsy, Joe's cousin and aunt, and Bill. It was a dire forecast but we set up our picnic under a big tree and while a few drops fell, there was never a deluge as feared.
Keillor and the band played a few numbers just before six, then he stopped, and we heard that familar chime that opens the show every Saturday night. When he sang that opening song, with those familiar words, I turned to Cindy and whispered that hearing that always reminds me of her.
Musical guest Del McCoury played a lively mixture of bluegrass and gospel, and at one point all four musicians sang in four perfectly distinct harmonies, leaning into the mikes playing their own tones. After the eight o'clock finish to the radio broadcast the band stayed on stage for another 45 minutes, playing more and more, and a young blond singer named Inga Swearingen sang songs like 'Blackbird' that the audience joined in singing. Keillor even began singing bawdy songs about Arkansas and joked "I can stay up here longer than you can."
I thought about the folks who followed him on the lawn as he walked, he was taller than most of them, and amidst his fans, and I thought about how much they love him. What a soft and gentle man he is, and how much the gathered faithful all love the memories of this radio show that has been broadcast since 1974.
This was our fourth year taking in this grand affair, with requisite picnics, and carpooling, it was planned way back in the cold month of February. Cindy and I were joined by Joe and Susan, Marc and Betsy, Joe's cousin and aunt, and Bill. It was a dire forecast but we set up our picnic under a big tree and while a few drops fell, there was never a deluge as feared.
Keillor and the band played a few numbers just before six, then he stopped, and we heard that familar chime that opens the show every Saturday night. When he sang that opening song, with those familiar words, I turned to Cindy and whispered that hearing that always reminds me of her.
Musical guest Del McCoury played a lively mixture of bluegrass and gospel, and at one point all four musicians sang in four perfectly distinct harmonies, leaning into the mikes playing their own tones. After the eight o'clock finish to the radio broadcast the band stayed on stage for another 45 minutes, playing more and more, and a young blond singer named Inga Swearingen sang songs like 'Blackbird' that the audience joined in singing. Keillor even began singing bawdy songs about Arkansas and joked "I can stay up here longer than you can."
Labels: Garrison Keillor
posted by Max Hartshorne at 8:21 AM
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