Arlo Guthrie performs at the Tabernacle on August 2.

Alice's Restaurant Is on the Menu as Arlo Guthrie Visits Vineyard

<p>Arlo Guthrie visited Martha&rsquo;s Vineyard for the first time as teenager in the early 1960s.</p>

Arlo Guthrie visited Martha’s Vineyard for the first time as teenager in the early 1960s. He stayed with his friends Ray and Alice Brock at the Island’s youth hostel. Ray and Alice (yes the same Alice made famous in Alice’s Restaurant) helped operate the hostel and introduced the young Mr. Guthrie to the Island’s musical scene.

On Tuesday, August 2, Mr. Guthrie returns to the Island. And he will still be traveling with Alice, in a way, as part of his extended 50th anniversary tour, celebrating the song, which he wrote in 1965.

“For me one of the joys of doing this was that the song hadn’t been done on the road in more than a decade,” said Mr. Guthrie about the song’s 50th anniversary tour. “I had to re-learn the song again.”

He described re-learning the timing of the 20-minute song as his biggest challenge, not its lyrics. The official 50th anniversary national tour of Alice’s Restaurant ended this past spring after debuting in January of 2015. The tour’s extension accommodates outdoor venues unable to originally host his song’s 50th anniversary concerts due to wintry conditions.

Mr. Guthrie said that 20 years after his first visit, the Island delivered one of his fondest memories. On a ferry from Vineyard Haven to Cape Cod, the ship’s captain recognized the folk star and let him steer the ship for the rest of its course.

“That’s still one of the best thrills of my life,” Mr. Guthrie said.

An evening with Arlo Guthrie begins at 8 p.m. at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs. Tickets are $45 and $65. Visit mvcma.org.

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/01/2016 - 21:06

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Daisy Pattison

An icon of my childhood .. Saw him so many times with Pete Seeger .. Fox hollow .. So lucky to bring my son to see him tomorrow !!!

Malcolm Boyd VH

A deck hand allowed my son to open the doors of the Island Home the other day. I steered one ferry or another many years ago... These are occasions, little gestures, that add a huge and significant quality improvement to people's lives.... With the sterilization of policies and insurance regs, a lot is lost on pretense. Thanks for being a good captain.... I enjoyed the concert Tuesday night...

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