Yes, I have heard live music during this period all of which involved June Millington either on her own or with Fanny most recently a week ago in New York City. Yet all of these recent musical experiences have been in conjunction with Fanny: The Right to Rock and have been limited to three or four songs. I would truly love to see a full length Fanny concert. Before tonight, the last full length concert I attended was Graham Nash's September 2019 performance at The Town Hall in New York City which seems like several lifetimes ago.
However many lifetimes I've lived I've spent them listening to Don McLean's music. Of course, there is the American Pie album featuring the title track and "Vincent" both of which belong in the Great American Songbook. But I remember liking his 1978 album Chain Lightning which featured his rendition of Roy Orbison's "Crying" as well as his interpretations of Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart", Paul Anka's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" plus "Still I Don't Have You" made famous by The Skyliners.
Despite my familiarity with McLean, I wasn't sure what to expect from him at the age of 76. When I entered the theatre, I was informed my balcony seat would be upgraded to the mezzanine level. While I was thrilled to get a better view of the proceedings it kind of made me feel sad because this meant not many people bought tickets to the show. I noticed that the opera seats were completely empty too.
But Don McLean is man full of candor. "There's not a lot of you here tonight," he said, "But I know that those of you who are here have been waiting a long time to hear me sing." McLean later added that he had spent the last two years on his couch, drinking and getting fat.
The evening was balanced between newer material and the hits for which he is best remembered. McLean began the evening with "So Doggone Lonesome" from his 2020 album Still Playin' Favorites, played two cuts from his 2018 LP Botanical Gardens including the title track and "Lucky Guy" and, for good measure, played three cuts from his forthcoming album American Boys including the title track, "Thundersong Girl" and "The Ballad of George Floyd". McLean noted that if this was the 1960's there would be at least five songs written about George Floyd so he wrote one. If "The Ballad of George Floyd" gets any kind of wide exposure then McLean is going to find a whole new audience. He might get some derision from the MAGA crowd although he had planned to play in front of the NRA Convention last weekend until the massacre of schoolchildren in Uvalde, Texas made him reconsider and cancel. If nothing else, Don McLean's politics are not easy to pigeonhole.
Some of the classics McLean performed were "Crossroads", "Cryin'", "And I Love You So," "Castles in The Air", "Jerusalem" (which he wrote about the four years he spent living in Israel), and "Vincent" which earned him his first standing ovation of the evening. While McLean doesn't sing like he did 50 years ago, his aged voice on songs like "Crossroads" and "Vincent" make it more moving and meaningful.
Before McLean got to "American Pie" he shared a few pieces. First, he spoke of the forthcoming documentary The Day The Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's American Pie in which he finally spills the bean about the meaning of his signature song. McLean told the audience the lyric "now for 10 years we were on our own" referred to the 10 years it took for him to write the song. He added that the words "bye, bye Miss American Pie" were derived by the sea shanty, "Bye, Bye My Roseanna" which he used to sing with Pete Seeger. McLean then had the audience sing "Bye, Bye My Roseanna" before launching into "American Pie" which got the audience to leap to its feet.
Right behind me there was a group of young women who couldn't have been more than 30 who were singing the lyrics to "American Pie" as if they were a Greek chorus and had been singing it all of their lives. It gave the room an added energy and enthusiasm. The energy and enthusiasm was so strong that McLean played an abbreviated version of "American Pie" immediately after before departing the stage. He would return to play an encore ending the evening with "The Story of My Life".
This is a concert I shall remember for a long time to come. I will remember it because I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to do such a thing again and if I did I was far from sure that I would enjoy myself. Don McLean disabused both notions for me. Life shall go on although I will continue to bring a mask with me and wear it when I feel it necessary. Having consumed some American Pie my appetite has been whetted for more live music and perhaps not a moment too soon.
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