Fairport Convention "Fairport's Cropredy Convention - Aug. 15, 2009"

Fairport Convention with special guests
"Fairport's Cropredy Convention"
Aug. 15, 2009
Bootleg

Fairport Convention's annual reunion has become one of England's must-visit summer festivals, offering a variety of musical acts ranging from classic rock to folk and punk, culminating in a mammoth performance from the venerable Fairport featuring former band members and surprise guests. Past festivals have featured diverse guests including Jethro Tull, Robert Plant and Midge Ure.

This year's performance was a bit stale, unfortunately. Much of the set was similar to Fairport's recent concerts with no real musical surprises from the current band. That's not to say the performance was bad - "Fame and Glory" the title track from Fairport's latest CD was a highlight, as well as, "Reynardine" which was ably sung by Chris Leslie. And of course the final one-two punch of "Matty Groves" and "Meet on the Ledge" never fails to please.

And only two former members participated this year - guitar legend Richard Thompson, who led the band in a pair of numbers from his solo album "Hand of Kindness" and drummer Dave Mattacks, who sat in for most of Fairport's 30-song set.

Longtime Fairport cohort Ralph McTell (who had performed earlier in the festival) also joined Thompson, Mattacks and current Fairport bassist Dave Pegg for a pair of numbers from their occasional bar band, The GP's, but mostly the rest of the guests were obscure folk musicians or performers who added ambience and a local flavor, but did not bring the crowd to its feet.

With one exception.

The lackluster Fairport performance and the dearth of guests was more than made up for by a mini-set from Yusuf, formerly known as Cat Stevens, who, backed by Fairport and Thompson, played two stunning songs from his lastest CD, "Roadsinger," as well as three classics from his pre-Islam days. The new material was strong, but the crowd gave its loudest cheers to the smash hit "Peace Train."

The recording quality of this show is generally excellent, with enough audience to set the proper ambience - the only major flaw is some onstage electrical trouble marring Yusuf's between-son patter at one point.


Singer-songwriter Yusuf, formerly Cat Stevens, performs with Fairport Convention at the annual Fairport's Cropredy Convention on Aug. 15, 2009. Photos taken by the original taper of the show.