Joe and members of Reet, Petite and Gone at Southsea. |
Looking at the small, stocky figure with receding locks swept up by a bandanna he cuts today, it's hard to equate the two eras, but as soon as he opened his mouth or blew up on his harmonica the memories hooded back. Not necessarily one to dwell entirely in the past, McDonald still began with a song yearning for the Summer of Love.
Thereafter he got down to his lampooning business with mini historical songs about discredited Presidents Nixon and LBJ, the hippy nemesis. Ole Joe wasn't alone in his ramblings since he was backed by the British jug band Reet Petite and Gone, who added appropriate dollops of Dobro, mandolin, slide guitar and snare drums to a well-worn mix.
Some of the audience, who weren't even born when CJM was ragging of America's guns and greed tendencies, might have wondered what the fuss was about but the troubadour won everyone over with his tall stories, reminiscences on Janis Joplin and politically charged satires. Good to see he hasn't lost his sense of humour. Watch your back George W. Bush.