Peter and Paul sans Mary

By TOM KANE

BETHEL, NY — It was a duo this time and not a trio, but it made no difference to the enthusiastic fans who attended the concert at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

On stage on the eveningwere Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey of the famed Peter, Paul and Mary singing group, who have been entertaining crowds since 1962, 47 years of joyful, soulful music.

Mary Travers was not able to sing because of chemotherapy sessions she has had to endure since she was diagnosed with cancer. She was tenderly remembered throughout the night, with numerous references to her key role in the group.

One of the main characteristics of every Peter, Paul and Mary concert is that the audience sings along on many of the songs. This concert on August 1 was no exception.

“If you noticed, we did not sing Mary’s part on that last song but let you, the audience, sing for her,” said Peter.

All evening, the twosome sang many of their old favorites with the audience joining in. It was an older, gray-haired crowd, who undoubtedly reminisced about “the good old days” of protest, political movements and folk music.

A singular thing happened at the end of the concert after the audience began to disperse. The last song the audience sang, along with the two performers, was “Good Night, Irene.” As the crowd began filing out, a group continued to sing the song and the crowd took the tune up, filling the shed with music. It was an electrifying moment.

Peter, Paul and Mary in their day continued the tradition of folk singing with a message begun by people like Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Josh White. Their music is filled with references to the civil rights movement, the protest against the Vietnam War and numerous causes to which they were vividly dedicated. This performance at Bethel Woods had many of those favorites.

They sang such hits as “If I Had a Hammer,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Puff the Magic Dragon,” “Lemon Tree,” “Jailed for Justice,” “Down by the Riverside” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane” as well as others. The crowd was surprisingly large, despite the absence of Mary and the fact that the center offered to refund money to ticket holders.

To make up for the loss, the Bethel Woods offered everyone a free lawn ticket to the Boston Pops/Arlo Guthrie concert on Saturday, August 22.