The spirit of the '60s was alive Thursday night as the Artistic Differences theater company staged a dizzying performance of the musical Hair to a sold-out crowd.

Second in a series of three summer concerts entitled "Summer of Rock," Hair incorporated the entire Harlow's audience. A six-piece rock band backed a cast of 17 singers who danced through a standing-room-only crowd of more than 250 people.

The "tribal rock concert" opened with a live Jimi Hendrix-like performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" reminiscent of the Woodstock version. It flowed seamlessly into "Aquarius," a hit song in 1969.

Hair's plot revolves around Claude (multiple actors), an East Village New Yorker who receives a draft notice. During a psychedelic drug-induced hallucination, he struggles with the decision, envisioning an unending cycle of killings.

Director Nora Aboali and Music/Artistic Director Maggie Hollinbeck created a multimedia masterpiece for the occasion. A light show, a video projector and props like day-glo joints infused a new generation of technology into the old Broadway show.

On the projection screen, modern images of President George W. Bush complemented a psychedelic slide show of archival images. This juxtaposition of young and old was also mirrored in the audience, filled with diverse people of all ages.

Actors donned glowing bracelets, peace-symbol earrings and ripped jeans. Wireless headset microphones allowed them to move down aisles and continue to sing.

They climbed chairs and poles and even danced with audience members, many of whom were of hippie/baby boomer age themselves. At intermission, they passed out flowers.

During one song, an actor kissed an audience member on the forehead. In another, an actor bear hugged a spectator.

Eleven different cast members sang vocal solos on different songs. Each solo helped the cast build a collective persona.

The night ended with the famous refrain "Let the sun shine/Let the sun shine in/The sun shine in," while the cast held hands to form a ring around the audience.

Artistic Difference's "Summer of Rock" series continues Aug. 13th with Bare, a musical about two homosexual students struggling at their respective Catholic boarding schools. Also at Harlow's, tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door.