Pete Seeger turned 90 Sunday and he's still performing classics and songs he's personally made into classics. In fact his playing and singing were topnotch Sunday at his birthday bash in Madison Square Garden, alongside Bruce Springstein, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris and many others.
Proceeds from the show will go to Clearwater, an organization - and his boat - launched by Seeger 40 years ago to raise awareness about pollution and, recently, airplanes in the Hudson River.
Also among the guests were folk favorites Peter, Paul and Mary.
Paul Stookey, once again defended the lyrics to their big HIT, Puff The Magic Dragon, which many parents over the years have insisted it was about smoking marijuana.
"No, for the 10,000th time, it was a kid's song all the way", stated Paul and also defended by Peter Yarrow.
"How about your naming the kid, Little Jackie Paper?"
"That was just the name we thought up at the time", stated Peter.
"And the "sealing wax, paper and puff the magic dragon was all about a kid and his fantasy?"
"Nope, to the kid, the kid in all of us, there's a time when the magic of childhood leaves."
"'Leaves', huh?"
"Now don't start."
The trio then dedicated their whole performance to the kids, performing "Aloutte, Paca Loco, Aloutte", "All The World Loves To Hear-Mother Singing, While She's Full Of Beer", "The Alphabet Bong", "A Puffing We Will Go", "Hooka Pooka Honeymoon", "Five, Six, Pick Up A Fix", "All The Pretty Glowing Spiders", "We Went To The Banano Fair", "Go And Tell Aunt Mary Jane Rhody", "Baa, Baa Blow Stick", "The Banana Smoke Song", "Be Kind To Your Weed-Footed Friend", "The Bear Went Over And Ate All Our Munchies", "Little Hitsy Spider", "The Blue Tail Toker", "On A Hooka Built For Two", "Hempo Simon Ate The Pie, Mon" and "The Big Nose Candy Mountain".
Both Old Hippies and their 40-year-old kids gave them a standing and swaying ovation.
