John Prine at the Regency Park Ampitheatre, Cary, NC
Fri, Aug. 19, 2007 : Support Patty Griffin

donsdebbie

I knew John Prine in Nashville almost twenty years ago; we were good friends and still keep in touch. I was at the Regency Park Amitheatre in Cary, NC, there as John's guest, with my husband. He dedicated a song to me, which was my old fav, "That's the way the world goes round". Joked that he didnt' know my last name anymore, since it's changed three times since I lived in Nashville. Saw him after the show...he's still the same John. Wonderful guy. I'm a forever fan, since the 70's.

From the woman 3 rows up in the green shirt

Absolutely Fantastic! John's show last night was Great! The age diversity in the audience was phenomenal! I will never forget the good time I had....Thanks for playing your heart out, John!

Sandra Hancock

The Regency Park Amphitheatre is an outdoor venue with some reserved seating and then lawn seating out farther. We were in the very last few rows of seats and couldn't see a thing. It was 95 degrees and they gave out fans to fans to help keep cool (hah!). Patty Griffin opened and was just mediocre, I don't know if she was sick or having heat stroke or drunk, but she her sound just wasn't good - it was the low point of the night. After her set we just melted in the heat and it seemed liike forever before John Prine, Dave Jacques and Jason Wilber came out in suits (can you imagine that, in the unforgiving heat?) It was excellent, worth sweating through Patty's set in anticipation! It was just plain excellent - he played non stop for an hour and 45 minutes. We were going to buy t-shirts, but all they had were these black ones that were just too hot to even want to think about wearing (why not some tanks or girl styles?)....... doesn't matter, I got what I came for and more, I hope Prine and his band come back again very soon, and I hope the weather will be better - I couldn't imagine the show could better - Prine rocks! thankyou

Jonathan Byrd

John Prine went on and Kicked Ass. It was amazing, just a real cool dude being real cool, singing cool songs and having a good time. He stepped up to the front of the stage to strum chords many times, just taking his breaks, no leads, just hit the chords harder, people will love it. And we did. He must have played an hour and a half straight, many of the hits, some cool new stuff, Patty Griffin came out and forgot the words to In Spite of Ourselves. She did it with panache, though. John even played electric on one song and got so carried away on another that he outwalked his guitar cable and unplugged himself.
Read the entire ..."goin down to see John Prine" by Jonathan Byrd blog for Aug 19 here http://www.myspace.com/jonathanbyrd

PREVIEW Aug 17, 2007/17
By: Danny Hooley, Staff Writer

ONE THING THAT WE CAN HOLD ON TO
Preview is here - http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/673323.html
   For sure, John Prine just has to play "Angel From Montgomery" tonight.
   And "Sam Stone," while we're at it, and of course, "In Spite of Ourselves."
   Forget it -- if this list of essential John Prine songs were to go on, this article would just be a list that took up at least one whole page.
   Prine -- who plays at Cary's Booth Amphitheatre tonight with Patty Griffin -- is the kind of artist you delve into, not just go to for radio staples.
As rock critic Robert Christgau wrote when reviewing 1993's "Great Days: The John Prine Anthology": "There aren't 41 best Prine songs. There are 50, 60, maybe more; the only way to resolve quibbles would be a bigger box than commerce or decorum permits."
   Since Prine debuted in 1971 with an eponymous debut that included classics such as "Angel From Montgomery" and "Illegal Smile," his discography has grown to include 14 regular studio albums, a Christmas album, two live albums, two anthologies and a 2000 revisiting of his old material called "Souvenirs."
   A couple of these albums may have been less memorable than his best work, but none are outright stinkers. Not many artists can match those kind of stats.
Prine's music career started on a dare, when the former U.S. Army serviceman and post office employee took to an open-mike stage and performed "Sam Stone" and others to prove he could do it better than the other performers that night. He was right. Soon he was attracting attention from well-known performers Steve Goodman and Kris Kristofferson, and had a deal with Atlantic.
   Rock critics heralded him as one of the "New Dylans" of the '70s, which included Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits and Elliott Murphy.
Like others on that list (with the exception of Murphy) Prine outlasted the hype and carved his own niche. He went on to record for Asylum, and began releasing albums on his label Oh Boy in 1984.
   His latest release "Standard Songs for Average People," an album of duets with octogenarian bluegrass star Mac Wiseman, shares an old-time country kinship with other recent releases from stars more aged than Prine: Porter Wagoner's "Wagonmaster," and the Willie Nelson/Ray Price/Merle Haggard collaboration "Last of the Breed."
But where these classic country stars sound as if they're cementing their legacy with these albums -- Wagoner musters nearly frightening intensity with his faltering voice    Prine and Wiseman sound as relaxed as a couple of good old boys bringing you a live, laid-back Sunday-afternoon singalong on 1950s country radio.
Age is a theme that comes up a few times on the album, and it's approached with good humor. Prine beat cancer in the late '90s, so he especially deserves to have some laughs in his golden years (he's in his 60s).
   Vocally, Prine sounds about as grizzled these days as Wiseman, and together they breeze through "Don't Be Ashamed of Your Age" like two old coots in rocking chairs telling lies about old times, just for fun.
   It's anyone's guess as to what era of his career Prine will lean on most heavily when he performs tonight. Figure his set will be full of surprises, and expect to hear some old standards. ---- If he doesn't get around to playing one of your personal favorites. no worries. He'll definitely get you digging afterward through those old album and CD crates for "Sweet Revenge" or "Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings," or "In Spite of Ourselves."
The list could go on and on.