The Richie Havens Concert

When I was in New York, I went with my parents to one of the free
concerts in the Great Neck Parks. It was folk music by Richie Havens.

I had no idea who he was/is, but my cousin, the family music maven, told me that he's very good and wishes that we had invited him to come along. And yes, I did enjoy it!




The setting, Steppingstone Park, next to the Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy was unreal. On the way there we got lost, so I had a tour of Kings Point, the wealthier section of Great Neck. It wasn't a neighborhood I knew well, so the "tour" was an added treat. We still got there with enough time to find a parking space not too far from the park. Because of my mother's "handicapped" sign, we didn't have to walk the half mile plus, (about a kilometer at least). We were allowed into the parking lot.

Richie Havens' staff didn't allow photographs or recordings, though I saw lots of camera flashes. But somehow, every time, OK the two times, I turned my camera on, they caught me. The first time, I didn't even manage to take a picture. The second time I was very far from the stage, we were leaving, and I put my 4X zoom to the test to see if it was better than my eye sight. Within seconds the "squad" caught me, demanded to see the picture and told me to delete it. When he realized that I didn't know how, he showed me. So sweet, so you'll have to do with the shot of the stage I took before the show began.