Janis Ian sang and played on this Easter Sunday for forty very lucky people, in a beautiful south England setting, and a veiled and breezy sunshine.

My wife Susan and I got to the venue at 1pm, just one hour before 'showtime'. We were almost the last to arrive ... many of the other guests either live locally, or had been staying nearby or in these delightful rural holiday homes over the long Easter weekend. 

But we had made it in plenty of time! We were greeted, as we drove up, by Anna from Dublin, Henry Metcalfe, and Philip Clark (Janis' trusty sound man and co-manager, who would be enjoying a nice break from his usual sound duties today).

And Rowy herself was our cheerful car park attendant (!), closely followed with welcomes by Wes (from Sheffield), and good-old Anne ('Manchester'), and David from London, and Chet (who had arrived all the way from Malaysia a few days earlier).

We soon bumped into other real or virtual old friends ... Marjan, travelling specially from Holland (she MUST hold the title of "Janis' greatest European follower"!), and David UK, and Anne's husband Mike, and Pete CC, and Chris Sawyer, and Strech, and then a very special extra guest, still unbeknown to Janis ...

And there were many others whom we did not meet in person during the day, but who shared this great celebration with us.

Janis was apparently in the middle of a pre-show interview, so we were encouraged to go on in and listen. But she had just finished it, and had disappeared for a smoke break! So we had a cup of coffee instead!

Just before 2pm we all headed for a delightful lounge in one of the beautifully converted farm barns. This was to be the 'living room' for Rowy's special concert. Janis had brought along her gorgeous, 12-week-old Ryan acoustic guitar for this very special show. And there was to be no amplification of guitar or voice ... just a microphone to capture the whole thing on CD for Rowy and Lynda!

Soon after we sat down, Janis glided in (as is the wont of those fully matured 'ugly ducklings') to finish her final 'stage prep', and at last I got the chance to nip up and say "hello" again, for the first time since her last show in London in late 2004!

And as she was completing the guitar tuning on her little 'stage area', she looked up at the latest arrivals in the now-crowded room and discovered, sitting on the floor right in front of her, none other than SONGDRAGON, who had flown into London from Connecticut in deepest secrecy only hours before!

Big hugs ensued!!
 

And then Rowy, the birthday girl, finally walked through the door and took her seat for her own LRC, and the audience was complete.

Then she talked with her usual combination of wit and anger about book censorship in the USA, linking to the fiery DANGER DANGER.

There was a short discussion on audience reactions to that song, so far ... and then, routing via a description of the aftershocks of 'Society's Child' in the mid-60's, Janis gave us the history of her writing of TATTOO, before performing it with immense dignity and humility. 

Then came a few words on the 12-year recording gap after her unhappy experience with the 'Restless Eyes' album ('Uncle Wonderful' always gets 'forgotten', doesn't it? ) and the very postive factors behind her release of the widely-acclaimed 'Breaking Silence' CD ...

Then, for light relief, Janis agreed to sing THE CROCODILE SONG (suggesting it was originally "written for her grandchildren" !!!!!).

Now came "the singer's choice", and Janis chose her special guitar rendition of SILLY HABITS.  Very cool ... and then on she segued into one of her very favourites: WATERCOLORS, which she played and sang quite beautifully.

And to close part one, after much popular voting confusion, she went for FOLK IS THE NEW BLACK ... and this Civilian Choir definitively outshone the one present at the original studio recording!
 

During the Interval, Rowy posed with the Ryan! And after 30 years of enjoying Janis' music with me, often singing along when I play it on piano or guitar, my wife Susan finally got to meet the lady herself!
 

Back from the break, Janis told us there were many songs on the long 'Request List' which she wouldn't be able to play, for various reasons ... 'Jesse' was just one example. But by strong demand (from the boss of the show, I suspect) she gave us JACKIE SKATES (claiming it was the first time she'd played it since the studio recording. Hah! No one believed her ... it was far too good.)

Then Rowy asked (again) what that song was really all about. So Janis tried to give a few hints - but then reminded us, as she always does, that in the end her songs become ours, for each of us to interpret in our individual ways. 

After a bit of a debate (but it was 'no contest' really!), Janis agreed she wanted to include AT SEVENTEEN  - which in my view turned out to be one of the finest live performances of that song I have heard (and I've heard a few!). 

And then came BETWEEN THE LINES (magnificent!) and PAGE NINE (which is Pat's favourite song, of course).

Then, after a chat about the famous background to its writing, Janis sang STARS. It was undoubtedly the Finest live version of it I have ever heard! And others in the audience said the same, out loud!

Then Janis moved smoothly on to THROUGH THE YEARS (very moving), and finally, after a brief introduction about what happens inside you when you face the distinct possibility of upcoming death (happily a false alarm in her case), she closed, delicately and most graciously, with JOY.
 

We granted her a long and loving standing ovation!
 

Anne's husband Mike videod the whole show, with a plan to make it available on DVD. Here he is, along with Anna from Dublin.

After the show, I managed to get Anna from Dublin and Janis togther for a few moments, and presented each of them with a full update package for 'A Few Old Friends' - the Janis Ian Songs Companion which I produced in 2004. 
 

I had taken three copies of it over to Janismania, given one to Janis and one to Kathleen Brogan (who had helped me acquire some of the more obscure material), and then auctioned off the third copy in aid of the Pearl Foundation. The auction was won by Anna, who bid and paid no less than $850!

So now Anna and Janis have their own 2nd Editions, incorporating all the songs from 'Folk Is The New Black'. And Kathleen's package will soon be winging its way to California ... 

A wonderful buffet had been prepared by those staying over, and the guests slowly began to tuck in. Janis took just a few mouthfulls, and then sat down and got stuck in to her usual 'signing and photos' routine. She kept at it, with only another short food break, till everyone was done. Bravo, Janis! Here are just three of those photos ...
 

Janis was once again good enough to sign several more items just for me. And she was especially pleased to see how well my fully-bound, high-quality printing of the downloaded 'Folk Is The New Black Songbook' had turned out.

During the buffet I got time to have further short chats with many famous Rudies, including David UK, Chris Sawyer, Anne (Manchester) and Mike, Chet, Pete CC, Marjan, David from London, Rowy and Lynda, and Jennifer (Songdragon), who will be on vacation in the UK for just one week.

And Anne handed out special mementos for every guest ... FINB UK Tour VIP passes, and UK promo copies of the CD single "Standing In The Shadows Of Love". Thank you, Janis!

Just before departing, Janis actually signed Rowy and Lynda's Camper Van, and added a little Rude Girl. Not so much 'go-faster stripes' as 'go-cooler scripts'. Presumably they'll never wash the van again? 

Then Janis and crew headed off, with a few hours to spare, and hopefully to relax, before arriving in Brighton on Monday afternoon for the next big show. 

Lynda announced that Rowy had a special 'Janis Ian notebook', which had been christened with guests' good wishes at Rowy's actual birthday party a few weeks earlier (in that very room). So now we were all invited to write our own 'LRC messages' in that very precious little guestbook, and it began its passage round the room ...

Then it was time for Susan and me to leave ... with the mission of making a posting about the LRC on Janis' Message Board as soon as possible. Which I managed to do, after a long drive home, much later that evening!

So:  to ROWY, and to 'organising Anne' ...

 ... and of course to Janis and the crew, and to everyone who helped out, or who was simply there: THANK YOU for another wonderful day!!!
 
 

Mike (Trovador)

© ME Lloyd 2006