The Michigan Daily - Sunday, June 17, 1984 - Page 11
Balding audience enjoys olk jewel

By Andy Weine
THERE'S SOMETHING interesting
about Mimi Farina's audiences.
As Farina said to one interviewer,
"They're balding."
Her comment holds true not only for
Farina's audience Thursday night at
the Ark but for most Ark audiences as
well (especially in the student-free
summer). The balding, graying
listeners are mostly dedicated folk fans
from the 50's - when folk music had a
popular eruption - and the '60s and
'70s, when the movement had its
momentum. It's too bad, though,
because younger audiences are missing
out on some quintessential musical
jewels, such as Mimi Farina.
To an audience well over capacity,
Farina played two long sets of some of
the most beautiful music heard recently
in Ann Arbor. Her picking and strum-
ming on guitar was deft and
memorable, but her voice certainly
stole the show. She sang with a high,
wild, and emotional voice, sounding
something like a folksy Joni Mitchell.
Farina has been singing for over
20 years. She first started with her
late husband Richard, later opening
concerts for more famous musicians
and touring on her own. An active social
conscience prompted her to found
Bread and Roses, whose musicians
play for prisons, hospitals, and other
institutions.
That social concern was evident in
several songs. One was about a bat-
tered woman clinging to her husband.
Another, written by her husband, urged
people to come together "in these bitter
times." Another moving song was Shel
Silverstein's, "The Ballad of Lucy Jor-
dan," the story of a suburban housewife
gone mad.
Most of Farina's songs, however,
concern love and the tentativeness and

Folk Singer Mimi Farina used her high and emotional voice to entertain the middle-aged audience Thursday night at
the Ark. Even though her sister is fellow-folkster Joan Baez, Farina sounded more like Joni Mitchell during her two sets
at the Ark.

hidden intentions in relationships. The
lyrics of one enjoyable song ran, "I'm
gonna make you need me. .. And then
I'm gonna go away."
To counter such pervading
pessimism, she threw in a little of what,
she called "lounge material," which
means more conventional love songs.
Even in these songs, though, she had
her own heartfelt style and a very
human sensitivity with which anyone
could identify.
However, Farina is not a gushy sen-
timentalist. She maintains a healthy
self-contempt and skepticism. Once,

she referred to herself at "this sensitive
California chick." Later, when in-
troducing a love song, she said sar-
castically, "Okay, I'm going to play
this so we can all grow together and
learn from each other."
Quite ironically, that is just what
seemed to happen in the concert.
Farina's warm personality shone
through her singing and stories of
traveling, audiences, and home in
Marin County, Ga. And the audience
shined back through singing along on
several songs.
Farina's repertoire included several

pseudo-religious tunes, such as her
song, "Another Letter to Jesus." Later,
she and the audience joined together in
rousing renditions of "Will the Circle be
Unbroken?" and "Amazing Grace,"
proving that the songs still have an
amazing power to unite people.
In regards to today's folk movement,
Farina said, "There's something going
on. It isn't a folk revival the way we
knew it, but something's happening,
and it's kinda nice." If Mimi Farina -
and musicians like her are a part of that
movement; then it's a lot better .than
nice.

First stop Kansas City for
Jackson's hoopla-laden tour

NEW YORK (UPI) - Superstar Michael Jackson ended
the suspense Friday with an announcement that he and his
five brothers will open a 12-city, 42-performance tour in Kan-
sas City, Mo., July 6. Response from fans was immediate and
frenzied.
The other concert sites revealed were Irving, Texas, a
Dallas suburb, and Jacksonville, Fla. The remaining concert
dates will be announced within the next 10 days, publicist
Beverly Paige said.
Rumors are still abuzz with information about a Detroit-
area stop, but nothing definite is known.
The Jacksons are expected to be seen by as many as two
million. fans, each paying $30 for tickets distributed through
an elaborate computer system.
Performances will be held in Arrowhead Stadium in Kan-
sas City on July 6, 7 and 8, followed by performances in Texas
Stadium in Irving on July 13, 14, and 15. The dates for the
Jacksonville Gator Bowl performances are July 21, 22 and 23.
"This is almost as good as when the Beatles came," said
Becky Elliott, Texas Stadium ticket manager.
In Kansas City, telephone lines were jammed to a number
of local radio stations and Arrowhead Stadium spokesman
Russ Cline boasted the city was chosen for the tour premiere
"because it is in the heart of America."
"It's just like non-stop," said Kathy Hais at KBEQ-FM in

Kansas City. Program director Pat McKay said phone lines
were "just burning up."
Concert spokesman Howard Bloom said the tour of 12 cities
for 42 performances will be the largest ever given by any
American group. It also will be the first time all six Jackson
brothers have performed together.
Both Jermaine Jackson, who quit the Jackson 5 group in
1976, and Randy Jackson, who replaced him, will be seen in
the upcoming tour.
"There is no tour that has had this amount of preparation
in the history of the business," Bloom said.
"We have made elaborate arrangements to protect the
fans against scalpers," Paige said. "The tickets will be plur-
chased by mail order and processed by a major bank and by
a top CPA firm to ensure each request is considered
properly."
The final determination on tickets - which must be plur-
chased in blocks of four - will be made by computer.
Paige said a coupon with instructions will appear in :daily
newspapers to "simplify logistics of ticket distribution."
Paige said the Jacksons are jealously guarding details of
the concert performance itself.
"They have kept that part of it top secret during eight mon-
ths of preparation. That's 60,000 man-hours putting this thing
together," she said. "They're not going to give it away now."

Jackson
... singing with brothers