Pete Seeger hosted his annual Clearwater Festival at Croton Point Park, Croton-on Hudson, New York on Saturday. In addition to Seeger, the festival lineup included Richie Havens, Susan Tedeschi, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, Old Crow Medicine Show and Dr. Dog.
As he is wont to do as of late, Seeger played an early afternoon set with The Children from Room 12, an assortment of kids no older than nine years old (after which he made the rounds, perched upon the back of a golf cart). Then, after signing autographs and taking pictures with his fans, Richie Havens stepped onto the main stage. Armed with an acoustic guitar and a plethora of gypsy-styled jewelry, Havens belted out some legendary tracks including a superb rendition of Bob Dylans All Along The Watchtower. A bit later, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger brought Jason Crosby sitting in with him and played a nice mix of bluegrass and rock and roll.
As the evening started to settle in and rain began to fall more heavily, a small crowd started to form around the stage for Dr. Dogs set. They drew in devoted hipsters and newcomers alike with their unique, harmony-rich pop rock. The group played a mix of old and new, dropping some fan favorites from 2008’s Fate including ’100 Years’, ‘The Breeze’ and a rocking rendition of ‘Hang On.’ They also played some older gems off their first two releases. Towards the end of the show the band asked if the barrier in front of the stage was set up in order to keep the crowd safe from them or vice versa. They then proceeded to invite everyone up close to the stage for their final songs. As their set wound-down one could hear the sweet sounds of Susan Tedeschi at the other not-so-distant stage. Report by Lucas Samuels