Woodstock Music, Arts Fair anniversary honored at ECC

The Elgin Community College Visual and Performing Arts Center celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Arts Fair with a performance by Richie Havens on Saturday, April 25.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Blizzard Theatre, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Tickets are $32 and 28 and patrons also can purchase an optional three-course, gourmet dinner served with wine for $30 served before the show. Dinners must be purchased by Monday, April 20, though performance tickets can be purchased at any time.

Havens, a New York City-native guitarist and folk singer, rose to fame as the opening act for the Woodstock Music Festival. His three-hour performance captivated audiences, who demanded several encores. After running out of his own material, Havens improvised the song "Motherless Child" that is now considered to be the anthem of a generation. The subsequent movie release from the concert helped Havens reach a worldwide audience.

Havens' latest album, 2008's "Nobody Left to Crown" features new songs by Havens and covers of The Who classic "Won't Get Fooled Again," Jackson Browne's "Lives in the Balance" and the Peter Yarrow song "The Great Mandala."

"Songs that I wrote at the time are more pertinent today than ever, with this connection that links Vietnam and Iraq," he says.

Tickets are available online at tickets.elgin.edu or at the ECC box office located in the Arts Center. To purchase tickets by phone, call (847) 622-0300. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted.

For more information about the ECC Arts Center, visit elgin.edu/arts. Video clips of upcoming artists and events can be found at youtube.com/user/ECCArtsCenter. Connect and talk to the Arts Center on "Standing Room Only," a blog at eccartscenter.wordpress.com/. The Arts Center also can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/ECCArtsCenter.