Saw John Stewart play last night . . .

Good show, shorter than usual but then, he’s older each time he comes ’round. A bittersweet reunion as well, here beneath the slowly dissipating clouds of California burning.

And we were all Californians, at least so it seemed at the start, all with that shared bloodline of Southwest heritage. Nothing by which to distinguish us, of course, just a shared background, a common reference. It didn’t add to the music but it brought us together, made us appreciate both where we’re from and our relief at what has passed.

Jesse Unruh’s widow was there. Jesse Unruh -- “the best Governor California never had.” Unruh and Stewart worked together on Bobby Kennedy’s ill-fated California campaign. In the chaotic moments after the shots, Unruh can be heard yelling at Rosey Grier to grab the gun, “break his finger if you have to.” Stewart, who’d played at many of Bobby's rallies across the land, later released The Last Campaign, an album of songs from and about his experience.

Though much of the music came from albums released in the past few years, there were older tunes as well, including -- surprisingly -- a song from his years with “The Kingston Trio.” He doesn’t play those often in his own shows.

The biggest applause came late in the set, when Stewart unexpectedly said,

“You know, hard to believe, but in 15 months we’ll never hear from George Bush again.”

He then segued into “Survivors,” from his 1975 album, Wingless Angels:

He broke his back
To put food on the table.
In Columbus Ohio
he said to his wife:
“I believe that the flag
Is more than a rag,
But the outlaws in office
Have shattered my life.”

Can you hear me Ohio?
You are the country
You are the nation
You will survive…

When finished, he commented it was sad such songs remain relevant but fortunate they don’t diminish in import.

And such is the lesson I’ve learned in a lifetime of listening to folk music: In unmelodic times, folk music has power to effect change, and if the change can’t happen soon enough, we can find in the music strength to carry on.

We will survive…

I haven't seen him in years. Did he play "Willard"?

and to my personal disappointment, he didn't play "Strange Rivers" either.

There were a number of songs off his most recent album, The Day the River Sang, and a few from Havana, so almost half the show was relatively new stuff, which was nice as I've seen him over the years and like to see the new stuff when it's released. But of course, when it's over, you start thinking about what you didn't hear (which is quite a lot after any of his shows, given the quantity of his output over the years), but you think about what you didn't hear and wish the show had been a little longer.