Lizzie did the impressionistic review thingie, so i'll throw in the setlist:
Mainstage show:
River Valley Horseshoes Moon GMIA I Will Hold On My Poor Generation Minnie Michy Sauce KoS/GEH LP9 encore: Authors Rainbow Stage workshop with Kim & Reggie Harris and Magpie (amazing vocalists all!): Boss Early Morning Rain Kids GWS (hmm, does anyone here know the lyrics? does anyone know what they mean? sorry, couldn't resist ... )
Fruvous also did backing vocals and some instrumental work on the other groups' songs.
It was a great, wonderful, gorgeous day! Shared candy, sat in the sunshine, bought entirely too many buttons, saw Caroline for the first time in eons ... not a bad way at all to ease back into the non-Maine world. :)
From Lizzie:
i just got back from the clearwater revival festival and i am really falling asleep, so this is not going to be a real "review." i actually only got to stay for one of the two früvous sets, so i'm sure the other people who were there (hi deb, lori, caroline, and the bunch of people i talked to in line!) can do a much better job, but i just wanted to say a couple of things.
first of all, the festival itself was just wonderful. my parents and i have decided it's the best we've been to so far. the hudson is absolutely beautiful and looking out over the water that the festival is meant to save, you realize just how important it all is. i really enjoyed the fact that they had an "activist area" for tons of different groups...and as lori will attest, there were way too many bumper stickers and buttons and all sorts of things to choose from. before früvous' set on the hudson stage, both jian and tobey graced us with their presences in the little frühead corner we had staked out. i know people have setlists that they jotted down, so i'll leave that to them, but there was a long car ride home and i started thinking a lot...so bear with me, if you feel like it.
when i went to say my hellos to the guys, i realized how incredibly relaxed i felt about it, and i was so happy. yes, this was my tenth show, and maybe i shouldn't be surprised about being able to talk to them, but i just keep realizing that they truly are a bunch of the sweetest guys i have ever met in my life. i am always so caught up in getting things signed for people or delivering birthday presents or whatever that i always forget to tell them what a great show it was and how much fun i had, and how much fun i always have. and i feel so bad about that because i know that no matter how tired they are, or whatever craziness is going on, they're going to do their best for us. and that makes me feel really lucky to be a fan. especially since it also means i can be part of this community because it really is great, and i know a lot of not so great stuff has been going on, but i just keep reminding myself how really special what's going on here most of the time is, because so far i have made a lot of friends, heard a lot of great ideas and tons of great music, and read some great books, and i know that's going to keep going on. so i think that's it, and i am going to go to sleep now because it is late.
From Alex:
I'd just found out how close to me Croton-on-Hudson was to me the night before the show, but I made up my mind to drive the hour or so on a whim anyway. It was definitely worth the trip, even though I overshot the exit the first time around and ended up crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge twice (d'oh..)
I arrived at about 1:30, having made good time from Connecticut, and walked around the festival grounds for a while, eventually settling off to the side of the stage the lads were to perform on. There was a Zydeco band on when I arrived, the name of which escapes me. Interesting stuff; I got to see Buckwheat Zudeco perform last year with the Pops in Boston so I was pretty familiar with the genre. Very energetic stuff; a lot of people were dancing off to the side of the stage. Country Joe McDonald performed next (shades of Woodstock, or Woodstock Slappy, if you're an Animaniacs fan), and he was followed by Dar Williams. I'd never heard any of her music before; she has a beautiful voice. She seemed a little shy, though, but I liked her music.
Fruvous took to the stage a little (5 minutes?) late after Dar's set, opening with River Valley. (This being the Hudson River Festival, I would have been surprised if they'd opened with anything else.) The crowd, most of which weren't Fruheads, seemed to become fans of the band very quickly. Eventually most everyone was standing, Michigan Militia being the song that brought everyone to their feet. A very energetic set. Not a lot of banter though (I suspect this was because the sets were so short - Fruvous' lasted from 5:15 to 6:15.) A lot of well-known songs, and very fun. I snagged Murray's setlist, which reads:
River Horse Moon Rush Hold MPG Minnie Mich Tur (note: this never got played. Time constraints again I imagine) Sauce Early (note: this was not played during the first set) King Gr (note: short version) Potty!!! (note: I have no clue what this is. Jian did make some comments about portapotties there though.)
Not included on the setlist are Love Potion #9, which followed GE&H, and Authors, which was their encore.
After the first set the lads went off to sign and talk to the fans. I finally got to meet them (they're really great, and so easy to approach and talk to!) and got them to sign my setlist and one of my brother's CD's. (He couldn't make it to the show, so he'll be surprised to see that when he gets back home at the end of the week). Then Gordon (who has already posted his review, I see) and I went off to the Rainbow Stage at the other end of the festival grounds, where Fruvous were scheduled to appear along with two other bands at 7:30 as part of an acapella "workshop". This was rather interesting; the lads provided backup harmonies for the songs Kim and Reggie Harris and Magpie played, and performed a few more on their own as well (Boss, Early Morning Rain -- which I finally got to hear live, and which was awesome, and the Gulf War Song.)
I can't rightfully end this post without mentioning the most astounding part of the evning -- the ASL translator. As a service to the disabled, each act had onstage with them a sign-language interpreter. For the most part it was pretty easy to overlook them if you weren't paying attention to the corner of the stage. However, things got really interesting when the lads played Johnny Saucep'n. I'd have thought the gtranslator would have sat that one out, but, instead, he floored everyone, including the band, by not only translating the song, but doing it just as quickly as the lads sang it. Absolutely incredible, and the band really looked like they were having fun watching him.
Certainly glad I decided to roll out of bed at a decent hour on a Sunday to catch this show...
From Genna:
ok, ive posted a few times in the last few days and ive shown my face on mirc. my "formal" introduction to amm-f i made a few months ago, but i called myself "dannete". it's my middle name, but, people who new me on mirc, called me by my real name, and rather than keeping 2 identities i consolidated and became "genna" (pronounced jenna).
anyway, clearwater (which i have been to many many times) was my first fru-show. i'm going to spare you an actual review, because there has already been enough of those.
but i want to make a few comments.
this being my first fru-show, i was wonderfully entertained by their banter (which apperantly is one of their most known and celebrated tallents). but, my favorate thing was during "i will hold on" when jian started to cry (or at least that's what it looked like). i have no idea if he does this normally, but i was increadably moved.to me, that DEFINES music. it is pure emotion and it was beautiful. beautiful.
i also got to meat the lads for the first time, at clearwater. they were wonderfully friendly (as, you all already know). murray made fun of the spelling of my name for quite a while before signing my merchandise with my name in quotes and an"(sp)" after it. jian was also wonderfully warm and friendly.
i was very happy when in the second show they played my request.
the second show was great, if anyone knows the words to the last song that they sang (they sang with kim and reggie harris and magpie...i think it was magpies choice of song) i would really apreciate it.
it was also great finding fellow fruheads. living wear i do when people here "moxy fruvous" they respond "gesunteit". although i frequented FDC the existance of fruheads was still nearly non-reality to me
my only disapointment was in myself. i seemed to have lost my normally semi-tomboyish self, and found myself giggily and pure girl. it was almost an imbarisment.
From Harry Strole:
So my wife & I decide, after living our entire life on Long Island, we should move to Westchester. First on the agenda, find out when the Clearwater Festival is and go. So I visit the web site and low and behold: Moxy Fruvous is playing. We had a feeling this would happen when we traveled up to Katonah to see them at the Clearwater Coffee Shop.
The show was enlightening. First off, being in our thirties my wife & I thought we were the oldest fruheads in this part of the country. Hell, I was 25 when the Gulf War was going on (I also want to play hockey, have kids & grow old). Imagine my surprise when we saw someone we could only assume being older than us asking her friend if Moxy Fruvous was all she described them to be. This is a rare and wonderful thing. Keep it up guys.
Since Arlo Guthrie and Moxy Fruvous are probably neck to neck in performers I have seen the most, this was also an occasion to keep them at pace with each other. Over the two day festival I got to see two sets by each. It was also great to see Pete Seeger, happy 80th.
During Moxy Furvous' first set the place went bonkers with rhythmic excitement during "Michigan Militia." Is this song being played on the radio somewhere? I mean I expect it from fruheads, but the guy who was sleeping on the blanket next to mine got up and started dancing. It seems they won over many new fans at this performance, by evidence of the mob scene when they went to sign things at the merchandise tent. I quickly asked Murray why they didn't do "Gord's Gold" (sic). Mike & Murray both gave me some copyright infringement answer, oh, like that stopped Led Zeppelin from performing.
The second set was rather laid back. It looked like the guys didn't quite know what the deal was. But, it wasn't long before they caught on. They alternated their brand of harmonic convergence with those of Kim & Reggie Harris and Magpie (it should be noted that these performers opened the first day, so they weren't exactly strangers to each others material). Moxy did sing and help out with percussion on their songs, but, it looked like the guys were being brought on as comic relief for most of the set and this was noted by Jian and Mike. Then, after an inspired "Gulf War Song," reverence was showed by even the staunchest of refugees from the "summer of Love." The whole ensemble sang an emotional song to a warrior of peace-freind of the lead singer of Magpie. With this -- the festival ended.
One hopes Moxy Fruvous makes it back next year. Oh yes and I took loads of pictures which will be sent after they get developed.
Harry "According to my spell check only foreheads go to see Boxy Furious."
Strole
Some other tidbits from the performance include:
Back to the tour dates 1999 page