It’s not every day a living icon of the late-60s counter-culture turns up on your doorstep. But that’s exactly what happened at Southsea’s South Parade Pier in June 2004, when The Original Country Joe Band took to the stage for a turn.
Country Joe could have been forgiven for thinking his anti-war protest days were well behind him. With the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan in full swing, and�reunited with David Bennett Cohen, Bruce Barthol and Chicken Hirsch from the classic Fish line-up, however, you could argue the times have never been more ripe for veterans such as Country Joe to once again stick their heads above the parapet.
This showcase of San Francisco psych-folk revisited documents Country Joe’s 19-song set in its entirety including such highlights as Superbird (here aimed at George W Bush, rather than Lyndon Johnson), the self explanatory Cakewalk To Baghdad, Bass Strings, and, inevitably, I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixing-To- Die Rag, which features Country Joe on trombone and comes introduced with the infamous Fish Cheer. It’s a surreal reminder of all things Woodstock. Also included is a pre-show interview during which Country Joe reminds everyone that, despite his weighty credentials as an activist, he was actually enlisted in the US Navy before finding his true vocation.
