Pete Seeger

In 1968 Pete Seeger came to Ohio Stare.  It was a free concert for students. Folk music was big and to my thinking as a banjo player of Camp Counselor playing caliber he was the ultimate.  And as someone who cared about the causes of the times and saw music as a powerful response,  Pete Seeger was the epitome of protestor prophet.   
The seating was open in the Ohio Union using all the ballrooms.  Being close was an essential matter.   The concert was at 7.  I queued  up by 3.  And waited.   The organizers moved in and out till it was time for the doors to open.  We, the early- bird fans got to know them in that way you do with someone passing consistently.   
My cousin and about four other friends were coming and I told them where we should meet and that Thy need to be there by 5 or we couldn’t be sure to get anywhere near the front.  The ‘early-birds‘ as we started calling ourselves became a one time group.   We’d save places for bathroom breaks and bring drinks back for the group.  We didn’t really talk but waited by the door.   
More and more people came.  There were doors all along the corridors.  We didn’t ask but reasoned all would be opened.    There was a huge crowd by 6:30.  The main girl who we has seen since 3 came our of the door.  She looked at the early-birds and leaned in.  We were about to hear something important.  
In the quietest of voices she said, “Follow Me”.   Her direction could not have been any more complete or clear if she’d taken a paragraph to relay the message.  
The gaggle of about 10 followed as she officially marched us through the crowd.  We got to the opposite end of the hall. She moved us right up to the door where the group was even thicker than where we had left.   She opened the door.  She looked at us and said go in and sit wherever.   We ran up toward the stage and moments later the whole of the crowd was let in behind us.   
The rows were directly in front of the stage but there was a group of chairs on either side.   Here I said over here.   The front row on the side was not as close as other but the single microphone was clearly in direct line.   We would sit there of course.   My friends didn’t understand at the time.  Soon they would. Soon they did.
The lighting was perfect. On his face, his profile, his fingers on the strings.  There was no opening act.  There were no other performers. Just Pete Seeger. Pete Seeger and his iconic long neck banjo.  I wept. I wept in awe.  
I got to sing with Pete Seeger.    The whole audience together in song and lyric.  
The music went on.  It was amazing.   It was yesterday.  It was always.  

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