Steve Goodman: Facing the Music
by Clay Eals

David Bromberg performs Steve Goodman's
"A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request"

David Bromberg performs Steve Goodman's "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request"

In this recording, David Bromberg performs Steve Goodman's "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request" in the late evening of Saturday, Aug. 24, 1985, on the mainstage of the Philadelphia Folk Festival. It had been 11 months since Goodman's death at age 36 from leukemia.

"The reason I'm up here, I did my thing earlier, but they need somebody to sing a Steve Goodman song, because nobody's done it yet." Bromberg said before launching into an energetic, passionate performance of the song.

Barbara Ruth, present for the performance, wrote in 2021 on Facebook that she was astounded: "I wouldn't have thought anyone but Steve knew all the words to it."

This recording is posted by permission of the Philadelphia Folk Song Society. The photo of Bromberg is from the 1985 Newport Folk Festival. It is copyrighted by Connie Springer, conniespringer.com.