The O-town Scene

Kenny Loggins kicks off his Sunday shoes at Hospice event From the $1 shoe rack at the Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care thrift store on Main Street in One- onta, you wouldn’t expect the ex- travagance of the nonprofit’s annual benefit concert. This year the event was June 30 at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, and featured Grammy Award-winning musician Kenny Loggins and his newly formed country rock band the Blue Sky Riders. The hospice event was characterized by decadence from the chocolate-covered strawberries to the album signed by Elvis Presley that went for several thousand dollars during the silent auction to the professional athletes mingling under the giant white tent. Oneonta native and two-time Super Bowl champion Mark May has been bringing his athlete and ESPN com- mentator friends to the celebrity concert since its inception eight years ago. Those holding premium tickets participated in an auction where paintings, vacation packages, VIP tickets to sporting events and two guitars signed by Loggins went for thousands of dollars, with proceeds benefitting the organization. Adding to the event’s decadence were electroni- cally powered lavatories with running water and fully flushable toilets used as port-a-potties. Although at first the event seemed like an episode of the “Real Housewives” as people were nose deep in their blackberries, it became clear they were all there for a good cause and paying for or in remem- brance to someone who hospice had helped. Kenny Loggins opened for himself, and as a seasoned music veteran at 63, Loggins still has it. At around 9:15 p.m., he came on stage with Georgia Middleman and Gary Burr, the two other members of opening band the Blue Sky Riders, Loggins’ new country rock project. This was only their sixth show together as a band, but the trade-off of energy between them was natural and their songs were polished. They weren’t singing about their Ford pickup trucks either, but rather about life going on. He still has sex appeal. With his receding hair- line, snakeskin boots and strong hands from years of rapid guitar strumming, Loggins has aged to perfection. Photos by Genevieve Pedulla Kenny Loggins performs during the Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care’s an- nual benefit celebrity concert June 30 at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown. Times since the days of Loggins and Messina have passed, which is a major theme of Loggins’ new music, but as a solo act he per- formed many of his songs from three decades of hits. He opened with “Danny’s Song,” which prompted an immense crowd response. The crowd may have been older, but they still knew how to get down. When he performed “You’re Mama Don’t Dance,” someone commented: “This will shake the geriatrics right out of him. How old do you think he is?” I thought to myself, “I don’t know, but he still has sex appeal.” With his receding hairline, snakeskin boots and strong hands from years of rapid guitar strumming, Loggins has aged to perfection. Then he took of his jacket, and the evening was in full swing with thousands of heads bobbing in succession. At one point, Loggins had a four-piece backing band, and at others there were up to 10 people on stage. In closing, as Loggins sang solo with piano accompaniment, he reached down into the crowd to touch hands with endear- ing fans, many of whom probably reverted back to an adoles- cent fanaticism, thinking, “I’ll never wash this hand again.” Hospice has been praised for its undertaking, and it is the volunteers, patrons and performers that make the yearly benefit such a success, which in turn make Hospice’s efforts possible. “Hospice helped my father,” said volunteer Jerry Ferris as the evening was beginning to wrap up, “so I try to help them.” — Emily Greenberg concert review concert review concert review concert review concert review concert review July 7, 2011 O-Town Scene 11

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