Waking up early Saturday morning I was concerned about the show that evening because it was pouring down rain…not that we didn't need it…but the thought of sitting on Chem Abstracts' lawn in the rain was terribly unappealing. But before noon the skies cleared, and by evening it was a beautiful summer environment. My wife and I packed up our picnic and walked the mile or so to the sprawling landscape of the mysterious Chemical Abstracts.

I've been to Picnic With the Pops only once before and it was quite enjoyable. After spreading out our blanket, kicking off our shoes and consuming our picnic I admired the greenness of the immense lawn. Since it had been very dry up until this morning I assumed they must use chemicals on it…in an abstract kind of way of course. I was looking forward to hearing some classical music because every once in a while a man should "culture himself up" a bit. And soon the Columbus Symphony was introduced and began their opening piece, Bernstein's "Overture to Candide." About 2/3 of the way through the gentle overture we both decided to slide our blanket considerably to our left where the sound was greatly improved. And as an added bonus it took us out of earshot of the "We all love the sound of our own voices" group as well as up wind from "Locomotive Larry and Choo Choo Charlotte" the chain smokers from hell. Hey…talking during a concert…especially the SYMPHONY, is just plain rude and people were supposed to smoke in designated areas…not in front of the stage. (These must be some of Ohio's "fine, upstanding, law abiding citizens" who soon will be allowed to carry concealed weapons…thus making our fine state safe for the rest of us. Wow! I'll be able to take a gun to Picnic With the Pops in case there's a terrorist attack!)

The symphony moved into "Variations on a Shaker Melody" From Aaron Copeland's "Appalachian Spring". Anybody who has been a camp counselor will recognize this as "Lord of the Dance"…a bastardized version with lyrics that make it a religious "campfire" tune. Another Copland piece followed, "Hoedown" from "Four Dance Episodes" from "Rodeo". (WHEW!) I recognized this tune from a television commercial touting the benefits of eating beef (music to get e.coli illness from?). Immediately after the final chords of "Hoedown" a gray-maned yet still spry Arlo Guthrie bounded on stage and sat down at the piano…much to the surprise of the crowd, promoters and orchestra. With no introduction…at a time that was supposed to be an intermission…Arlo quietly and somewhat reverently performed a delightful "City of New Orleans" followed quickly by the poignant "Epilogue" from a decades old "Outlasting the Blues".

Mr. Guthrie moved from song to song…not uttering a word in between until he finally sat down with his guitar and began rambling on about "The Motorcycle Song (Significance Of the Pickle)". Anyone who knows of…or has seen Arlo Guthrie is aware of his incredible story telling ability…an ability to take an absurd set of circumstances and somehow make sense of it all…hilariously. He joked about how "stupid" this song was. "I don't want a pickle. Just wanna ride my motorcycle." But added that after a few decades the tune was now being discussed in colleges across the country and that he was proud…even if it WAS stupid. Having said that…he finished a charming rendition of "The Motorcycle Song" which included humorous ramblings on about how he came to write the song. Then he told a tale of he and his old buddy Pete Seeger being on stage in Europe and after singing all the songs Guthrie thought he knew Pete turned to him and asked him to play one of his choice. Arlo chose Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" which didn't seem to please Mr. Seeger…until the crowd of 30.000 began singing along. They knew all the words…in English. And when Arlo played it this night we sang it too. It was a truly American experience. Immediately following, Arlo decided NOW was the time for an intermission.

In a short time the disc jockey, whom originally was supposed to introduce Guthrie came out and did just that. And it was much, much stupider than "I don't want a pickle". But I suppose he might not get paid without going through the motions. Arlo came back out and played a delightful, warm-hearted set that included a Bob Dylan cover (after telling the tale about the first time Bob showed up at his house looking for his dad Woody and they spent the afternoon playing harmonica together), and songs of Americana. "Patriots' Dream" was a standout. He sang of highways and trains and America. A guy like Arlo Guthrie…in the wake of the 9/11 tragedies…could easily have been wary of being political. Many people, including our beloved un-elected president, could (and probably WOULD) construe Guthrie's reminiscing about the 60's and turbulence and conflicts, in this time of suspicion, as "un-patriotic". Yet Arlo spoke of people being on different sides of various issues and commented that in his experience…on both sides…there were two kinds of people; people who give a damn…and people who don't. And when we all stood and sang his father's famous American opus (which arguably should be the National Anthem) "This Land is Your Land"…well…it brought a tear to my eyes. (okay…perhaps it was a few tears).

Returning for one of two encores Arlo began singing the Weaver's classic "Goodnight, Irene"…which he stopped abruptly in the middle. He playfully chastised the crowd about how "it's really a new thing…you know…paying to listen to someone sing. 60 or more years ago there wasn't TV, radio, CDs. People had to sing to themselves for entertainment. Maybe that was better. It's not hard…only two words really." And the crowd responded by standing, swaying, hugging, singing, "Goodnight, Irene". At which time I thought to myself two outstanding thoughts. One that Arlo Guthrie…like his father Woody before him…is a genuine American icon. And secondly that…outside of a few…the people around me…well…they give a damn.

Reviewed By Cory Tressler

The lazy days of summer are here and boy do they burn! The Midwest has been getting blasted with quite of few days that have topped the dreaded 90-degree plateau. That kind of heat mixed with an unhealthy dose of Midwest humidity can make you thirsty, angry, sweaty, and down right crazy. On Sunday July 21st I got a chance to enjoy one of these crazy summer inferno days in Cincinnati.

My day started with a trip to Riverfront (CINergy) Stadium to see the glorious Redlegs in action. As a man blew the sweet sounds of the Flintstone's theme song on a Saxophone outside the stadium of professional baseball's first team 27,000 fans baked in the cloudless sky while the Reds completely thrashed the New York Mets. After a great pitching display by Elmer Dessens and a solid hitting performance by the rest of the Reds I left the soon to be demolished Riverfront looking for some musical fireworks from a band that adopted their name from the Oakland A's superfly 1970's pitcher Vida Blue.

Vida Blue's starting lineup included Page McConnell (formerly of the improvisational Phish) on Keyboards, Oteil Burbridge (formerly of the explosive Aquarium Rescue Unit, Frogwings, and Allman Brothers Band) on Bass, and Russell Batiste (formerly of the New Orleans funk gods The Funky Meters) on drums. These musicians have only been playing together since September 2001, but they preformed like a group of seasoned veterans at the stinky and stale Bogart's.

Vida Blue's two-hour set included several tunes off of their recently released debut album and a plethora of tantalizing cover songs. Flowing originals like "Most Events Aren't Planned", "Get Ready", and "Electra Glide" fit perfectly with upbeat instrumentals like "CJ3" and "Where's Popeye's". All of the Vida Blue composed numbers were intricate and well played, but the highlights of the evening were definitely the unique arrangements of the widely varying cover songs.

The first was an intense version of Pink Floyd's "Sheep", which is off of the album appropriately entitled "Animals". The next cover they sunk their teeth into was John Lennon's lovely "Jealous Guy". Many of you might be familiar with this ballad from Lennon's post-Beatles solo career, but Vida Blue's version was more like a Mardi Gras theme song filled with choppy organ fills and a funky rhythm section. Hands down the most impressive arrangement of the Lennon classic that I've ever heard. Little Feat's "Day or Night" was the next cover that Vida Blue tackled. This song was very well done and my favorite cover of the evening. Led Zeppelin's spooky rocker "No Quarter" followed the extended version of "Day or Night". Both "Day or Night" and "No Quarter" were very interesting song choices because Vida Blue does not have a guitar player, and guitar masters dominated both Little Feat and Led Zeppelin in their glory days. During these two numbers Page McConnell's keyboard work more than made up for the lack of a guitar god. There were even moments when it seemed like Page had grown two extra arms and was playing four keyboards at the same time!

The climax of the evening came in the form of the jazz standard "Magilla" and John Lennon's immortal "Instant Karma". Both of these songs were met with the biggest applause of the evening and Vida Blue responded by pumping out two mammoth jams to end the show. Each member of the power trio ripped it up and the smoke filled Bogart's grooved along with the pounding drums and blistering melodies. Together the combination of baseball and Vida Blue was a perfect way to spend a steamy Sunday in Ohio.