POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Peter, Paul & Mary Still Sing of Freedom

The world is a very different place from the one that existed 30 years ago, when Peter, Paul & Mary first joined voices. But in the wake of the world’s recent upheavals, the trio’s earnest gospel-folk songs championing freedom sounded as relevant Saturday at the Greek Theatre as their timeless children’s sing-alongs.

The only discordant notes of the nearly three-hour concert came between songs. Peter, Paul & Mary’s repertoire has changed little in three decades, but the singers themselves have clearly grown older and, from the sound of it, more bourgeois.

There was something incongruous about Paul Stookey’s discourse on his golf game during a set that included “If I Had a Hammer” and “This Land Is Your Land.” And Mary Travers’ routine about additions to her house had the young professionals in the audience howling while some older fans shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

But there is no denying the feeling that went into the trio’s performance of “Blowin’ in the Wind” or “Pastures of Plenty.” Peter Yarrow chastised the audience at one point for its “knee-jerk applause,” but he needn’t have been so sensitive. The mixed-generation crowd responded as sincerely as he and his partners sang. Protest music isn’t meant to be perfect, merely heartfelt, and they don’t come much more dedicated than Peter, Paul & Mary.