MICHIGAN JOHN PRINE CONCERT REVIEWS

Frederick Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids, MI
August 20, 2004 - Support: Leon Redbone

By: brian frain, kalamazoo, michigan
ok red...since you asked - the jp show at the gorgeous meijer gardens in grand rapids, michigan was wonderful. it was jp show number 21 for me. it's been a little over a year since i've seen john play, so i was treated to a brand new song that i'd never heard him play before, along with two other new ones that i assume will all be on his new album. (he gave no potential release date). leon redbone started the evening off, giving the sold-out audience a real treat. mr. redbone brought a trumpet player and a pianist with him, while playing the acoustic guitar himself. most of mr. redbone's set was scat-style singing, and i can assume that the music to most of these songs was improvised. he played a couple redbone standards, excluding harvest moon or diddy wah diddy. i kept picturing the frog from the looney toons cartoon that i grew up watching. it was awesome. mr. redbone played for about 40 minutes, and there was a fairly short intermission before prine took the stage. before i get into prine's set, i should mention how seating works at the meijer gardens. the entire place is general admission. they built the amphitheatre facing a man-made hill with poured-cement staircases and supporting walls which divide the "seating sections". these sections are grass. so, you have to either bring mini-lawn chairs that sit low to the ground or blankets to sit on. security was really chill and the folks in the crowd were too. prine, of course, opened with spanish pipedream, but spiced up his set with a rousing rendition of flag decal. he made a couple witty remarks about george w. bush, and told a story about how the president asked him to play the song more often, as it reminded him of his draft-dodging days. the crowd ate this up. i'd never heard prine so political before. it was hilarious. he got back on track after that with the six-o-clock news, fish and whistle, souvenirs and more. john's solo set that night was only three songs long - probably because he told a twenty-minute story that accompanied "that's the way that the world goes round"...the other solo songs were dear abby and grandpa was a carpenter. sam stone brought dave and jason back to the stage, and they finished the set with songs like bear creek, which prine dedicated to johnny and june (carter-cash), sweet revenge (which i'd never heard live before) and i ain't hurtin nobody. when john sang hello in there i thought that they'd take a short break and come back out for an encore, but the guys busted into paradise and called it a night. john's voice was a little extra raspy during the last few songs, and he's gained a little weight since the last time i saw him, but he looked like he felt good. in summation, i have absolutely no complaints at all, enjoyed myself very much, as did my friend, who had never seen prine before. why do i have all the lost dogs tattooed on me? because prine's never let me down. and he never will. long live john prine... (long live you too Brian, thanks!)

By: Will
Setlist
 1. Spanish Pipedream
 2. Flag Decal
 3. Six O'clock News
 4. Souvenirs
 5. Fish and Whistle
 6. Grandpa Was a Carpenter
 7. I'm Just Gettin' By (new)
 8. All The Best
 9. Angel From Montgomery
10. Long Monday (?)
11. Dear Abby
12. That's The Way The World Goes 'Round
13. Sam Stone
14. Bear Creek Blues
15. Sweet Revenge
16. I Aint Hurtin' Nobody
17. Hello In There
18. Paradise

Had the pleasure of seeing JP live for the first time at the Meijer Botanical Gardens Amphitheatre in Grand Rapids. JP had the receptive, over-capacity crowd of 1,700 in the palm of his hand with great songs and humorous story telling on an unusually cool August night. One story was about the Happy Enchilada request...this was my first time hearing it but I imagine that one is pretty well known. The longest ovation was after Flag Decal, during which JP said he started playing it again after "receiving a letter from our President asking me to sing it...I guess he was feeling nostalgic about his draft dodging days." I think JP and the boys were up against the venue curfew as the house lights went up just before he was offstage and no encore. They played about a 90 minute show. The crowd begged for more over the piped in music...but to no avail. Some people left angry, but I hope their anger wasn't directed at JP. I'm certain it was the venue's decision. Leon Redbone was the opener. I know Leon is a legend, but he's also an acquired taste IMO...one I haven't acquired yet ;-) Being selfish, I could have had less Leon and more JP

By: Deuzer
First John Prine concert for me, attended with devoted JP fans from the other side of the state: Mike, who first turned me on to Prine's music through performing it himself, and Colleen, who said she went from a lukewarm admirer to a devoted fan-atic after seeing Prine live. The absolutely stunning backdrop of world-class botanical park Meijer Gardens, supported by a textbook perfect (albeit cool) summer evening and the friendly and appreciative crowd made every square inch of the gorgeous outdoor amphitheater belong to the iconic singer-songwriter. This was John's own backyard, and he was having a few of his closest friends over for a picnic (BYO) and some fine music around the campfire. Like a good host, John had acoustic bluesman & ragtime jazzman Leon Redbone take the first set, get the crowd settled in and warmed up for the main event. Following a superb presentation by Redbone and supporting players Scott Black on the mellow and often muted coronet along with keyboard man Paul Asaro, the man himself came on stage and just began playing and singing -- sans introduction. Hey, we all know who we came to hear; why waste time on introductions when we can have music?! Dressed in a classic black suit, Prine stepped up to the microphone and instantly owned the place. Before the opening song was complete, I understood exactly what Colleen meant about the transformation from casual listener to devoted fan, simply by hearing and seeing John perform live for the first time. It becomes perfectly clear why John Prine fans are willing to drive four hours one way just to be in the presence of such a sincere and talented storyteller. I has studied-up ahead of time by listening to the John Prine Anthology and 1988s John Prine Live, and read everything on the John Prine Shrine website that I could consume. Still, I was not prepared for the "live" experience. Absolutely moving to hear / see songs like "Hello in There" and "Sam Stone" done live. John has got to be one of the most engaging performers touring today; his stage presence is second-to-none. The crowd of 1800-plus seemed more like an intimate gathering of friends, and John's ability to transform the setting just adds more sincerity to the experience. Stand-up bass man Dave Jacques and guitarist-supreme Jason Wilber provide the backing -- and leading -- sound that has the uncanny feel of a full orchestra. How are they able to create the sounds of non-stringed instruments and "fool" listeners into thinking that full, rich sound could only be coming from a full orchestra? And their easy entrance to and exit from the spotlight made them appear almost as phantom musicians -- you don't see them coming or going, yet whenever they are needed, there they are! Like any good backyard music party, the concert was over way too soon. It was only 9:30 PM when John took his exit -- and many of us were disappointed when he did not come back for an encore. Until, that is, we were reminded that the residential setting of Meijer Gardens' venue has a strict "sound curfew" of 9:30 PM, lest the neighbors be kept up. That really means we got to hear MORE of John, since he played 90 minutes straight through without a break, then departed just after 9:30 PM. Sure, he could have made an earlier exit, just to allow time for an encore, but that would have meant LESS total Prine Time. Of course we'd have chosen exactly the way John did. I have to say, the sound mix for this outdoor concert was superior to any concert I can recall (over 25+ years of concerts), including both indoor and outdoor venues. As a minor-league sound guy myself, I just had to go express my thanks and admiration to John Prine's engineer. Of course he was very much the good host, and I soon found out he's a native Michigander. Very cool; very well done. My own review, though, pales when compared to that of a REAL writer, Mr. John Sinkevics of the Grand Rapids Press. John's Saturday morning review of the concert in the Grand Rapids Press was the best concert review I've read in a long time. Of course part of that may be timing -- the GR Press review was like an extension of the concert itself. It was, for devoted fans of John Prine, the encore we did not get Friday evening. Thanks, John!!! - John Van Deusen, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Please add your John Prine concert experience,  link to a current 2004 review, preview, announcement, or set list. Click 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