WELL-CHOREOGRAPHED JOHN DENVER CONCERT DELIGHTS 17,000 FANS
by Tim Carr
Staff Writer

Minneapolis Tribune
4/23/78

     Political ramifications aside, John Denver's two hour 
plus sell out concert at the St. Paul Civic Center Arena 
Friday night was an excellently choreographed success.  The 
concert was a fund raiser for Sen. Wendell Anderson's election 
campaign, and as such it was picketed by environmental groups 
that disagree with Anderson's position on the Boundary Waters 
Canoe Area.  
     Inside, with the exception of a few hecklers' intrusions 
- shouts of such slogans as "Minnesota Boundary Waters High" 
and "Save the Boundary Waters" - the music, not the politics 
of the moment, was at center stage. Midway through the show 
Denver quieted the dissidents by assuring them.  "It's 
covered, it's covered," and saying, "I didn't want this to 
become political. I write songs."
     Denver had expressed similar sentiments in 1969 in an 
interview with the Tribune, when he was playing a week long 
stint at the Golliwog Lounge of the Sheraton-Ritz Hotel. "With 
my show I don't want to be a world shaker," he said then.  
That was before Denver had become the popular "superstar" that 
he is today. In fact, it was before he had even been signed by 
a record company. Since then he has been signed by RCA 
records, has released 15 gold albums, including his most 
recent, "I Want To Live," and has become one of the most 
recognized celebrities in pop music today and the public 
prophet of the "back to nature" movement.
     This was his third appearance for Anderson. He had sung 
at Anderson's gubernatorial inauguration in 1971 and performed 
a benefit similar to Friday's in 1974.
     Friday's concert of romantic ballads and odes to Mother 
Nature was precisely paced, tastefully delivered and 
thoroughly entertaining - if one was a fan of Denver's 
saccharine poeticizing, as most of the 17,000 gathered 
obviously were.
     He performed almost every song he's been associated with, 
ranging from his AM radio hits, "Rocky Mountain High," 
"Country Roads," "Calypso," "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" and 
his most recent, "It Amazes Me" to his more adventuresome, 
thickly arranged material such as "The Eagle and the Hawk" and 
a heartfelt rendering of "I Want To Live."
     The concert was staged in the round. Denver's mike 
imperceptibly rotated throughout the concert, going full 
circle approximately once every four songs.
     For most of the concert the former Edina resident was 
accompanied by a professional light-pop, nine person ensemble 
that colored his songs with sprightly woodwind and stringband 
arrangements. He also sang a solo segment, accompanying 
himself on acoustic guitars. It included his early songs, 
"Follow Me" and "The Wind" and a comic ode to Toledo, Ohio 
(Reminds me of Shakopee," he said, through his omnipresent 
giggle).  He concluded the concert with his most popular song, 
"Sunshine On My Shoulders," and was escorted off stage by the 
full usher staff, the tuxedoed security force and Anderson and 
his wife, who walked out of the concert with their arms around 
the performer.