A half hour after the final note of the latest concert of perhaps Columbus’ most enduring music series, event founder Ed Niespodziani still had not stopped to enjoy a slice of the 70 pies he had ordered for a crowd at the after-party.
But his ending to 34 years of organizing the gathering known as American Pie: The Magical History Tour already was plenty sweet Friday. Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop had just proclaimed the day as Niespodziani’s. A sellout crowd of 1,000-plus at Judson Erne Auditorium already had honored him with a raucous standing ovation. Niespodziani also had sung a tender and touching solo of Bruce Springsteen’s “My Hometown” earlier in the night.
But the passionate fellow who said a couple weeks ago that he might cry during this special night held it together. Mostly.
“I got a little emotional at the end,” he said.
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Who wouldn’t have during a night that could have been billed as Bye Bye Mr. American Pie? The night also was a part of the school’s ongoing 150th anniversary celebration.
The 70-year-old Niespodziani, a rock singer and keyboard player from his college days, and enough of a rebel to be suspended from his Wisconsin high school for long hair, will spend more time hiking in various states in the future.
The journey of American Pie began in 1985 when he needed a way to capture students’ attention over the drumbeat of history.
So he mixed historical narration between a live band and students’ pop-rock tunes relating to the time period and its topics — war, assassinations, trends, you name it. And the concept now has grown to other schools — one in Westfield and another in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Tony London, one of his students at that first concert, was there as a performer Friday, crooning Seymour native John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” from 1983. London jokingly called it “our national anthem” in Indiana and performed with such glee that he took out his cell phone during the bridge and video-recorded some in the crowd grooving to the tune.
Yet, even if Niespodziani remained dry-eyed, it became a night for joyous tears for others.
Student Ally Parker, dressed as Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks, superbly sang the group’s 1977 smash “Go Your Own Way” at the urging of her father, Gary Parker, when the show was being put together a few months ago. And with the teen’s blonde hair streaming from under a feathered, black top hat amid a filmy and flowing black shawl, she made for a convincing portrayal of Nicks.
Only when she was backstage after soaking in some big applause did she break down in tears when someone wondered how proud her dad was.
“He has just inspired me so much with my music,” she said, burying her eyes in a tissue.
Other vocalists stepped off the stage already misty-eyed. Student Caitlin Davey sang Jefferson Airplane’s 1967 hit, “White Rabbit” with such precision that voice teacher Janie Gordon grabbed Davey in an emotional bear hug in the stage’s wings and held the teen for nearly a full minute while telling her the performance “was your best ever.”
“And that’s not at all an easy song to sing,” Gordon said.
Some followers of the concerts have mentioned that, as years pass, students are becoming less familiar with the classic pop-rock material. One hardly could tell such a thing when North Spanish teacher Rebecca Burbrink belted Joan Jett’s signature 1981 anthem “I Love Rock and Roll.” Many students pressed against the stage, closed their eyes, threw back their head and sang every syllable.
And if it seemed that Burbrink, long a popular Pie guest, crooned with nearly a spiritual fervor, it’s because she serves as a singer on the praise team at The Point church in Seymour.
Niespodziani has said watching students magically mature and blossom as artists at the concert each year is the part he will miss the most. The concert’s roster of talent over just the past few years alone was most evident at the end when American Pie alumni gathered on stage to sing Bob Seger’s 1978 release, “Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll.” A number of them are or have been until recently serious singers, ranging from Nashville, Tennessee, solo artist Kristen Wright Oakes to Indiana University Singing Hoosier Sarah Harpring.
Just afterward, audience member Keith Louden, a first-time attendee and a 1972 Columbus High School graduate, shook his head over the show’s power and Niespodziani’s commitment over 34 years.
“It’s pretty incredible, isn’t it?” Louden said.
Yes indeed. With an ending that was oh-so-sweet. Even without the pie.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”By the numbers” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
4
Hours for the show
32
Number of songs
34
Years for the concert
150
Number of cast and crew
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