Arlo Guthrie Takes Alice For A Ride

The song, of course, is “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” that became a must-play for hipper-than-most radio stations on Turkey Day.  Inspired by Guthrie’s experiences on Thanksgiving Day 1965 and encompassing everything from being arrested for littering to being excused by Selective Service, the song/monologue, quickly became a counterculture/anti-war anthem.  It also inspired the 1969 film “Alice’s Restaurant” directed by Arthur Penn and starred Guthrie.

The song also immortalized the church at the center of the tale.  Purchased by Guthrie 20 years ago, the building in Great Barrington, Mass., is now called “The Guthrie Center At The Old Trinity Church” and serves as the HQ for the singer/songwriter’s non-profit foundation.

Joining Guthrie will be his band featuring drummer Terry Hall, Bobby Sweet on guitar/vocals, guitarist Darren Todd and Guthrie’s son Abe playing keyboards.

But you can expect more than a live rendering of Guthrie’s most famous vinyl effort.  Each show will include a curated multimedia presentation featuring unseen images from Guthrie’s archives. Included are more than 75,000 recently digitized photos and selections to be projected along with Peter Star’s Claymation film version of “The Motorcycle Song.”

“Well, I’ve always loved good stories,” Guthrie said.  “And I’ve loved telling tall tales.  Why people enjoy it is beyond me.  I haven’t sung ‘Alice’ for years and people still keep coming to the gigs.  ‘Alice’ has taken on a life of its own and become attached to Thanksgiving.  If I had to guess though, maybe because it’s a story about a little guy against a big world.”

Here’s the tour:

Jan. 21 – Daytona Beach, Fla., Peabody Auditorium
Jan. 22 – Gainesville, Fla., Univ. Of FL Phillips Center
Jan. 23 – Clearwater, Fla., Capitol Theatre
Jan. 25 – Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Parker Playhouse
Jan. 26 – Stuart, Fla., The Lyric Theatre
Jan. 27 – Stuart, Fla., The Lyric Theatre
Jan. 29 – Jacksonville, Fla., Florida Theatre
Jan. 30 – Statesboro, Ga., Georgia Southern University
Jan. 31 – Atlanta, Ga., Ferst Center For The Arts
Feb. 2 – Newberry, S.C., Newberry Opera House
Feb. 5 – Frederick, Md., Weinberg Center For The Arts
Feb. 6 – Manassas, Va., Hylton Performing Arts Center
Feb. 7 – Alexandria, Va., The Birchmere
Feb. 8 – Alexandria, Va., The Birchmere
Feb. 10 – Hampton, Va., American Theatre
Feb. 11 – Hampton, Va., American Theatre
Feb. 13 – Asheville, N.C., Diana Wortham Theatre
Feb. 14 – Asheville, N.C., Diana Wortham Theatre
Feb. 17 – Nashville, Tenn., City Winery Nashville
Feb. 18 – Nashville, Tenn., City Winery Nashville
Feb. 20 – Knoxville, Tenn., Bijou Theatre
Feb. 21 – Birmingham, Ala, Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center
Feb. 26 – San Antonio, Texas, H-E-B Performance Hall
Feb. 27 – Richardson, Texas, Eisemann Center For Performing Arts
March 1 – Galveston, Texas, Grand Opera House
March 4 – Lafayette, La., Acadiana Center For The Arts
March 6 – Rolla, Mo., Leach Theatre
March 7 – Edwardsville, Ill., Southern Illinois University
March 28 – Beaver Creek, Colo., Vilar Performing Arts Center
March 31 – Santa Fe, N.M., Lensic Performing Arts Center
April 2 – Tucson, Ariz., Fox Tucson Theatre
April 4 – Mesa, Ariz., Mesa Arts Center
April 6 – Los Angeles, Calif., Walt Disney Concert Hall
April 8 – Arroyo Grande, Calif., Clark Center
April 10 – Irvine, Calif., Irvine Barclay Theatre
April 11 – Irvine, Calif., Irvine Barclay Theatre
April 12 – Santa Clarita, Calif., Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center
April 14 – Livermore, Calif., Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center
April 16 – Davis, Calif., The Robert And Margrit Mondavi Center For The Performing Arts
April 17 – Berkeley, Calif., Zellerbach Auditorium
April 18 – Napa, Calif., City Winery Napa
April 24 – Denver, Colo., Paramount Theatre
April 27 – Sioux Falls, S.D., Washington Pavilion / Arts And Science
April 28 – Omaha, Neb., Peter Kiewit Concert Hall
April 30 – West Bloomfield, Mich., Jewish Community Center
May 1 – Indianapolis, Ind., Egyptian Room
May 2 – Akron, Ohio, E.J. Thomas Hall
May 3 – Akron, Ohio, E.J. Thomas Hall