This concert was recorded live at The Shakespeare Festival Glen, UC-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, on June 23, 1993. It was dedicated to Robert Louis Loggins (1941-1992), Kenny's older brother, who had passed away the previous November in Santa Cruz. What a terrific tribute, in a beautiful place! It also serves as a kind of greatest-hits video for Kenny, since it includes selections from both his solo work and songs from his time paired with Jim Messina. The arrangements are fresh, unique and alive, too, compared to the more familiar recordings. Here Kenny offers new takes on old material.

I like this concert for at least four additional reasons: (a) I like Kenny Loggins and his music; (b) I like the natural setting, and the show is well produced within it; (c) I like how Kenny talks to the audience between songs and shares some of his environmental views; and (d) I saw Kenny in person just two months afterward, at John Denver's Windstar Choices conference in Aspen, Colorado, and it reminds me of that wonderful experience. I like this performance so much that I bought the audio cassette first, then bought the VHS tape, and then bought the CD. Be warned, however: the video and the audio recordings have slightly different set lists. I'll explain their differences, in a bit.

Appropriate to the setting, Loggins appears on stage in a plaid flannel shirt, jeans and boots. His beard is already salt-and-pepper at this point, and his shoulder-length hair is still honey-blonde. He opens the show with "Conviction of the Heart." Its chorus echoes the environmental theme of the evening: "One with the earth, with the sky, one with everything in life. I believe it will start with conviction of the heart." This has become one of my personal "empowerment" songs. I pop the CD into my dashboard whenever I need encouragement in a tough driving situation. (Thanks, Kenny!) It's followed by "What a Fool Believes," featuring guest Michael McDonald. Kenny co-wrote this song with McDonald, and it became a No. 1 hit for the Doobie Brothers in 1979. Then we go back even farther with "Your Mama Don't Dance" from 1972. But this time, the song returns to its roots in a standard blues pattern, especially when enhanced with the expert harmonica sounds of Howard Levy. Who knew?

The next surprise is "Return to Pooh Corner." Loggins took "House at Pooh Corner" and added an updated verse to it. Perfect. When I saw him soon afterward in Aspen, he had played this brand-new version for us. Everyone loved it. It can be a tear-jerker.

Although Loggins has surrounded himself here with a stage full of talented musicians, he includes moments when the music scales down to just his voice and one or two instruments. This is the case with "Now & Then" and "Will of the Wind." Next up are two Loggins & Messina greats: "Watching the River Run" and "Danny's Song." The pace picks up again with the show-stoppers "If You Believe" and "This Is It" (another song that Loggins co-wrote with Michael McDonald). "Leap of Faith" is as thought-provoking a song as "Conviction of the Heart."

The second featured guest of the night is Shanice, who joins Loggins to sing the duet, "Love Will Follow." Her vocal range is indeed impressive.

How do you get an audience to get to its feet, near the end of the evening? Give them "Footloose" and "I'm Alright," with all hands on deck supplying all kinds of percussion. Everyone pulls out all the stops on these two. And when the hoopla dies away and the rest of the band leaves, Kenny winds everything down with "Forever," with just his voice and with Steve George on piano. It's the nicest way possible to say thank you and goodnight.

As I said, Kenny interjects his own banter and environmental commentary between songs. On occasion, there are also a few impromptu musical interludes between songs. With the video version, it's fun to watch the musicians and to see what's happening on stage. The concert begins in sunshine and ends in twilight, too. With the CD and audio cassette, you get merely a streamlined reminder of the full in-color presentation.

In addition to the special appearances of McDonald and Shanice, Loggins is accompanied by a large group of expert musicians. They are: Chris Rodriguez (guitar, vocals), Howard Levy (harmonica), Steve Conn (accordion, piano), Will Ackerman (guitar), Freddy Washington (bass, vocals), Steve George (piano, vocals), Sonny Landreth (slide guitar), Marc Russo (saxophone, drums), Kevin Ricard and Munyungo Jackson (percussion), Alvino Bennett and Ed Mann (drums) and Lynne Fiddmont-Lindsey (background vocals). These seasoned professionals help to make the presentation a memorable one.

While the video gives us these 15 songs, the audio cassette and the CD carry only 13. Songs that appear only on the video are "Return to Pooh Corner," "Will of the Wind," "Watching the River Run," "Danny's Song" and the closer, "Forever." Songs that appear only on the audio cassette and CD are: "I Would Do Anything," "Angry Eyes" and "Celebrate Me Home." And none of Kenny's conversations appear in the audio versions. I suppose the savvy producers figured that fans would want to own both formats. (Although with the accessibility offered by current electronics, this difference may not matter.) Or maybe they thought we wouldn't notice the differences. In any case, each edition makes for good entertainment.

Outside: From the Redwoods serves up a lot of music and a lot of fun. If you're wistful and want a musical retreat to the 1970s and '80s, this concert should do the trick. Loggins' environmental comments are also eerily enough still relevant for us, well into the 21st century. Taken together, the songs and the sentiments combine to make this one a timeless package.