JOHN PRINE CALIFORNIA 2005 CONCERT REVIEWS

The Fillmore, San Francisco California
May 16, 2005 - Support: Tom Russell

By: doris
I want to thank all who played. I've been a fan for many years, paid attention to Bonnie Raitt because she did a Prine song and saw Mr. Prine at the hardly strictly bluegrass festival for the first time so this was my second time but won't be my last.

By: judi
wow...wow! an amazing night! as the opening act was doing their pretty good thang, I noticed some staff hovering around an elevator door in the far back of the theater where I was sitting with 2 Prine virgins...and the door opened up and omg..it was HIM!! all I could say was "OH MY GOD...OH MY GOD..." and he walked past me, within 4 feet of me! I thought I was gonna start bawlin like a baby. I wish I would have grabbed him, or tripped him or something!! but then I would have scared the crap out of this poor hard working man and we can't have that...needless to say, I am overcome with awe and thrilled senseless... this show was my 9th time seeing Mr. Prine. and I've been his fan since 1977. I thank the gods he is a man of substance and that I know of him and his life's works. the show was awesome. this man always plays his heart out and pumps so much soul into this thing he does so well. the Fillmore is a very small venue, the smallest I've seen him in yet. no seating, 'cept for the balconies and benches that ran along the side walls...and some 15 folding chairs set up for us handicapped folks in the back. and yes, I was way in back on those chairs... but I was able to catch glimpses of him as he played. I am always so emotional when I see him play. so many memories of my life flash before me. I'm sure you all can relate, eh? he was fantastic yet again. and when bonnie Raitt walked out I almost lost my mind! how lucky can I be, after all!! I've never seen her perform in real time, and wow...amazing is all there is to it. the whole crowd was excited the whole night. so many were singing right along with every song, even the ones off the fair n square album...we are all such die hards :) he even did the song bear creek, and that was a 1st for me. yup, Mr. Prine is the other man in black, I think... and so, Mr., Prine, if you ever read this, I'm sorry I had any thought of tripping you to the ground just so I could help you up again! but I want to thank you for so much of your life you have shared, all those long days on the road and the long nights of performing and telling stories. the years of being away from your loved ones... it is truly appreciated. you are remarkable. and I thank you. see you next time around... and to the fans out there...you all have great taste! keep the faith! and oh, those 2 Prine virgins...they love him...and we all know he is an acquired taste :) enjoy! Judi in Eureka, CA

By: Art
I love the shows at the Fillmore. They always seem to be special. I thought the show was absolutely great. I loved the fact that John himself also seemed to be having a great time. I think the intimate nature of the Fillmore pleased him as did having Bonnie Raitt there to sing with him. Here's the setlist for anyone interested:

By: oh boy!
The Fillmore last night was one of those special experiences last night that can only occur in that room, for whatever reason...Bonnie came out for "Angel from Montgomery" and the encore with Tom Russell. Truly great....

By: Jim Harrington
...No one paints a, bittersweet song, better than John Prine...
MASTER songwriter John Prine is more of a painter than a storyteller.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/bayarealiving/ci_2741305
    Like the post-impressionist Georges-Pierre Seurat did with pointillism masterworks such as "Sunday Afternoon," Prine populates his work with small bits of color that, when taken individually, may not seem like anything more than mere dots. Taken as part of a whole, however, the canvas jumps to life.
    On the other hand, Prine can also come across as the songwriting sibling of Pablo Picasso. He's an absolute master of negative space, always knowing what to leave in and what to leave out. The folk-country-rock singer is brave enough to allow fans to personalize the scene and finish the painting in their own heads.
    The 58-year-old Illinois native showed once again why he is considered one of the greatest modern songwriters during his sold-out show on Monday night at the Fillmore in San Francisco.
    Touring in support of the newly released "Fair and Square," the wordsmith's first self-penned album in nine years, Prine and his two backing musicians delivered a glorious two-hour-plus set that mixed heartbreak and laughter as naturally as real life. Nobody melds sweet and tart quite as convincingly as this former postman.
    Prine, who recently became the first singer-songwriter to perform at the Library of Congress, favors heartache over heartbreak. That's an important distinction.
    With few exceptions, even his most dreary and bleak songs contain a lingering sweetness, a feeling of hope and a sense of humor. He may be down, and even out, but he can still usually manage a smile.
    The prime example of that on Monday was "All the Best," a tune that Prine reportedly wrote to perform at his ex-wife's wedding. The song was touchingly bittersweet, a very naked glimpse of a man trying to hold on and let go at the same time.
    What makes "All the Best" work is that you truly believe the conflict through both the sad and funny lines. It's one of Prine's most devastating numbers, yet it never fails to draw laughter from the crowd.
    The highlight of the night came right after "All the Best" as the songwriter was joined by the great Bonnie Raitt for his immortal "Angel from Montgomery." The duo performed the track with only sparse musical accompaniment and delivered each line of this tale of quiet desperation like a prayer.
    Prine's scratchy, weathered voice often sounds too harsh up against pretty female vocals. That was true when he paired with the Cowboy Junkies' angelic-voiced Margo Timmins on "If You Were the Women and I Was the Man" and it was certainly evident at times on Prine's duet album, "In Spite of Ourselves." Prine's soft growl, however, perfectly complemented Raitt's bluesy style.
    Raitt then exited the stage, followed by Prine's bassist and guitarist, and the vocalist-guitarist was left alone in the spotlight. He used the time to pick and grin his way through three excellent tracks from the new album, "Long Monday," — "Crazy as a Loon" and "Other Side of Town" — as well as two classics "Donald and Lydia" and "Sam Stone."
    Coming out of the solo acoustic segment, Prine called back his band and plugged in for a raucous version of the new album's "She is My Everything" and then immediately coasted into a relaxed rendition of the blues-drenched "Ain't Hurtin' Nobody."
    The singer also drew great applause from the crowd with his swipe at George W. Bush in "Some Human Ain't Human." That's hardly a surprise. Picking on Bush at a rock concert in San Francisco is about as safe an action as yelling "Go Red Sox" in Boston.
    Although primarily thought of as songwriter, Prine is also an accomplished and versatile guitarist. His acoustic work, in particular, has a certain heaviness to it that serves as a type of signature.
    The best guitar work came toward the end of the night. He delivered beautiful fingerpicking on the tender "Hello in There." Then he did an about face and plugged in for some ferocious rhythm action on "Lake Marie."
    The breaks between the songs were nearly as enjoyable as the tunes themselves. Prine conveys a unique mix of countrified charm and slick wit and his pre-song banter is always amusing. One of the better tales of the night had to do with the songwriter's replacement hip, which the doctor told him would last 30 years.
    "I thought, 'Well, great, my hip will be around a lot longer than me.'"
  That's doubtful. Like Seurat, Picasso and other great painters, John Prine might just live forever.

Wilshire Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
Saturday May 14, 2005 - Support: Tom Russell

Preview: 
By: Michael McCall
John Prine in a 'lower key' of the high life
May 7, 2005 - http://www.calendarlive.com/cl-et-prine7may07,0,6433447.story  
  NASHVILLE — Leave it to John Prine to find a silver lining amid life-changing adversity.
  For anyone, having a section of neck and throat cut out in cancer surgery would be traumatic. For it to happen to one of the most respected singer-songwriters of the post-Dylan years made it a calamity. 
  Just as Prine's songs consider the reprehensible and the glorious as inevitable aspects of life, he's come to see the humor and humanity in what he's endured. 
  "You know, I'm singing in a lower key than before," he explains. "I really didn't realize it until recently, but this is a good thing. I feel like this is the voice I should've always had. To me, it sounds more like the way I talk."
  Then he laughs, letting out a raspy, staccato chuckle that's as much a part of his character as his ambling waddle of a walk or the warm way he interacts with others. "Of course, I don't sound so good when I talk, either," he cracks.
  Like many singer-songwriters in the wake of Bob Dylan, Prine, who will be in concert next Saturday at the Wilshire Theatre, emerged in the 1970s with an observational style, and a voice, all his own.
  His craggy voice added to the charms of his songs. His hallmark has always been writing about everyday characters with wisdom, insight and humor, and his wry phrasing and hoarse, husky tone brought a warmth to his folksy sagacity and wit. 
  The personal nature of the voice and the words merge, and a distinctive sound emerges. "I guess if you keep making the same mistake long enough, it becomes your style," Prine jokes. 
  As a cancer survivor, Prine didn't focus at first on how his voice changed; he was just glad to be able to sing again at all.
  "You know, the other great thing is that all my old songs seem new to me again, because I sing them differently," he notes. "It was kind of a gift; after singing them for 20 or 30 years, it's like I get to rediscover them."
  His lower, more relaxed tone resonates throughout "Fair & Square," his first album of new material in nine years. Prine's new work, which came out last week, is still whimsical, but it also reflects other changes in his life. 
  There are more love songs, and his observational tunes seem less sardonic and at times more deeply blue. He can still get across his anger too: While he's always worked social commentary into his work — he even was tagged a protest singer early in his career — the new anti-Bush tirade "Some Humans Ain't Human" is his most pointed political blast since "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore" from his 1972 debut. 
  "I felt like I had to write something about how I feel about the way things are in this country right now," Prine says of a song about callous individuals and calculating, lying leaders.
  For the most part, "Some Humans Ain't Human" compares cold hearts to a neglected home freezer full of old pizzas, "ice cubes with hair" and "a broken popsicle," and suggests that jealousy and stupidity don't equal harmony. 
  But the zinger that's creating controversy, and a few live-show walkouts, comes in the last stanza: "[When] you're feeling your freedom / And the world's off your back / Some cowboy from Texas / Starts his own war in Iraq."
  "What bothers me the most is the way this administration is toward people who are dissenting, the way they're coming down on people," he explains. "They act as if you're not supporting the troops if you have anything negative to say about Bush or any of his people. That seems totally un-American to me. It's the total flip side of what this country is supposed to be about."
  Prine acknowledges that usually his commentary comes from character sketches or story songs. "Some Humans Ain't Human" has its whimsical side, especially in its carnival-sideshow arrangement, but the songwriter wanted to make his sentiments clear. 
  As he talks, he's sitting behind the desk of Al Bunetta, his manager for decades, and the physical changes wrought by his 1998 surgery are evident. His neck is disproportionately smaller, and the changes in his jaw cause his chin to recede below his lower bite.
  But he's not self-conscious about the changes, marking another way he departs from most artists. Seemingly never vain, Prine has always accepted his disheveled appearance, looking like the everyman who could have lived on the same block as the quirky characters who populate many of his songs. 
  Prine and Bunetta founded Oh Boy Records in 1984, four years after the performer moved to Nashville. The label has kept a quiet Nashville presence over the years, issuing recent albums by Todd Snider, Janis Ian, Kris Kristofferson and Shawn Camp while reissuing classic country works and maintaining Prine's weighty catalog as well as that of his old friend, the late Steve Goodman. 
  As he sits, Prine's hands frequently move along the desk, as if looking for something to do. A chain-smoker since his teens, Prine nearly always had a cigarette between his fingers until his cancer diagnosis in 1998. Even most of his publicity photos over the years featured a partially smoked cigarette. Seven years on, he's still not sure what to do with his fingers.
  At age 58, the native of Maywood, Ill., talks about how nearly everything in his life has turned upside down in the last decade — and how he's just fine with that.
  "You know, I don't really sit and think about it a whole lot, but my life is completely different from what it once was," he says. "Certainly being a dad is a big part of it. Having the cancer, that made some things change too. They weren't really subtle changes. Some things had to change real fast."
  For one, he's given up his night life, which was legendary among his close-knit friends but little-known beyond that. For years, Prine maintained such a humorous, approachable quality that only those close to him knew how much he liked to party. A friendly imbiber, he didn't burn destructively like his peer Townes Van Zandt or as recklessly as Steve Earle, but he'd hold court well into the morning, spinning stories and playing music with small groups of friends.
  "All of a sudden, and for the first time ever, I'm leading a normal life," Prine says with a smile that implies he's as surprised as anyone. "Especially now that my boys are in school, I'm up at 6:30 and I'm in bed by 11. It's a total flip-flop."
  Prine married his third wife, Fiona, in 1990; their oldest son, Jack, is 10, and his brother Tommy is a little more than a year younger. Fiona's son Jody, 23, also lives in the family's Green Hills home. Despite his health scare, Prine figures having children late in life was timed right for him.
  "If I'd had children earlier in my life, I think I would have had a tendency to see what my limits were, and that wouldn't have been good," he says. "I didn't realize it, but I was all ready for children to come into my life at the time they did."
  Prine now attends sports games and often is home when the boys come in from school, which makes him more of a hands-on father than most of the lawyers and businessmen who share his neighborhood. 
  "I've got a good home life," he says. "It's about as steady of a home life as I've ever had. I'm there with the boys a lot, and Fiona is just a really good person. I'm lucky to have her. She's brought order to my life, which is a good thing, because if she hadn't, I probably wouldn't be here. I guess the magic of that comes out in the music."
  Indeed, "Fair & Square" features more love songs than Prine ever put on earlier albums.
  "Glory of True Love," with its chiming melody and unabashed celebration of the preciousness of finding happiness in partnership, comes across like a follow-up to "You Got Gold," written a decade later after the initial joy has settled in and deepened.
  The new "She Is My Everything" similarly rejoices in ecstatic bursts of playful toasts toward the woman he loves, while "Long Monday," written with his friend Keith Sykes, bemoans the fact that after a weekend of making love and music together, it's time to go back to work. As he drives off, he's still high on love, humming,
  "You and me / Sittin' in the back of my memory / Like a honeybee/ Buzzin' 'round a glass of sweet chablis."
  "It's like I have a whole new romance going on with life," he says, shrugging as he smiles, as if he's as mystified as anyone with the way things turned out. "It's like there's a new shine on things. I'm feeling like I'm dug in pretty good."
  * John Prine - Where: Wilshire Theatre - 8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills - When: 8 p.m. May 14 - Price: $35-$45 - Contact: (323) 468-1716

By: Jack
John Prine gave an outstanding performance. Great stories and a genuine good time. John is a class act. I had never seen him live - just a fan for nearly 30 years. Loved hearing all the old songs and the new ones too. Opening Act featured songwriter - Tom Russell with Andrew(?) on guitar. Very compelling, deep lyrics. Andrew was incredible. Both connected well with the audience. Hope to see these guys again soon. I bought 3 cd's and the 30 minute show didn't showcase the depth of their talent.

By: cp
Never saw John before, but have been a fan for 30+ years. The show last night was simply great. Two and one-half hours of excellent music and relaxed performance. The most impressive renditions: "Sam Stone" and "Hello in There." The most surprising reaction: the crowd's cheer during "Some Humans Ain't Human" (you know where). Overall, while it was clear that John was performing, he gave the impression that we were all just hangin' out together, which is an art in itself. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, and allowed us to enjoy as well. Opening act Tom Russell seemed a parody of the serious "singer/songwriter" worthy of "South Park." He needs to lighten up. It's one thing to have written serious songs, it's another to be self-important.

By: John Sandberg
Oh Johnny, He just keeps on rolling and just gets better with age. John's voice was strong, sounded better than ever, his guitar was sweet and the devil still lives in those eyes and that smile. Seems like every flash of the grin is saying something like...."oh baby, if you only knew" Thanks John, and come back soon!

Spreckels Theatre, San Diego CA
Friday May 13, 2005 - Support: Tom Russell

By: Harry Muesse

By: Tom Roland
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000921584  
  In a well-balanced life, the head and heart work together in making decisions. When those two conflict in music, performers are most likely to give more weight to the heart.
  That made John Prine's Friday night show at Spreckels Theatre, San Diego's pre-World War I facility, an unusual one. Prine's songwriting is somewhat reflective of the character in his "Safety Joe," who avoids emotional extremes in favor of a life lived with "a seat belt around his heart."
  Prine cautioned the character in the lyrics, "You're gonna die of boredom."
  Boredom is not a problem for Prine, but, like "Safety Joe," his material mined intelligence more directly than emotion, with the singer often using an observational, third-party viewpoint to portray a range of people, from the eccentric to the mundane.
  Prine delivered his tales conversationally, almost as a matter-of-fact narrator, whether presenting a bloody corpse on a sidewalk, a husband trying to de-stress or a wife battling resignation and depression. Often, those characters found themselves trying to define -- through simple moments and at major life crossroads -- who they are and who they want to become.
  He used language in a consistently interesting manner, saying much with short, ordinary phrases ("He never did too much too long"), inserting wry humor ("I felt about as welcome as a Wal-Mart superstore") and even creating his own words ("The loan sharks are sharking and the narcs are narcing").
  Prine, who recently released his first studio album since a bout with throat cancer, showed surprising stamina, playing for more than two hours, with a craggy vocal presence that embodied both the late-'60s Bob Dylan and the deceptively acerbic Tom T. Hall.
  Allowing that voice to take center stage, Prine performed solo with guitar for six songs in the middle of the set. In the other 18 numbers, he used a pair of musicians to expand on his obvious folk component, threading various pieces with clanging rock, swampy blues or raw country.
  Singer-songwriter Tom Russell opened with a 35-minute set of story songs that cull their tales from the underbelly of his native California. Russell showed a fascination with heartbroken characters -- jilted lovers, outlaws and border patrolmen who witness, first- or secondhand, the destruction of dreams. With thoroughbred guitarist Andrew Hardin providing plenty of Spanish shading, Russell cited Dylan, Merle Haggard and Buck Owens as influences, but he easily could have added Southwestern storyteller Marty Robbins.
  Russell and Hardin returned to the stage during Prine's encore, drawing more of the whoops and hollers that emanated throughout the evening from a very supportive audience, much of it age 50-plus.
  Part of the display was, no doubt, a recognition of Prine's victory over cancer. But Prine and crew also had touched the crowd's emotions by going in the backdoor -- by giving them plenty to think about.

By: Marc & Stacey Buehre
My wife & I really loved your show at The Wilshire Theatre the other night (5/14/05) ! We were up in the balcony acting like a couple of goofy kids in a goofy world and we had the best time, hearing all the new songs, old songs, and all the Great Songs in your set list. We have seen you 3 or 4 times and you always put on a fantastic show! I enjoyed both the Acoustic Set & Electric Set--Good choice of Songs !!! By the time you got to the story about the transistor radio and the half an enchilada, I thought I was going to bust a gut! (It was probably all that Mexican Food I had before the Show...) Your New Album (I still call 'em Albums ...) "Fair & Square" is really beautiful in every way possible...." Long Monday" chokes me up every time, like,  when you look at The Mona Lisa and wonder if she could tell you of heartache, what would she say? Your Songs evoke such humor & emotion that, like that painting , it really makes you feel what one might go through in Life, good , bad , or otherwise..... Thanks John, for a Wonderful Evening! Thanks to your Band!!! Also Thanks for having Tom Russell & Andrew Harding opening up for you as well!  They were Great too !!! 

By: Ann Horton
Heard John Prine for the first time last night. Very engaging performance in a venue with inspiring ambiance. John was incredible and I especially enjoyed hearing his stories. Very humble. The opening performance was outstanding! Tom Russell and Andrew Hardin rocked in San Diego!!! Astounding lyrics and guitar licks! What a talented pair!

By: Donna
People of all ages, including my daughter and myself, filled the Spreckels Theater to listen to John Prine sing last night. The audience's enthusiasm was matched by John's (for playing for us and for the two musicians who joined him for most songs--he did some songs solo in the middle of the set). He played energetically for two hours and fifteen minutes, opening with Spanish Pipedream (Blow Up Your TV) and Six O'clock News and going on to Angel from Montgomery (at the end, he said, 'Thank you, Bonnie Raitt'), Hello In There, That's The Way That The World Goes 'Round (he told the happy enchilada story and prefaced it with how, as a kid, he had misheard the lyrics to Fats Domino's version of Margie--he thought he heard 'don't forget your grombly beans' and thought they must be some kind of great beans he could get only in New Orleans but found out later the words were 'don't forget your promise to me'--he liked grombly beans better), Dear Abby, Lake Marie, Donald and Lydia, Fish and Whistle, Ain't Hurtin' Nobody, Mexican Home, Souvenirs (which he said at the beginning was his mother's favorite song and at the end said, 'I love you, Mom'), Sam Stone, Sweet Revenge, Bear Creek (the Carter), and other wonderful songs, and ending with Paradise. How can one man write so many great songs?

By: greg
Great show. John was in his full glory. Never had heard of Tom Russell before. I bought the Tom Russell CD " Hotwalker". I am blown away! F----n' amazing.

By: JR
Wonderful show! Opening act, Tom Russell with Andrew Hardin was an excellent choice.

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