Conservative Liberalism from Peter, Paul & Mary

Peter, Paul & Mary, dressed in finely tailored Italian suits, came on stage at the Universal Amphitheatre on Saturday urging their fans to support the Republican ticket and to lobby Congress for increased Contra aid. The conservative crowd, which had already dug deep into its pockets at the Ollie North defense fund tables in the foyer, applauded enthusiastically. . . .

Just kidding. Of course PP&M; dispensed Camelot-era folkiness and liberal (not even neo-liberal) politics to an already-converted crowd--though P&P; were wearing finely tailored suits, while M looked like a glitzy socialite. But if the politics were liberal, the show itself--the first of two nights at the Universal--was conservative. Though the zeal and (for the most part) voices are virtually undiminished by time, what once passed as conviction now often seems like self-righteousness and what once was ethno-musical exploration now seems safe and predictable.

At least the trio highlighted the two significant contributions it has made to the world of popular music: the grade-school standard “Puff the Magic Dragon” and the introduction of Bob Dylan to the masses through “Blowin’ in the Wind.”