The Lovin' Spoonful Adds 'Magic' to Suwanee Day

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members were discussing Gwinco Boulevard and dining at Ippolito's before taking the stage Saturday in Suwanee. Then they went out and virtually set up their own equipment before their entertaining 75-minute show.

The Lovin' Spoonful brought a refreshing attitude and show to Suwanee Day.

"John Lennon told us when we started we'd last a year and a half," singer and founding member Joe Butler said at a meet-and-greet before Saturday's show. 

But the group with roots in 1960s New York had many hits, all of which it rolled out before a large Town Center Park crowd.

"We never tried to make one sound like the other -- like 'Mother In Law' and 'Son Of Mother In Law,' " Butler said.

The group was complimentary of Town Center Park and of so-called Southern hospitality. "We get weary," Butler said of traveling. "We need it."

The show started with "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" and ended with the signature hits "Summer In The City" and "Do You Believe In Magic?"

There also was the customary stroking of UGA football fans; said bass player Steve Boone, a Florida resident: "Except for one day a year, I'm a Georgia fan."

Also, in homage to its folk-rock roots, the band did a medley of hits by other artists, including "Never My Love (The Association)," "Mr. Tambourine Man (The Byrds)," and "California Dreamin' (Mamas and Papas)."

But the clock struck midnight shortly after 9:30 p.m., and everyone at Suwanee Day had to start acting their ages again. "It has been an honor and a privilege to share these songs with you," Butler told the crowd.

(Text and video by Suwanee Patch editor Steve Burns; photos by Kate Awtrey.)

---

Previous Suwanee Day coverage on Suwanee Patch: http://patch.com/A-mh0t

Download the movie