I attended a free "Thursday in the Square" concert last night in Buffalo, NY featuring Eric Burdon and the Animals (yes he's still around, and his new band ROCKS). I left feeling a little more optimistic about the state of the nation.
Eric Burdon was in good voice and was his old hammy self, improvising new lyrics during extended versions of favorites like "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "It's My Life", "I'm Crying" and sneaking in a couple of new songs.
Toward the end of the concert, after am apocalyptic guitar solo by his new guitarist, started to sing a capella his anti war single "Sky Pilot" As soon as he began the song a cheer rose up from the crowd (no other song got this big an initial reaction). The crowd sang along almost drowning out Eric and more "peace signs" flew up than I've seen in the last 20 years at any event.
At the end of the song at throughout the rest of the concert Eric led the crowds in chants of "pray for peace".
Nothing earth shattering, I know, and I'm sure some of the crowd were aging Republicans living out their adolescent flirtation with hippiedom, but it was nice to be in a place where anti-war sentiments were being expressed and no wingnuts were screaming back "you suck".