Sat May 20 Duluth,  MN - DECC Auditorium with Dave Jacques, Jason Wilber, Pat McLaughlin - support Pieta Brown

By: JANE RUPEL
Prine shines, shares spotlight with rising stars Brown, Wilber 
  There's a reason why John Prine is a legend. 
  His four-piece ensemble rocked the nearly full DECC Auditorium for more than two hours Saturday night, with old signature tunes plus a spate of new material from his Emmy-winning album released last year, "Fair and Square." 
  Prine is a classic and a class act, all the way around. Years, not to mention throat cancer, have added patina to his mellow voice, and his hair is more white than gray. But Prine still holds his own, both in an ensemble and onstage alone with his acoustic guitar. 
  Among the classics he pulled down from the shelf and dusted off "by special request of the President of the United States," Prine said, was the 1968 ditty, "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore." Prine said he had retired the song in 1975, and that "it wasn't a formal request, but believe me, he's been asking for it." (The next line of the chorus is: "We're already overcrowded from your dirty little war.") 
  Although Prine's anti-war message was mostly embraced by the crowd, he drew shouts of profanity and protest with a song from the new album, "Some Humans Ain't Human," which blames "a beady-eyed guy from Texas for startin' his own war in Iraq." 
  Almost all of Saturday's show was John Prine solo, performing classics from earlier decades: "Dear Abby," "That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round" and "Sam Stone." He was right on top of the set list, transitioning seamlessly from the ending chord of one song into the opening bars of the next. His folksy humor, goofy appearance and aw-shucks manners belie Prine's superlative musicianship and showmanship. 
  He also has put together an impressive touring ensemble, and generously shares the limelight with rising star Jason Wilber, who backs him on electric guitar and mandolin. ** Prine handed him solo after solo, and Wilber deftly treated us to searing slide walks and nimble fingerstyle riffs. Not only that, Prine's merchandisers hawked Wilber's new disc, and let us know it was playing during setup and breaks onstage. 
  Not that Wilber is undeserving of the attention -- on the contrary, he was a delight. On the other hand, neither the official John Prine Web site, nor his largest fan site bother to name his other touring personnel. (To his credit, Prine did introduce all the band members at the end of their last set, but at that point, the amps and soundboard were mixing fuzz/was, not spoken vocals, and we missed the names.) Some online research turned up the name of Dave Jacques, who plays upright and electric bass; and either Pat McLaughlin or Doug Pettibone supports on mandolin and guitars. And fans of the bass waited the whole show for a blistering solo, ultimately delivered during a sublime rendition of "I Ain't Hurtin' Nobody," from Prine'ssecond-most recent CD. 
  The night's opening act was Pieta Brown, daughter of Midwestern singer/songwriter Greg Brown, with guitarist Bo Ramsey providing the electric half of their acoustic/electric duo. 
  Brown has a honeyed, smoke-edged voice, something like Margot Tibbets or Patty Larkin, and a kick-your-butt-slowly, twang/jam kind of stage presence. I loved her. Prine invited Brown to join his band in the final encore number, "Paradise." Like his support of Wilber's solo work, what a gift to a young musician like Brown (who certainly does not lack for connections). I could glimpse a passing of the torch from one generation to the next. 
  That's the stuff of legends. 
  full story here: 

By: P Gierczic, Washburn Wi
We saw John prine in concert at the DECC, in Duluth Mn. It was so great!!!. It was a fabulous concert. It was packed and everyone was so pumped. I have been to John Prine concerts since the late 70"s. They were all great. This concert just seemed greater than great. It was so fun and full of energy. All of his songs were done so well, the band members were great. The band member playing the mandolin was really hot. He was cookin and so in to it ! To see and hear John Prine perform is a gift, a totally awesome gift. The show was great and no one wanted it to end. John and the band came back out twice to play some more. Lets do it again!

By: Tim Slough
I've been a John Prine fan for 10 years, but finally attended my first performance last evening. Without any true reservations or expectations, I was completely impressed and inspired. I've heard about his awesome presence on stage and he lived up to all that with an youthful energy that I didn't expect. On the way to the site we picked up "Fair & Square" and listened to all the songs at least twice. There are three or four that, in my mind, are already classics songs which he played last night. John's continued gift to capture your soul while painting a detailed picture through words were never clearer to me. In closing very few things truly WOW me in music world, but I left there with all my senses completely saturated. Get in the car and drive to see this show. I now understand why an arist is selected to win a Grammy. Congratulations John!

Fri May 19 Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre with band Dave Jacques, Jason Wilber, Pat McLaughlin - support Pieta Brown  

By: Maggie Suckow
  John Prine opened his stellar show May 19, 2006 to a full house at the Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis with his timeless "You're Flag Decal Won't Get you into Heaven Anymore". Prine's wide ranged fan base, includes second and third generations of fans to more recent converts who have just purchased the Grammy winning "Fair and Square". Few other performers are as beloved by his fans as John Prine. 
  Prior to attending the concert, when I would tell folks that I was going to see John Prine, relatively few said, "John Who?" And I told everyone I was going to the concert, from the checkout clerk in Walmart to my Doctor! (My Doctor responded with a story about  seeing John in concert in Iowa City!) I was delighted to find that folks, who have not ridden out Prine's 40 year career, still have a favorite Prine song, with the lyrics permanently engraved on their psyches. 
  For forty years Prine's music has reached out to touch the inner core of the 'daily living' of human experience. Those folks, who had not stared down a bowl of oatmeal, often responded with "John Prine, he's the guys who sang . . .  (Dear Abby, Sam Stone, etc.) and "that song touched my heart,-really caught what I was feelin', etc..".
  John's band, Jason Wilber, Dave Jacques, were joined by Pat McLaughlin, on the mandolin as well as guitar, adding a wonderful new lilt to the sound. The boys in the band were all their impeccably dressed, talented selves. 
  Prine and his boys follow the traditional standard set by Bill Monroe, who believed that country performers should always dress in Sunday best on stage, so "folks would know that they weren't hillbillies." 
  The audience was a bit more reserved than at other Prine concerts I've attended, however when he sang "Dear Abby", the audience . joined John, (almost drowning him out) to sing the chorus. 
  As a hard core fan I found myself picking and choosing on which songs to stand up and applaud this minute I heard the first three notes. Let's face it, I believe that the entire audience should have stood for the whole concert as a sign of respect to John. I was grateful when one of us "fans" stood and shouted to John, "Give me a kiss that will last all week." John played "Long Monday" for us and he certainly did give us that kiss. (and longer).

 By: Chris Riemenschneider
PRINE052106 Last update: May 21, 2006 - 12:43 AM 
Review: Rejuvenated John Prine did new work perfectly Veteran songwriter's newest material and rejuvenated voice highlighted sold-out Orpheum show. 
Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune 
  Talk about an unnecessary apology. A half-hour into his sold-out concert Friday at the Orpheum Theatre, cult-loved songwriter John Prine acknowledged his show's tardiness almost a year after the release of "Fair & Square," his first all-new CD in a decade. "We saved Minneapolis because we wanted to be sure we knew the new songs," he said with his omnipresent smirk. 
  You can't believe a lot of what the country/folk legend/jokester says -- a point proved Friday by his tall tale about the 1980 song "Storm Windows" -- but he wasn't kidding about having the new songs mastered. He and his three accompanying stringmen were impeccable during the Grammy-winning "Fair & Square" material, strong enough to knock the two-hour set a notch higher than Prine's usual pick-n-charm fest. 
  And whatever the song, the 59-year-old veteran hasn't sung this spotlessly and energetically since his bout with neck cancer seven years ago. 
  The show opened with a round of classics: the newly topical "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore, "Picture Show, "Six O'clock News, "Souvenirs" and "Storm Windows." Prine spun a yarn about using the latter tune as an album title because his label sent him a box of oranges with his previous record, "Bruised Oranges." 
  "I really needed some new windows back at the house," he quipped. 
  Launching into the new tunes, longtime guitarist Jason Weber thickened the rich melodies in "Glory of True Love" and "Taking a Walk." However, the real treat came when the band left Prine alone to sing "Angel From Montgomery," followed by two other "Fair & Square" tracks, "Long Monday" and "Clay Pigeons." Although it was written by the late Texas tunesmith Blaze Foley, Prine poured himself into the poetic "Pigeons" like no other song in the show. 
  The rest of the concert was a playful string-picking fête, with uptempo gems such as "Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian, "Sweet Revenge" and the new "Bear Creek Blues" balanced by two of Prine's most hallowed classics, "Hello in There" and "Sam Stone." Iowan openers Pieta Brown and Bo Ramsey returned to help raise the finale, "Paradise." A lot of it was familiar territory, but amid the new material and extra energy, the last half-hour really did sound like paradise. 
 

By: Dennis - full article here: http://www.startribune.com/1374/story/445144.html

By: Jimbo
Since 1974, I have seen JP at least a dozen times. He has always been great live and there has been NO deterioration whatsoever in his abilities as a singer, guitarist, humorist, songwriter, etc. Every show is great and leaves you wanting more and this was just like all the rest. Great mix of old and new tunes, and I love how he always seems genuinely pleased when the audiences applaud him. I have enjoyed many concerts by many great artists over the years, but no one is more entertaining than Prine. I still can't believe he's not the biggest thing in the industry. All the people who never heard of him have no idea what they're missing.

By: Dave F.
What a great night. John sang with tremendous energy and humor. This was the third time I saw John over the last twenty years and he was as thrilling as ever.

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