Update (May 11): Dates have been added well into summer.
Arlo Guthrie’s song “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” has become a Thanksgiving staple ever since it was released in 1967 on his debut album, Alice’s Restaurant. This year, fans can celebrate the 50th anniversary of the event that inspired the iconic song with a special Thanksgiving evening broadcast of Guthrie in concert on PBS. The program is produced and directed by four-time Emmy winner Jim Brown, who made the 2007 documentary Pete Seeger: The Power of Song.
The deadpan 18-minute musical monologue “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” tells a true tale from Guthrie’s life, which occurred on Thanksgiving Day in 1965. It begins with him receiving a citation for littering and ends with how that mark on his record miraculously kept him from being drafted and going to Vietnam. The beloved tune became symbolic of 1960s counterculture and inspired the film Alice’s Restaurant in 1969.
“I didn’t think I was gonna live long enough to have to learn ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ again,” Guthrie said in a press statement. “It was a quirky kinda thing to begin with. Nobody writes an 18-minute monologue expecting fame and fortune. The initial success of the song really took me by surprise more than anyone else. The fact that I have contended with it for five decides either by having to learn it again or by not doing it, has been an interesting balancing act.”
For most of 2015, Guthrie has been on the road honoring the anniversary of Alice’s Restaurant with performances of selections from his first record as well as his lengthy catalog – “The Motorcycle Song,” “City of New Orleans” “Coming into Los Angeles” and more. He’ll be continuing their nationwide tour from now until well into 2016, with his daughter Sarah Lee Guthrie opening each concert. Tickets are available here; dates listed below.
The PBS television event, entitled “Alice’s Restaurant 50th Anniversary Concert with Arlo Guthrie,” was filmed at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Massachusetts on May 21st, near to where the story in the song happened. Fans can watch the special from 8 to 9:30 pm EST on PBS on November 26th. Navigate the PBS website for dates and times for repeat airings. New York’s WNET airs it again at 9 pm this Friday.
Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant 50th Anniversary Tour” Dates:
Nov. 17, 2015 — Easton, MD — The Avalon Theatre
Nov. 19, 2015 — Wilmington, DE — Grand Opera House
Nov. 20, 2015 — Princeton, NJ — The McCarter Theatre
Nov. 21, 2015 — Glenside, PA — The Keswick Theatre
Nov. 28, 2015 — New York, NY — Carnegie Hall
Nov. 29, 2015 — Newark, NJ — NJ Performing Arts Center
Jan. 16, 2016 — Coral Springs, FL — Coral Springs Center
Jan. 17, 2016 — Miami, FL — South Miami-Dade Co. Arts
Jan. 19, 2016 — Ft. Myers, FL — Barbara Mann Hall
Jan. 20, 2016 — Clearwater, FL — The Capitol Theatre
Jan. 22, 2016 — Stuart, FL — The Lyric Theatre
Jan. 23, 2016 — Orlando, FL — The Plaza Live
Jan. 24, 2016 — Melbourne, FL — The King Center
Jan. 26, 2016 — Charleston, SC — Charleston Music Hall
Jan. 27, 2016 — Newberry, SC — Newberry Opera House
Jan. 28, 2016 — Durham, NC — The Carolina Theatre
Jan. 30 & 31, 2016 — Richmond, VA — Modlin Center
Feb. 3, 2016 — Bethesda, MD — Strathmore Hall
Feb. 5 & 6, 2016 — Alexandria, VA — The Birchmere
Feb. 8 & 9, 2016 — Rocky Mount, VA — Harvester
Feb. 12, 2016 — Lawrence, KS — Liberty Hall
Feb. 13, 2016 — Wichita, KS — The Orpheum
Feb. 14, 2016 — Tulsa, OK — The Brady Theatre
Feb. 16, 2016 — St. Louis, MO — Touhill Arts Center
Feb. 18, 2016 — Fort Worth, TX — Bass Performance Hall
Feb. 21, 2016 — Austin, TX — The Long Center
Feb. 24, 2016 — Columbia, MO — The Missouri Theatre
Feb. 25, 2016 — Louisville, KY — Kentucky Center
Feb. 27, 2016 — Biloxi, MS — IP Casino
April 1, 2016 — Mesa, AZ — Mesa Performing Arts Center
April 7, 2016 — Santa Barbara, CA — The Lobero Theatre
April 9, 2016 — Palo Alto, CA — The Bing Concert Hall
April 10, 2016 — Chico, CA — Laxon Auditorium
April 14, 2016 — Portland, OR — Revolution Hall
April 15, 2016 — Olympia, WA — Washington Center
April 16, 2016 — Seattle, WA — The Moore Theatre
April 21, 2016 — Vancouver, BC, Canada — Chan Centre
April 23, 2016 — Spokane, WA — The Fox Theater
May 1, 2016 — New Orleans, LA — Jazz & Heritage Festival
May 4, 2016 — Annapolis, MD — St. John’s College
May 6, 2016 — Albany, NY — The Egg
May 7, 2016 — Newton, NJ — Newton Theater
May 8, 2016 — Ridgefield, CT — Ridgefield Playhouse
May 10, 2016 — Port Washington, NY — Landmark on Main Street
May 11, 2016 — South Orange, NJ — SOPAC
May 13, 2016 — Great Barrington, MA — The Guthrie Center
May 14, 2016 — Great Barrington, MA — The Guthrie Center
May 15, 2016 — Great Barrington, MA — The Guthrie Center
May 28, 2016 — White Springs, FL — Florida Folk Festival
June 29, 2016 — Truro, MA — Payomet PAC
July 2, 2016 — Canso, NS, Canada — Stan Rogers Folk Festival
July 5, 2016 — St. John’s NL — Arts & Culture Centre
July 7, 2016 — Ogunquit, ME — Jonathan’s
July 8, 2016 — Ogunquit, ME — Jonathan’s
July 29, 2016 — Plymouth, NH — The Flying Monkey
July 30, 2016 — Rockport, MA — Shalin Liu Center
July 31, 2016 — Rockport, MA — Shalin Liu Center
Aug 2, 2016 — Oak Bluffs, MA — The Tabernacle
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3 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationI really, really wish he was touring in the mid west!
How do I get tickets to Arlo’s concert at the Guthrie Center in Washington, MA on May 5, 2016? This concert is not listed on Ticketmaster for Arlo concerts. The Guthrie Center has a posted list of upcoming concerts and, Arlo’s concert isn’t even listed. Plus, the Guthrie Center website also says “No online ticket sales.” What the heck? How can I get tickets?
We suspect that date no longer exists (and we’ve just deleted it from our listings). But just in case you can call the center Tues-Sat at (413) 528-1955