Evangeline

The concert performed by Jerry Garcia Band at Merriweather Post Pavilion in September 1989 may be one of their greatest live performances of all time. A seamless blend of rock, reggae, R&B and gospel, the show spanned two days and covered songs like David Hidalgo and Louie Perez’s “Evangeline.” These are the moments, and the songs, that inspire us at McMenamins – and they inspired much of the Cove at Kalama Harbor Lodge.

From artist Eona Skelton:
The song “Evangeline” by Los Lobos is based on a riff on the 1950s song “Ain't Got No Home” by Clarence “Frogman” Henry. It was written about drummer Louis Perez’s older sister, a teen in the late sixties obsessed with dancing and afternoon teen music shows like Hollywood a Go-Go and Shindig!

The song tells of a girl who leaves home in her new jeans with just a train ticket and the American dream. Evangeline is a girl torn between two worlds, her family in East L.A. and the outrageous West Hollywood nightlife. On the left side of this painting, Los Lobos plays at her quinceañera in front of Mariachi Plaza, an East LA landmark. On the right is the Whisky a Go Go, famed West Hollywood hot spot, and Jerry Garcia wandering the street with his guitar. Jerry and Los Lobos played many songs together, and the 1989 Merriweather Post Pavilion version of “Evangeline” by the Jerry Garcia Band is pretty rockin’.

Evangeline

Lyrics and music by David Hidalgo and Louie Perez
Lyrics as performed by Jerry Garcia Band live at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Sept. 1989: 
 
Evangeline, she’s on her own 
Just barely seventeen 
When she left home 
Don't know where she is 
Or where she's going 
She is the queen of make believe, Evangeline 
 
I can still remember this little girl 
Black eyes just staring 
At this mean old world 
Went off to find some American dream 
Train ticket in one hand 
In her new blue jeans 
 
Evangeline, she’s on her own 
Just barely seventeen 
When she left home 
Don't know where she is 
Or where she's going 
She is the queen of make believe, Evangeline 
 
She went out dancin' on a Saturday night 
Silk stockings and high heels 
Looking fine and running wild 
But on Sunday morning she's all alone 
Head lying on the back stair 
By the telephone 
 
Evangeline is on the roam 
Just barely seventeen 
When she left home 
Don't know where she is 
Or where she's going 
She is the queen of make believe, Evangeline 
She is the queen of make believe, Evangeline