{"id":991,"date":"2011-07-16T20:00:43","date_gmt":"2011-07-16T20:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/216.71.127.204\/wordpress\/?p=991"},"modified":"2015-10-13T20:28:42","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T20:28:42","slug":"harry-chapin-tribute-concert-heckscher-park-huntington-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2011\/07\/16\/harry-chapin-tribute-concert-heckscher-park-huntington-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"Harry Chapin Tribute Concert – Heckscher Park – Huntington, New York"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Written by David Clements <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jul 16, 2011<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Image\"This is my first review for HoustonMusicReview.com, and hopefully not my last.<\/p>\n

This review started 40 years ago in Virginia.\u00a0 The year 1972 was the first time I saw Harry Chapin live in concert.\u00a0 This review, as you will soon read is all about Harry \u201cCat\u2019s In The Cradle\u201d Chapin.<\/p>\n

Harry wasn\u2019t able to make it to the July 16th,2011 concert in Huntington,\u00a0 NY.\u00a0 You see, Harry died in a horrible car crash on the Long Island Expressway near his home town of Huntington 30 years ago, to the day,in 1981.<\/p>\n

Going back in time, I remember hearing the news of his death in my suburban home in Houston, TX by phone from friends that knew I was a huge Harry Chapin fan.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was indeed a sad day for me and so many in the world.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t remember exactly the first time I heard Harry Chapin sing Taxi, however I remember I was hooked big time after I heard the song\u2026.\u201dIt was raining hard in Frisco.\u00a0 I needed one more fare to make my night\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said how are you Harry…I said how are you Sue\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe handed me $20 for a $2.50 fare and said \u2018Harry, keep the change\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI go flying so high when I\u2019m stoned\u201d<\/p>\n

From that point forward I found I couldn\u2019t get enough of Harry\u2019s music and his live shows.\u00a0 Whenever he would perform within a couple hundred miles of my home, I would go to both his early and late shows.\u00a0 At one point I think I knew every word he would say before he\u2019d say them!<\/p>\n

For thirty years now I think I have been silently grieving his death alone mainly because his big fan base was on the east coast and I\u2019ve been here in Houston all that time.\"Image\"
\nNow back to now. The free show, on the Chapin Rainbow Stage in Heckscher Park, Huntington, NY, was an event I won\u2019t soon forget.<\/p>\n

We arrived at the park 11 hours before the show.\u00a0 Many folks had gathered there earlier than us and had scouted out their spots on the lawn in front of the stage, marking them with blankets and chairs.<\/p>\n

We toured the Huntington area for a few hours after getting one of the few remaining spots \u2018up front\u2019, just to the left of the stage.
\nBy our return to the park that afternoon for sound check there wasn\u2019t a spot to be found without blankets, lawn chairs, or people hunkering down and waiting for show time.<\/p>\n

It was exciting for me to try to put names and faces of Chapin\u2019s family together as they were up testing their instruments.\u00a0 On some level it was like going to a family reunion.\u00a0 I first spotted band member Big John Wallace who had provided such great bass guitar and back up vocals for all those years.\u00a0 He looked just like I remembered him other than the color of his hair.<\/p>\n

Anyway, sound check gave me a strong hint that we were all going to be in for a great show later that evening.<\/p>\n

The bottom-line of the night was that my instinct was spot on!\u00a0 Wow, what a fabulous show they put on!<\/p>\n

For almost 3 hours some 14 different family members and friends played and sang to a record crowd estimated at over 7000 people.\u00a0 All, I think, who had come to celebrate Harry Chapin\u2019s life, his music, and his generous soul.\"Image\"<\/p>\n

Harry\u2019s two brothers, Steve and Tom Chapin ( www.TomChapin.com<\/span><\/u><\/a> ), were the first two to perform and were on and off the stage several times during the course of the evening.<\/p>\n

Tom\u2019s three daughters, The Chapin Sisters, (www.thechapinsisters.com<\/span><\/u><\/a>) were the next to perform and did a terrific job remembering their Uncle Harry.\u00a0 If you want to hear three beautiful women harmonizing you might want to check them out.\u00a0 They \u2018came well prepared and had the range of tonal color necessary to make them consistently interesting.\u00a0 Full time consideration of another endeavor would not be in order\u2019.<\/p>\n

Speaking of consistently interesting and beautiful, after the Chapin Sisters first appearance on stage, Harry\u2019s now 40 yr. old daughter, Jen Chapin (www.jenchapin.com<\/span><\/u><\/a>) came on stage and kicked proverbial butt.\u00a0 One of the music highlights of the evening was her original song Gold.\u00a0 There was a 4 minute standing bass intro by her husband and band member Stephan Crump that blew the audience away.\u00a0 What a pretty piece of music ; one of the best I\u2019ve heard in a very long time.\u00a0 Wow Jen, your Dad would have been so proud of you and your performance.<\/p>\n

The concert was an emotional rollercoaster for me as Harry\u2019s songs were performed by Tom, Steve, Big John Wallace, and Howard (Howie in the old days) Fields.\u00a0 There were also some 2nd generation Chapin\u2019s and Wallace\u2019s on stage with them.\u00a0 It was obvious throughout the night that the acorns hadn\u2019t fallen far from the trees!<\/p>\n

Several times during Taxi, Cat\u2019s In The Cradle, and WOLD, when I closed my eyes I could take myself back in time and hear Harry\u2019s voice over his brothers.\u00a0 Each time that occurred I had to quickly open my eyes to keep from crying\u2026you know how us guys are.<\/p>\n

By the end of the evening I was emotionally drained, tired from the ups and downs of trying to capture photographically what was transpiring and yet settled into a deep sense of closure.\u00a0 I could close the circle and move on to celebrating Harry\u2019s life \u2018vs\u2019 mourning his death.
\nHarry, thanks for the memories and God bless your beautiful family, band mates, and friends.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by David Clements Jul 16, 2011 This is my first review for HoustonMusicReview.com, and hopefully not my last. This review started 40 years ago in Virginia.\u00a0 The year 1972 was the first time I saw Harry Chapin live in concert.\u00a0 This review, as you will soon read is all about Harry \u201cCat\u2019s In The… <\/p>\n

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