A special screening on September 20 at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan marked the 50th anniversary of Easy Rider. What made this one-time event so special was the live music accompaniment that complemented the iconic film.
The primary musicians featured were Roger McGuinn of the Byrds and John Kay of Steppenwolf fame. Also on hand was Peter Stampfel of the Holy Modal Rounders, another musician who was part of the original soundtrack. The London Souls, featuring Tash Neal, served as the backing band and Nicole Atkins sang several other Easy Rider songs.
The planned evening was meant to be a celebration of the film, but the death of star, co-writer and producer Peter Fonda on August 16 turned it into a heartfelt memorial.
Before the movie started, a still used on the original posters featuring Peter Fonda gazing out onto a beautiful mountain range set the tone. Fonda’s recent passing made every appearance on screen even more moving.
After two of the producers of the film and Fonda’s wife Margaret ‘Parky’ DeVogelaere came out to introduce the night’s program, Easy Rider began and the first live musical backing started, with John Kay performing “The Pusher” and “Born to be Wild” to a thunderous ovation from the enthusiastic crowd.
Nicole Atkins offered an impassioned version of “The Weight.” The Band’s version, which was in the film, was replaced on the original soundtrack album by a cover from the group Smith. Roger McGuinn made his debut of the evening with a gentle take on “Wasn’t Born to Follow.” Peter Stampfel did an expectedly eccentric performance of “If You Want to Be a Bird” that was endearing.
Other than Kay, the musical highlights of the evening were McGuinn’s final two performances: a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It’s Alright Ma” and the closing “Ballad of Easy Rider.”
After the closing credits and a few, final last words from the producers, Kay came back out and left the audience with a more upbeat conclusion to the evening than what was portrayed in the film. He performed a funky and uplifting version of his Steppenwolf hit “Magic Carpet Ride.”
It was interesting seeing the film at this particular time, given our nation’s precarious political situation, only days before the Trump / Ukraine revelations. Also, the juxtaposition of the cultural divide that was emerging when the film was made in 1968, with today’s extreme, fractured political tensions, shows how little we’ve progressed – and how these opposing sides continue to tear at the fabric of the country.
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