John Prine ONTARIO CANADA Concert Reviews

Convocation Hall at U. of T, Toronto, ON, Canada
Oct 24, 2004 - Support: Ron Sexsmith

By: Ray
It's been a couple days now since the show ,and it's still awesome! thanks old boy. I've seen John a couple times in the mid & late 80's. At ontario Place. Great venue. The first song I ever learned how to play on guitar & sing was "Fish and whistle". .And i had never ever heard it before. A buddy of mine showed me how to play it. We would jam out to that & other songs every week .One day I read in the paper that this guy "John Prine "was playing at Ontario Place. Hey i think that's the guy that does that song "Fish & Whistle "So off we went....WOW !!! This guys is awesome. Loved him ever since. About 9 years back i played a few Prine songs for mine my father in-law . "WOW ....Who 's that guy". Well now he loves him. So when I read that John Prine was playing in T. O. I just had to take my father in-law to see him. So my wife & I took my In-laws to the Show . Let me tell you ,we all loved it. After all these years he's still got it. And i think maybe in some ways it was a better show then when i seen him years ago. Yes he did play "Fish & Whistle " ..Thanks, even though that 's not one of my favorites ,but still it was the song I learned first (lol). The two guys he had with him , on bass, guitar & wicked vocals ,were top notch (second too none). I've seen alot of shows & these guys played with feeling, alot of true feeling. John Prine was totally sincere with every note. I thought the first song (spanish pipedream ) was a little shaky, although i really like that song. But after that he just got better & BETTER !!. Highlights were ( I thought ) Sam Stone , Hello in there, Illegal smile. The great compromise .Christmas in prison, Sin of memphisto, Angel from montgomery, Lets talk dirty in Hawaiian, Humans ain't human, lake marie And my favorite ....the very last Paradise. I originally when to show my in -laws a great performer, but I was totally amazed all over again by this great man. I play in a country rock band & I'm proud to put in a couple of John Prine songs ( they oughta name a drink after you & Paradise Thanks John Prine , for a memory of a life time !! P. S. To the Newfies that we met in the line up, I hope you enjoyed the show as much as we did. I' m sure you did. Nice meeting you guys........................How's the eggs (lol)

By: dave downie
firstly, i have never taken the time to write any sort of review about any show i have ever seen in 25 yrs attending a myriad of musical events. with out a doubt, john prine's convocation hall show was one of the most inspirational and moving performances of any musician i have ever seen. unbelievably talented, up close, political, relevant, touching, whimsical, passionate, poetic and funny are a few words that come to mind. did this guy just rock for over 2 hours or what. buy his music.

By: Jonathan Burton
Wow. I can't say anything else than this. The most unusual of circumstances led me to this concert and I am so grateful that my girlfriend and I could have this experience. I was watching a Saturday Night Live re-run from 1976 about 2 months ago, and saw John Prine sing "Hello In There". I immediately fell in love with the song and began to research John Prine on the internet. I live in Toronto, and when I learned that he was coming, I purchased tickets immediately. At the concert, I spoke to many long-time fans who were, on the whole, much older than me (I'm 24). I loved the atmosphere, the venue, and most of all, the charisma, talent, humour, and beauty of John Prine. He not only sang with passion, he was having fun. My highlight of course was "Hello In There", but I enjoyed the show from start to finish. This was my first John Prine show, but it will definitely not be my last. Thank you Mr. Prine - you exceeded my already high expectations and I hope you come back to Toronto soon.

By: Scott Thomas
Well, I get real emotional at some concerts due to the simple fact that I wouldn't rather be anywhere else than right there at that moment. I must admit that I welled up several times at this John Prine show. To hear this absolute treasure of a singer and songwriter in person in such a intimate venue is beyond description. This was my second Prine show at Convocation Hall - my first was 2 or 3 years ago. Both were excellent. I predicted before the show that John would dust off "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore" and he not only introduced the song just like that but he also sang "Great Compromise" and "Humans ain't Humans". Three great protest songs that point towards the embarrassing and despicable actions of the "asshole from Texas" (Prine's words which I agree with). Angel from Montgomery was my highlight and by far the best live Prine song is "Lake Marie". A great show and thanks for making Canadian tour dates. See you again, and again, and again!

By: Jim
Concert opened by Ron Sexsmith at 7.30. Ron came back for the encore to close concert. John and band came on at 8.30 and played til 11.00. Great band, great sound, great venue. It must be close to 20 years since I've seen John live and he's put on a few pounds since then (haven't we all?) but he's still got it. He interacts easily with the audience and he is just a great and consummate professional musician.

By: Jim Edelman
I went to this concert to accompany 2 of my brothers, one a big John Prine fan for 30 plus years and the other one curious. I always thought Prine was "pretty good", but wasn't expecting too much. It was one of the very best concerts I have ever been to. John Prine was so into doing what he does. From the moment he stepped on the stage I could tell by the smile on his face that this was going to be quite a night. The 2 guys that were with him on stage were also, for lack of a quicker explanation, special. If someone you know is hesitant to go with you to see John Prine, or if you may not be sure yourself, I will tell you that if you do not go see him when you have the opportunity, you will be missing one of the most enjoyable concerts of a lifetime. He is one of the very best.

By: richard
performed at Toronto's convocation hall ...seating capacity 1900. a stunning show of john and the band at their absolute best, a dream show that will be permanently lodged in my head, played over 3 hours of about 40 songs truly amazing. love ya john richard

By: willy g.
this show was the fourth time i have seen j.p. in the last two years and it just gets better every time. too bad i lost my girlfriend three days latter. oh well that's the way the world goes round

Convocation Hall at U. of T, Toronto, ON, Canada
Oct 23, 2004 - Support: Ron Sexsmith

By: Brian Frain
  a couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend and i decided to take a weekend getaway to toronto, after i noticed that prine was playing there. john is probably just finishing with night number two from convocation hall as i type this, back safely in kalamazoo, and if saturday night's show was any indication, fans are still riding the natural high acquired from watching john play.
  we arrived in toronto late friday night, checked into our hotel and awoke early saturday morning to one heck of an awesome town. we rode the subway further downtown to visit the cn tower, canada's "wonder of the world". we purchased a "citypass" there, a terrific package that enables the holder to visit six great attractions for a discounted price. i was in seattle recently and purchased one there as well. 
  we spent the afternoon at the toronto art gallery and the royal ontario museum. from there, we walked south to the university, where we had dinner in a great little irish pub that, surprisingly enough, was playing a prine cd! it was awesome. we had
a few drinks and walked up to the hall. we were early, so we waited outside, smoked cigarettes and talked with the locals about prine. 
  upon entering the hall, we were directed to our seats. FRONT ROW, CENTER! i was shocked. ticketmaster must've released front row seating at the last minute, because i bought the tickets online just 6 or 7 days before the show. i have never had such great seats. show number 22 was shaping up to be terrific.
the opening act was a local named ron sexton, who john greatly admires. he sounded to us like a cross between james taylor and rufus wainwright. he was most gracious to prine for the opportunity to open for him, and played a fine set. 
  after a short set change, john, jason and dave took the stage. here's the setlist, to the best of my knowledge, in the best
order that i can remember:

after a ton of songs, a terrific performance, great stories and 3 hours, we left walking on a cloud, all the way back to our hotel. my
girlfriend had never seen prine before, and isn't much of a folkie. she confessed to me that she was going to be afraid that she wouldn't like it and have to tell me, but there was never a doubt in my mind that she wouldn't fall in love with john and his music right away. his stage performance is electrifying and infectious.
thanks john. i owe you one.

By: By ROB WILLIAMS -- Winnipeg Sun
PREVIEW Thursday, August 12, 2004 :) Prine is still in his prime :) John Prine is still in his prime. :) More than 30 years after his first album, the Nashville singer-songwriter is still going strong, having survived throat cancer and a hip replacement. He is considered one of America's greatest songwriters by fans and countless other musicians, despite flying under the commercial radar for most of his career. Prine was born in Marywood, Ill., Oct. 10, 1946, and did stints in the U.S. Army in Germany and the postal service before making his debut at an open-mike night in Chicago. He thought he could do better than the amateurs on stage; he was right. After Prine played three songs, the bar owner offered him a job. His music eventually caught the ear of Kris Kristofferson, who helped Prine secure a record deal. His 1971 self-titled debut was both intensely personal and political, featuring the future classics Illegal Smile, Spanish Pipedream, Six O'clock News, Angel From Montgomery and Sam Stone. :) Over the years he has released 17 albums and had his songs covered by everyone from Don Williams and Johnny Cash to Bonnie Raitt and Paul Anka. His last studio album was 2000's Souvenirs, a 15-track collection of re-recorded older songs. :) Prine has also tried his hand at acting, appearing in the films Daddy and Them (2004) and Falling From Grace (1992), directed by Billy Bob Thorton and John Mellencamp respectively. He released his own DVD, John Prine Live From Sessions at West 54th, in 2001 and runs his own record label, Oh Boy! :) Although he no longer gives interviews following his throat surgery, Prine recently told audiences on his European tour that he is nearing completion of a new album. He returns to Winnipeg tomorrow for the second time in just over a year, joined again by Nashville-based singer-songwriter Greg Trooper. :)

By: MARY DICKIE -- Toronto Sun
http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusicArtistsP/prine_john.html :) John Prine is an understated kind of songwriter, one who hits you in the gut before you realize you're listening to more than just a nice acoustic number. :) Prine's songs, which have been covered by Bonnie Raitt, Ben Harper, Bette Midler, Billy Bragg and many others, are often tales of sad-sack losers and underappreciated loners. :) They're laced with back-handed humour, irony and sometimes heart-wrenching pain -- as in, for instance, Sam Stone, the beautifully told story of an army veteran who comes home and becomes addicted to morphine. :) And Prine's delivery is as deceptively laid-back as his material. :) Prine started singing in a Chicago bar after stints in the U.S. army and as a letter carrier. Since his self-titled debut in 1971, he has steadily built a devoted audience and won a Grammy, but never had a radio hit -- despite brilliant albums like Lost Dogs And Mixed Blessings, The Missing Years and In Spite Of Ourselves, a collection of covers featuring Iris DeMent and other female duet partners. :) Still, to him that's probably a good thing. He once told an interviewer his theory that, "if you've never had a big hit, it's hard to go out of fashion." :) John Prine plays Convocation Hall Saturday and Sunday. :)

By: onuallain
Just seen Prine in T.O It was a great concert. He played some old tunes and new ones. The new material sounds great. I am anticipating the new release.

By: Dale Young
Wow! Another great John Prine concert in Canada. Convocation Hall on the U. Of T. campus is a small (1300 cap.) theatre and being there last night was like having John playing in my living room. I saw the show in London last year and thought (in ways) that this was a better show. I’m very torn with how my “perfect Prine” show would be. I have enjoyed the two shows I’ve seen but they were all strictly “sit-down” show and I could hardly keep in my seat. I wanted to yell and dance to tunes like “Picture Show” and “Grandpa Was A Carpenter” but can also see why people would want to sit down for the slow tunes like “Sam Stone” . I guess I’d like to see John do a show at a bar with the full band and everybody up and dancing and drinking. I’m sure the fans would still enjoy his music. (ironically, John made a reference to Jimmy Buffett last night and he plays slow songs and I don’t think I’ve heard of a “sit-down” JB show, my $0.02) Anyways, all they were serving last night to drink was water so we had to find a local watering hole to quench our thirst during intermission so we missed the first two songs getting back late. If the previous setlists are any indication “Spanish Pipedream” and “Six O’Clock News” were the openers (help??) The opener was Ron Sexsmith and we caught most of his set. It was great to see another good Canadian talent open up for John and his music complimented well. I met him later at the theatre door and told him how much I liked his set and asked him if John and him were going to play together. He said yes, but the next night because it was a song he wasn’t too familiar with so I hope he practiced! Check out his website here: http://www.ronsexsmith.com Like I said we missed the first two songs of John and when we did get there the first thing I noticed that there was no drummer (must have got denied at the border). He did have a bass player and also an electric guitar player who occasionally picked up the mandolin which was a very nice touch, especially for “Sins”. John’s voice started out kind of rough but after a few songs it warmed up and so did the crowd. Looking around, the age difference of the crowd astounded me. There were 10 year old kids and 80 year old “kids” and even though they seemed slightly subdued, everyone seemed to enjoy the show. I just want to thank John for coming back up to Canada (you are welcome any time) and hope he remembers the warm reception he was given here. Your music touches us all and for that we thank you. If you ever need a roadie John, I’m your man! Dale Young 

By: Dave
Excellent concert. About 8 new songs, some future classics there. John, with Jason Wilber & Dave Jacques are very professional. With all the great songs to choose from, it's easy to please John Prine fans. Highlights to me are always Angel From Montgomery, Hello In There, Sam Stone and Lake Marie. I like the rockin' numbers just as much as the earlier acoustic efforts. Whenever John Prine is performing within two to three hours of me, I'll make a valiant effort to attend. Thanks for another fine evening.

By: Bob
The great evening started out with super songwriter Ron Sexsmith opening things up. Ron is very well known within the music industry, but for some unknown reason he gets very little air play. This was the first time I have seen John Prine since an Ontario Place concert back in 1986. Excellent, full set that went until almost 11:30 PM. His new material sounded great. I really enjoyed the stories throughout the concert.

By: mike
This was my sixth time seeing John and it was the best!! He played for 2hours and 20min and told some really funny stories. The Venue was very intimate and really suits his style. He played tunes from all his albums as well as a couple of previews from an upcoming album and they all sounded great. I didn't think he could get any better but I will tell you this old dog is getting better with every year that passes. He went non stop for the whole show and never lost any energy. I can't imagine what his show would be like when he is 80!!!

By: Doug Finn
Thanks to you and your newsletter I was able to attend the concert I've been waiting all year for. It is a beautiful venue and seats only 1700 people. Needless to say everyone of those people considered it a privilege to attend. I have seen him many times over the years but for some reason this particular time was the most rewarding mainly because he covered a wonderful array of his song book and seemed to truly enjoy being here. His "band" were incredible and provided just the right level of sound to accompany him. His between song banter was as humorous as ever and I loved his into to "Some Humans ain't Human" and his take on G. Bush. Some people have said his voice isn't the same but I think it only underscores his uniqueness as it does for Hank Williams. For me It was 2 1/2 hours of pure joy. God I love this guy, I truly think he is treasure that I will enjoy forever. Once again thanks again for your wonderful site.

By: bin65
I attended John Prine's show in Toronto at Convocation Hall last Saturday night (October 23rd). I was fortunate to be in the first row of the first balcony stage left (general admission). What a fantastic performance! - almost 2 1/2 hours in length. It was clearly evident that J.P. was enjoying himself the whole night. What tremendous songs and great stories he gave the audience.

By: Glenn
John Prine songs are mostly what I play on guitar, so seeing him again in concert was inspirational and very entertaining....great concert John, Thanks.

Please add your John Prine in Ireland concert experience,  link to a current 2004 review, preview, announcement, or setlist. Click here to write your review

Archives | Credits | E-Mail | Prine Links | Search | Site Map Sign Book | Supporters | View Book | Traders | Chats  Fan Sites | Newsletter | Fan Letters | Participate | Souvenirs  Bio | Films | Music | Photos | Postcards | Reviews | Shop | Tour
©1996-2006 The John Prine Shrine		Oh Boy Records Home of John Prine	Just John Prine