Rock star put L.A.C.E. center stage
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Singer/songwriter Jackson Browne performs live at the Barre Opera House Saturday evening for a two day special benefit concert in support of the grand opening of the Local Agricultural Community Exchange (L.A.C.E.), which opens today in downtown Barre. Jon Vachon/Times Argus |
Toolbox
By Andrew Nemethy Staff Writer - Published: June 10, 2007
BARRE – They came to Barre from Florida, Cleveland, New York, Teaneck, N.J., and from all over Vermont to see legendary singer-songwriter Jackson Browne Saturday night in the intimate confines of the Barre Opera House.
Out front, they sold and swapped tickets, and waited by the dozens to catch a glimpse of Browne (no luck, he was already inside). In the lobby they bought T-shirts and chatted about other concerts they'd seen. And when the concert started at 8:20, they shouted song suggestions and Browne obliged, interacting with the 650 fans crammed into the packed house. Many in the audience seemed to know his music better than he did.
"I'm a big Jackson Browne fan, this is my fourth time seeing him," said Mark Prest, who drove from Franklin to see the show.
But for many, the soulful acoustic music was only half of the show. Saturday night was more like a farm gospel hour than a concert. It was a rousing celebration of the idea that we need to "relearn what it is to know your local food," as the woman who brought Browne to Barre, Ariel Zevon, put it.
The crowd roared when Anson Tebbets, deputy secretary of agriculture, said "we live in a state where the farmers produce the best food in the world."
And for one far-flung Australian fan, it was a chance to put her farm money where her music tastes and taste buds are. She won a concert ticket in an online auction (paying $3,000 for it), and then donated the ticket back to the cause, said Jeanne Daniele, one of the concert organizers.
The night was a celebration for the Granite City as well. There was a sense during the event that Browne's presence, and the cause that brought him to the historic 1899 Opera House, could be a turning point for a blue-collar community that has seen some hard times.
As Joe Kiefer of Foodworks, one of a parade of pre-concert speakers noted, the concert and the cause it embraced was "a historical moment."
"What a wonderful thing for Barre," agreed Sen. Patrick Leahy, who was introduced to an enthusiastic audience.
Browne's presence in Barre Saturday night (and for a 7 p.m. concert Sunday) was brought about when Zevon, Browne's god-daughter and longtime friend, asked the singer to perform a benefit concert to help launch L.A.C.E., her multi-dimensional concept of a café, farm-fresh storefront and advocacy organization that promotes healthy eating and supports farmers and the community.
"The community has encouraged and supported me, just hour after hour, day after day," she said as she profusely thanked the gathering, reflecting on the two years of work it has taken to get to today's grand opening of the market-café she has long dreamed of.
"For her to do this for Vermont is very special, it does so much for stay local, buy local," said Tebbetts before the show. Browne praised Zevon's efforts in the concert in between playing music that covered the spectrum, from songs about politics to relationships and loss – and even a song by Zevon's famous dad, Warren Zevon, "Lawyers, Guns and Money."
With 10 acoustic guitars behind him (he lamented he didn't bring enough, joking he has enough for a franchise) and an electric piano, Browne dominated the spacious stage despite his low-key persona, and many of his fans calling out to him in shouted conversations.
Lamenting the dismal fare he has to eat on the road, someone shouted out, "You're always welcome in Vermont.
"Thank you," he replied, "I feel very welcome in Vermont."
So did many others. B.J. Lundquist of Nashville, Tenn., and her friend Deb Socci, of Oviedo, Fla., came to Barre just to see Browne. Avid fans, they met at a Jackson Browne Concert five years ago in Concord, N.H., and became friends who travel around to his concerts. Socci said she was especially pleased that the Barre concert was to support environmentally sound agriculture.
"It's a great cause," she said. "I teach environmental biology. We have to support stores like Ariel's," she said.
"I like what Ariel Zevon is trying to do to promote local businesses and local farmers," echoed Anne Hunt of Teaneck,. N.J., who said she'd been a fan of Browne for 30 years, and like others at the concert, checks his Web site frequently to see where he's playing.
Tim Bangert of Cleveland was not only enthusiastic about seeing Browne in the opera house – he guessed he'd seen 15 concerts – but of the bike ride he took on Route 12 Saturday afternoon after renting a bike from Onion River Sports in Montpelier. "I've never been to Vermont before," he said.
As much as Browne owned the stage, it was what the rocker called Zevon's "cutting edge" idea for Barre that was front and center in the city Saturday.
"L.A.C.E. is a wonderful metaphor," said Amy Darley of Worcester, whose daughter-in-law is on the board of the farm exchange. "It's intricate, it's traditional, it's supportive."
And having Jackson Browne help put it on the map and provide a big financial infusion is great for Zevon – and Barre.
"I think it's wonderful the way celebrities sometimes can make a difference," Darley said.
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