Havens lets his heart, and audience, guide him
Singer/guitarist known for opening Woodstock festival
BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer
Seeing Richie Havens in concert is like a box of chocolates ... you never know what you're going to get.

Richie Havens

From before the time when he played an epic-length opening at Woodstock back in 1969 up until now, the soulfulvoiced guitarist lets the moment, and the audience, guide his performances.

Havens, who will perform in Monroe on Saturday, harkened back to his early days of playing at small venues in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, when he began his practice of only planning the first and last songs of his nightly set.

"Things would happen," Havens said. "I'd get off the stage and someone would come up to me and say, 'I wanted to hear these three songs. I wrote them down, and you played them all in a row.' That's how it happens with me."

By opening himself to connect with audiences, whether playing for 500 or 500,000, Havens does his best to cater his concerts to the fans in attendance. If Woodstock is any indication, he is quite good at doing it.

The August 1969 festival in Bethel, N.Y., drew tremendous numbers from all over the country, leaving the rural town unprepared and outrageously congested. A nearby farmer volunteered his bubble helicopter to transport the musicians above the din from their hotel, seven miles away from Max Yasgur's packed 600-acre farm. Since Havens had the fewest number of instruments and band members, he got moved from fifth on the bill to first.

"I was scared to death," Havens said. "But when I got over those people [in the helicopter], I knew. I said, 'If they got this picture in the newspaper, we won. They can't hide us anymore.'"

Though he basked in the feeling of triumph, when Havens hit the stage, he was nervous. The throngs of hippies had waited for hours to hear some music. Show organizers assured him that he only had to play a 40-minute set, then another act would arrive to relieve him.

"They did it six times, at the end of which, I had been onstage for 2 hours and 45 minutes," Havens said.

After playing every song he knew, the folk aficionado played an especially long intro, grasping for something else to come forth from his well of musical knowledge. Havens strummed with furrowed brow until inspiration struck. He began singing the word "freedom," because that is what he saw happening at Woodstock, he said. From there, he sprung into a rendition of the classic spiritual, "Motherless Child," improvising a musical number that would later become a fixture in his repertoire.

When the colorfully-dressed audience began to rise from their spots on the ground like thousands of flowers sprouting simultaneously, it seemed clear that Havens, soaked with sweat in his orange gown, had connected with them. Even those of later generations who can only relive the historic event on film can feel the intensity of the quick-strumming guitar and unmistakable vocals.

"I can tell when it's been on TV, because all the teenagers show up," Havens said.

Not that he minds.

Havens could not say enough positive things about the youth of today, and the importance of their role in the future.

"I have my best conversations with guys under 4 feet tall," Havens said.

He backs up his statements with support of various children's causes. One major focus was forming the Northwind Undersea Institute, an oceanographic children's museum in the Bronx. A byproduct of the museum was The Natural Guard, an organization run by kids, which teaches them stewardship of the environment. Established in 1990, the group won Hilary Clinton's Points of Light Award for volunteer work.

In 1993, Havens performed at Bill Clinton's inauguration. In terms of the current presidential race, Havens aligns himself with Hilary Clinton, but she is not the only one he'd like to see in office.

"If I had my way, there would be two presidents and two vice presidents - Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton, and Ron Paul and [Dennis] Kucinich for vice president," Havens said.

Havens' youth was spent in Bedford- Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, where he formed early roots in doo-wop and gospel groups. Though the gospel part of his musical beginnings was the result of a little bit of arm twisting from a friend's mother, Havens took it on good-naturedly.

When the word "beatnik" made its way into the American vocabulary, it was defining people like Havens, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, to name a few. Havens first performed poetry in Village clubs, going on to play musical covers, as well as his own original songs.

Like in the formation of his set lists, Havens lets his heart guide him when writing music, as well as when choosing another artist's song to perform.

"They choose me," Havens said. "The minute I heard it, something inside me changed."

Havens' definition of rock and roll as the "primal scream" of the people sheds light on his view of music as a soultouching medium. His own guitar stylings set him apart from other musicians, as he plays in the unique style of open D tuning. Another unique aspect of Havens' performances is his rhythmic foot stomping, which has been mistaken for drums on some recordings.

"I think music is being stretched to take on several tasks," Havens said. "I think the main one is to celebrate."

Havens has been celebrating for more than 60 years. Though he now performs only on weekends, his prolific career is still going strong. Last year, he appeared on the silver screen in Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There," a film that outlines Dylan's life. In it, Havens sings one of his colleagues' well-known hits, "Tombstone Blues." Earlier this month, Havens released his latest album, "Nobody Left to Crown," and he continues to tour internationally.

From his easygoing demeanor to the frequent laughter that punctuates his speech, it seems clear that Havens is still celebrating both music and life, and has no plans of stopping anytime soon.

"I'm in the throes of the great becoming," Havens said. "We're putting the finishing touches on the first step of a brand-new world."

Richie Havens will appear Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Richard P. Marasco Center for Performing Arts, Monroe Township High School, Perrineville Road. Tickets, which are $15 for general admission, $12 for patrons, free of charge to students, are available in advance at the Monroe Township Senior Center, in the municipal complex, One Municipal Plaza; the Monroe Township Community Center at 120 Monmouth Road; and at the door two hours before the performance. For more information, visit the Web site at www.MonroeTownship CulturalArts.com or call (732) 521-4400, ext 134.