Earlier this spring Madison hosted handfuls of singers, celebrities, intellectuals, and politicians to celebrate the centennial of Madison based magazine The Progressive. We posted a few photos days after the extraordinary kick-off concert at the Orpheum Theater featuring Ani Difranco, The Indigo Girls, Dar Williams, Melissa Ferrick, Catie Curtis, Peter Mulvey, Hamell on Trial (and even a guest appearance by Amy Goodman). As promised we’ve collected our breath and are finally posting a much larger assortment of once in a lifetime images, videos, and reviews from a weekend not easily forgotten.
Concert Reviews
Hope Filled Concert Raises the Roof for the Progressive- Rob Thomas, Capital Times
Progressive Music for Progressive People- Emily Mills, Dane 101
Ani Difranco, Indigo Girls Offer Hope and Fiery Politics at Concert for The Progressive- Kiki Schueler, TheDailyPage.com
Concert Photos
Orpheum Marquee:
Line Down the Block in both directions:
Buskers:
Entering the Orpheum:
Backstage Prepped:
Socialization Inside:
Progressive Table Staff:
Check out this incredible caught-on-tape backstage moment as the artists hung out and warmed up- Ani DiFranco, Dar Williams, Melissa Ferrick, Catie Curtis, Peter Mulvey, Hamell on Trial, Indigo Girls (Amy Ray and Emily Saliers), and Ingrid Graudins:
PETER MULVEY got the show going and gracefully emceed us through the night:
CATIE CURTIS sang her award winning song People Look Around about Hurricane Katrina:
As an enraptured audience took it all in:
HAMELL ON TRIAL made us laugh…perhaps inappropriately:
MELISSA FERRICK rocked the room with her powerful voice and guitar style:
Catie Curtis and Ingrid Graudins chimed in
Intermission:
AMY GOODMAN of Democracy Now made a surprise appearance and spoke of the importance of the progressive movement:
DAR WILLIAMS sang many of her fan favorites to a crowd (and some fellow artists) that did not hesitate to join in:
Peter Mulvey, Ingrid Graudins, Catie Curtis, Melissa Ferrick, Dar Williams, and Hamell on Trial
At the end of Dar’s set she invited a group of folks on stage for a fan fave. Watch at the end when Dar asks everyone to “please lift up your symbols of inter-connectivity”- her joke becomes a moving sight.
Iowa- Dar Williams, Catie Curtis, Ingrid Graudins, and Melissa Ferrick.
THE INDIGO GIRLS indulged the audience in well-loved classics despite their recently released and highly acclaimed album Poseiden and the Bitter Bug:
ANI DIFRANCO came onstage and announced “There is no other place I’d rather be tonight than here”! She originally planned to play songs from her newest release Red Letter Year but changed her set list spontaneously to include classics like Both Hands:
FINAL ENCORE-A two encore finale that raised the audience to its feet:
Amy Ray, Ingrid Graudins, Catie Curtis, Ani Difranco, Hamell on Trial, Emily Saliers, Melissa Ferrick, Dar Williams, and Peter Mulvey- what a stage full of talent:
Post-Show:
Auction ticket buyers had the chance to hang with the artists at an afterparty:
Catie Curtis
Melissa Ferrick
Amy Ray signs a fans shoes
Dar Williams
Ani Difranco
A very special thanks to Antony Mores for allowing us to use some of his shots!
Conference Videos
The concert kicked off a two day conference celebrating the centennial of The Progressive magazine. They packed the weekend with influential politicians, intellectuals, and artists.
JOHN NICHOLS AND KEITH ELLISON talk democracy, Gaza, health care, and more. John Nichols is a Madison-based political writer who contributes regularly to The Capital Times, The Progressive Magazine, The Nation, and In These Times. US Representative Ellison is a Congressman from Minnesota, who is also the first Muslim to serve in Congress.
MATT ROTHSCHILD, STEPHEN DUNES, and NAOMI KLEIN speak about imperialism. Rothschild is the Editor of The Progressive Magazine, and Dr. Dunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies. Ms. Klein is a columnist for The Nation and has penned such well read books as No Logo and Shock Doctrine.
HOWARD ZINN mused about the “three wars you can never say anything bad about”. Zinn is an author and activist who wrote among many popular titles, A Peoples History of the United States.
Curious what ROBERT REDFORD had to say about Madison, Sundance, politics, and the arts?
“Art has always been treated like a trivial pursuit from the small minded people who see art as a threat or as elitist- its not…My focus is trying to use art to promote these issues and say that art deserves a better place in our society…A time of change is on us, lets skip the rhetoric and put it in to action…”
Filed under: Live Concert Photos, Music News & Reviews, Sounding Board Blog Tagged: | amy ray madison wi, ani difranco madison wi, benefit madison wi, Catie Curtis Madison wi, Concert Madison WI, concert photos madison wi, concert videos madison wi, dar williams madison wi, emily saliers madison wi, feminist madison wi, folk music madison wi, fund raiser madison, indigo girls madison wi, iowa dar williams melissa ferrcik catie curtis madison wi, Live Music Calendars- Madison WI, Melissa, melissa ferrick madison wi, Music calendar, Peter Mulvey Madison WI, The Orpheum Theatre Madison WI, The Progressive Benefit Concert Madison WI
This is awesome…it gives me chills to re-live those moments. Thanks for posting these incredible photos, videos, memories, etc.
One of the things that struck me most about this concert was the synergy between the artists. Oftentimes the front of the house vibe is totally different than backstage- artists who have been on the road for a while tend to be exhausted, and probably not the best versions of themselves…In this case everybody was energized, positive, collaborative, & generous. The Orpheum was busting at the seams with a sense of revelry and purpose that night.
[...] Ani Difranco, Indigo Girls, Dar Williams, Melissa Ferrick, et al at the Orpheum Theatre: Concert Photos & Videos [...]
I am glad this exists.