PBRTV - Eric's Musings

Pittsburgh Radio & Television

Peter, Paul and Mary in Pittsburgh on July 31, 2003

The following was written by Eric O'Brien right after the concert. It was submitted, and presumably included in a scrap book presented to Peter, Paul and Mary at the Summer 2004 concerts at WolfTrap near Washington, D.C.

August 1, 2003

Weave Me the Sunshine, trains and a timeless folk trio

First of all, I would like to know one thing. Whose bright idea was it to put an amphitheatre in between two sets of train tracks? Well each performer will do their own thing. As I sat in the Chevrolet Amphiteatre at Station Square on July 31, Liz and Fred whom I had never met before and who sat next to me said that Englebert Humperdinck said he would never perform there again. Peter, Paul and Mary were different though. They made light of the gloomy weather, the trains passing by and the noise from the Regatta across the river.

The trio came out and opened with "Weave Me the Sunshine" which Peter Yarrow wrote in the early 70's. This song has had major meaning for me over the years through difficult events in my life. Because this song has meant so much, I was able to pick up a different set of words on the verse Peter always sings. Normally this verse goes, "I've seen the steel and the concrete crumble. Shine on me again. The proud and the mighty all have stumbled. Shine on me again." Tonight, the first portion of the stanza went "I've been raised up and I feel humbled." Makes me wonder if the old words became sensitive in light of world events. The audience was told that it had not been the trio's intention to sing this song as the opening, but it seemed to brighten the spirits of the audience in the damp weather.

After the opener, Peter announced that this was probably the most unusual venue the trio had performed in. A 120 car train had passed through during their rehearsal and sound check obstructing their work. "Therefore each time a train passes through we will sing a song with a train theme and you'll have to figure out which one we performed!" The audience laughed in amusement. Only, Peter was serious. As he was introducing "Don't Laugh at Me," (which was a beautiful rendition by the way) he said, "And now we will break for the train on its way through." As the whistle blew, the trio went right into a chorus of "Freight Train." We were indeed able to hear the music and the rumble of the trains ended up providing ambience. After that they returned to "Don't Laugh at Me."

The next train to pass through brought on "This Train." Other train tunes came up too! During Noel Paul's solo part, he led us in a chorus of "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad." He followed it up by remarking that the ad lib is what folk music is truly about! Mary added to the train fun during her solo with "500 Miles," although I think that was intentional. Peter mentioned during his solo that he was not being sarcastic about the amphitheatre being a fun place to perform. The trains passing, the Pittsburgh history and other events surrounding us made him feel as though he was witnessing true Americana.

The old chestnuts were in place and the audience (and Your Editor) sang with great gusto to "Puff (The Magic Dragon)," "500 Miles," "Leavin' On a Jet Plane," "If I Had a Hammer," "Blowin' in the Wind" and "This Land is Your Land."

A few of the new songs included "Jesus on the Wire" (which was written for Matthew Shepard), "Walls," and "Jail for Justice." The last song was especially poignant in Pittsburgh as it was written by native Pittsburgher and PP&M friend Anne Feeney. (Great song Anne!) I understand that those songs and some more will soon be released on a brand new Peter, Paul and Mary CD that will be titled, "Now More Than Ever." To include this website's main topic of radio and TV, I hope that the CD will garner some airplay for this music needs to be shared NOW! More than ever!

After the concert, I waited around. The crowd exiting the front gate of the amphitheatre was long and I really didn't feel like waiting in my car. I recognized sound man David Tkachuk from the website and stopped over to say hi. I told him he did a wonderful job with keeping the sound levels just right...especially with all of the passing trains. He thanked me and said that it was a "less-than-ideal experience" soundwise. I agreed.

After David and I spoke for a minute or two, he said, "You see that bald guy on the stage? His name is Paul. Tell him I said for you to ask for a backstage pass." I thanked Mr. Tkachuk and went up to see Paul. Paul gave me the pass and I was escorted to the back stage where Peter and Noel Paul were greeting friends and folks. Mary was resting. In fact she had been using a cane during the performance as she recently suffered a knee injury. (She said, "One knee is not talking to the other one," and assured us the cane was not a permanant feature!)

After waiting for about 10 minutes and realizing that I might miss my chance, I finally tapped Peter on the shoulder and said, "Before you go, Peter..." he took me by the shoulders. "...I just wanted to tell you how much 'Weave Me the Sunshine' has meant to me in my life..." he hugged me as is a typical action for Peter Yarrow.

"Thank you very much," he responded.

I continued, "That song particularly meant a lot to me when my mother passed a few years ago. It comforted me and brought ME back to life. It has become my anthem and I sing it daily."

Still holding my shoulders, Peter asked, "What is your name?"

"I'm Eric O'Brien."

"Well Eric, thank you so much and thank you for sharing that with me. I appreciate it." He hugged me again and I thanked him for his time.

Despite the passing trains, the lousy, damp weather and a competing concert at Point State Park, this particular evening was spectacular! Thank YOU! Peter, (Noel) Paul and Mary as well as Paul Prestopino and Dick Kniss. Your dedication to your music and your community of fans and friends means a lot. 43 years and still going strong!

*Editor's Note: It's my website, I'll write what I want...if it hadn't been for the radio, I probably wouldn't have had much exposure to Peter, Paul and Mary!

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