Music & community

I heard 2 more free concerts today. One in the Royal Park in Brussels and the last Thursday night concert here in Zottegem. The noon time band in B is from Lieven's hometown and played what he called folk but I label country. A Flemish “Wabash Cannonball”, medley of Deliverance and Rawhide, yodels, yahoos, banjos, etc. And banter in a local dialect that really tickled Lieven and his brother, but the other Dutch speakers from the office did not “get it.” Tonight a band doing Dave Clarke 5, Jerry Lee Louis, Mitch Ryder, etc. Drummer reminds me of Ron Elwood....

So I think I have attended 15 or more free shows in the past 8 weeks. All of them fun, some every very good. For most of them, esp. those at Zottegem Park there is a full community mix, even people older than me! 19 14-17 year old girls at one corner, 14 14-17 year old boys on the other corner. Some snuggling in the dark corners of the park. Little ,kids running around or sleeping in strollers. Everybody drinking cheap beer but I don't see any drunks. 50 somethings remembering when those songs were young.

Maybe I over intellectualize but I think these community-sponsored and subsidized events are important here for a couple of reasons. One is to maintain community in a small town like Zottegem. Another is a have that community gather across age boundaries. Another is to maintain and build culture in a small sub-nation like Flanders. Its pretty cool. I feel the same way about the Powderhorn May Day parade and about 10 minutes of Grand Old Days. I suppose some feel that way about the State Fair, Acquatennial or Saints, but too much commercialism spoils many such events for me.