Arlo Guthrie will host his final Thanksgiving show at New York’s iconic Carnegie Hall this Saturday, November 30. The folk singer has performed at Carnegie Hall most years since 1967, around the time he released his landmark LP, Alice’s Restaurant. For decades, Guthrie co-headlined the festivities with Pete Seeger and, more recently, his family members have played a more active role in the celebration.

“There are a lot of reasons to exit the annual shows,” explains Guthrie, in a piece that just posted to the site. “The audience I inherited from Pete, as well as my own, is getting older. Many have already left. And while most people of my generation would at least be familiar with my name, most people under 50 have no idea who I am.”

He adds: “I was never a Top-40 artist (although we’ve broken into it accidentally a couple of times), so there isn’t the excitement surrounding my concerts that there would have been decades ago. The size and prestige of the venue isn’t warranted nowadays. There’s plenty of venues around the country and the world that are more suitable, and I’ll be coming to those places as usual.” 

Several members of the extended Guthrie family will join Guthrie during Saturday’s show. For more on Guthrie’s Carnegie Hall tradition, recent Woodstock celebration and his hootenanny Bar-Mitzvah, please read our full site interview.