Story Songs of the 70’s at The Kate
Story Songs of the 70’s at The Kate brings Maine singer-songwriter Tom DiMenna to Old Saybrook on Saturday, August 15, for a concert devoted to three of the era’s great musical storytellers: Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens, and Harry Chapin. The 8 p.m. summer edition moves through songs including Lightfoot’s “Carefree Highway,” Stevens’ “Peace Train,” and Chapin’s wonderfully improbable “30,000 Pounds of Bananas.” (CTvisit)
This isn’t a greatest-hits impersonation show. DiMenna built Story Songs of the 70’s around the thing these three writers shared despite sounding quite different: they could put a character, a journey, or an entire life inside a few minutes of music. The arrangements keep acoustic guitar and vocals at the center while expanding into a fully amplified folk-rock performance. (Tom DiMenna)
The summer program also changes the mood from other editions of the show. DiMenna rotates songs seasonally, and this version leans toward maritime stories, warmer rhythms, and songs suited to a summer night. The Kate’s intimate theater should fit the concept particularly well. These are songs where the words matter as much as the melody.
About Tom DiMenna
DiMenna is a Maine-based singer-songwriter, guitarist, and performer whose route to the stage has been anything but conventional.
He played guitar in college while also playing football, then spent a year in Italy quarterbacking the semi-professional Bologna Warriors. Comedy followed. DiMenna studied improv at Second City and schools in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, eventually developing a sketch about the ghost of actor Telly Savalas into an Off-Broadway production that ran for several years.
Music eventually pulled him back.
DiMenna released his album You Know Me, My Devil Says in 2020 and began performing a show centered on the music of Cat Stevens. That production sold out opera houses along the Maine coast in 2021. He later expanded the concept to include Gordon Lightfoot and Harry Chapin, creating the foundation for Story Songs of the 70’s.
His background in comedy hasn’t entirely disappeared, either. Humor and storytelling remain part of the concerts between songs, giving the performance more personality than a straightforward sequence of covers.
Three Very Different Storytellers
The concert works because Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens, and Harry Chapin approached storytelling from different directions.
Gordon Lightfoot could turn landscapes, travel, relationships, and historical events into remarkably visual songs. His catalog ranges from the restless motion of “Carefree Highway” to sprawling narratives such as “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
Cat Stevens often looked inward. Songs such as “Father and Son” and “Peace Train” combine memorable melodies with questions about family, identity, change, and the world around us.
Harry Chapin frequently built his songs around characters. “Taxi,” “Mr. Tanner,” and “Cat’s in the Cradle” unfold almost like short stories, while “30,000 Pounds of Bananas” proves a story song can also be funny, strange, and increasingly chaotic.
DiMenna’s show puts those approaches beside one another rather than separating them into three individual tribute sets.
The Summer Edition
Story Songs of the 70’s is designed as a seasonal concert series, so the repertoire changes throughout the year.
For summer, DiMenna and his collaborators lean into an easier-going, coastal folk atmosphere while keeping enough tempo changes and sing-along material to prevent the night from becoming two hours of quiet acoustic ballads. The official summer repertoire includes songs such as “Peace Train” and “30,000 Pounds of Bananas,” with Lightfoot selections varying across performances.
DiMenna’s Story Songs project is also supported by Gibson Guitars and John Pearse Strings, two names closely associated with acoustic guitar music.
A Show for People Who Still Listen to the Words
There’s plenty here for someone who simply wants to hear familiar music from the 1970s. But the premise goes a little deeper.
Lightfoot, Stevens, and Chapin emerged during an era when a popular song could take several minutes to introduce characters, establish a place, let a story wander, and occasionally end without tying everything into a neat bow.
That’s the thread DiMenna follows.
The arrangements and vocals matter, but so does sitting in a theater and listening to these songs as stories again.
Event Details
Date
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Time
8:00 p.m.
Location
The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (The Kate)
Address
300 Main St.
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
Admission
$40
Performance
Tom DiMenna’s Story Songs of the 70’s – Summer Edition
Featured Songwriters
Gordon Lightfoot
Cat Stevens
Harry Chapin
Featured Summer Songs
“Carefree Highway”
“Peace Train”
“30,000 Pounds of Bananas”
Important Notes
The repertoire for Story Songs of the 70’s changes seasonally, so the complete setlist may vary.
More Information
For more information, visit the event website using the Event Website link below.
For ticket purchases, click on the Ticketing link below.
