By Barry Lewis
Times Herald-Record
August 05, 2008
BETHEL ? Thirty-nine years after singing "Beautiful People" to half a million at Woodstock, Melanie returned Sunday night to Max Yasgur's old field. Before offering the same tune to a more intimate Hippiefest 2008 crowd of 5,000, the one-time "earth mother" gave her take on what's become of the place.
"I didn't think I'd like it ? but it beats porta-potties," Melanie, 61, told the crowd at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, where she marveled at having a dressing room, an unheard-of luxury at the 1969 gathering.
Melanie, accompanied on the guitar by her son, began a four-song set that included her signature "Brand New Key," a song she said "doomed me to be cute for the rest of my life."
It was a long night of cute and at times off-key favorites. Tour promoters have to figure out a way to have fewer and shorter breaks between acts.
Melanie was smack in the middle of what has become a two-part Hippiefest show.
The tie-dye and peasant-skirt crowd settled in for the first two hours of singalong friendly pop-rock sounds from Terry Sylvester, formerly of The Hollies; Joey Molland of Badfinger and show emcees Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, known as Flo and Eddie ? really better known as The Turtles ? who took more pleasure dishing out Catskill shtick than the classic sounds that sold 40 million records.
As with Melanie, they all performed decades-old chart-topping hits that are more familiar these days as tunes to pitch babyboomer products.
The second half of the show, lead by the influential guitar playing of Jack Bruce, 65, formerly of Cream; and soulful vocalist Eric Burdon, with The Animals, took on a more powerful jazz/blues rock sound.
Where bubbles filled the air as Molland sang the Paul McCartney song "Come and Get It" and the crowd was giddy singing along with The Turtles' whimsical "Happy Together," peace signs and a cool breeze settled around the stage as Bruce led an extended version of "Sunshine Of My Life" and ended with "White Room."
At 67, Burdon's distinctive voice has lost some edge, but favorites "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," "We've Got to Get Out of This Place" and "House of the Rising Sun" satisfied those who waited four hours for a Hippiefest that they wished would never end.
blewis@th-record.com
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