FRI June 6, 2008 - John Prine in Morrison, CO at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Co-Billed with EmmyLou Harris. Back Up Band: Jason Wilber & Dave Jacques

By: John Ealy a copy editor and designer for The Denver Post.

Reverb contributor John Ealy checks in with this review of Friday’s show.
- Read, see the photos and comment here:
http://blogs.denverpost.com/reverb/2008/06/09/emmylou-harris-john-prine-red-rocks/
   A songbird and a sage shared the stage Friday night when singer/songwriter legends Emmylou Harris and John Prine played a near-capacity show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
   Harris opened, but the two would wander onto each other’s stage for several songs throughout the night, lending a convivial and egalitarian spirit to the evening. Each dressed in black, Harris on guitar and Prine backing her up, or Prine on guitar and Harris backing him up, this was an act of symmetry.
   Harris came out strong, opening with “Here I Am.” That angelic voice reverberated off the towering red sandstone, floated on the wings of her five-piece band, the lyrics alighting on a thousand fans’ tongues as they joined in on the chorus. Earl Montgomery’s “One of These Days” followed, as did covers (Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale”; the Louvin brothers’ “If I Could Only Win Your Love”) and tunes from her new album, “All I Intended To Be,” which will be released Tuesday.
   While lovely, Harris’ voice sounded a bit breathy in several passages, and her enunciation at times was difficult to understand, a result perhaps of the altitude or a faint breeze toward the end of her set. But her phrasing was impeccable, and she moved about the stage with the same grace as she sings. Harris obviously was having a good time: When the crowd responded warmly to songs from “All I Intended To Be” (”Sailing Around the Room” and Jude Johnstone’s “Hold On”), she apologized “for doing too much new.” She closed with a spirited take of Bill Monroe’s classic “Get Up John.”
   With only a bass player and guitarist as backup, Prine blew onto the stage as the crowd thundered approval, opening with “Spanish Pipe Dream.” Nearly everybody seemed to be trying to find Jesus as they sang along on the refrain. Showcasing his wonderful wit and poetic insights, Prine was in command from the beginning.
   The minimalist set put out a big sound. Switching between upright and electric bass, Dave Jacques laid down a smooth and consistent line. And guitarist Jason Wilber proved versatile, coaxing a heartfelt slide as easily as a big blues sound from his black Telecaster but never upstaging Prine. His slide work on “Storm Windows” was a highlight of the night. Prine paid tribute, as he always does, to his good friend, mentor and writer of “City of New Orleans” Steve Goodman on “Souvenirs,” whose memorable line could have come from Prine’s pen: “Broken hearts and dirty windows make life difficult to see.”
   Prine covered a lot of territory but particularly stood out on “Hello in There,” “I Had a Dream” and “Six O’clock News.” He closed with “Lake Marie” but was enticed back for an encore to play “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You into Heaven Anymore.” From the man who wrote such pithy lines as “We were regular Dr. Jekyll, but together we were Mr. and Mrs. Hyde,” came a show in which, with opening act Harris, was a perfect marriage for longtime fans on a perfect evening on the Rocks.

By: Nichole Wagner - Uncommon Music
The full blog and photos are here:
   After Emmylou Harris left the stage, John Prine took over the night with his quirky humor. By the time he started, most the amphitheater had filled up and the sun had gone down revealing the night sky and the true beauty of Red Rocks. John opened with Spanish Pipedream, Six O'Clock News, He said this was an old song from Chicago and that he used to play it with his good buddy, Steve Goodman. He commented that Steve and Emmy were neighbors in California an that he knew Steve would be smiling down tonight. He added that Steve had a way of playing the guitar so that it made it sound like "I was playing the good stuff, but I wasn't." Souvenirs, John said that the next one was "for the organ donor society." Please Don't Bury Me, Storm Windows, He said that this next song was a song that "almost didn't get written" and that he had a tough producer who told him that he needed another song for the album and John said, "No I don't," and the producer said, "Yeah, you do." So John went to the hotel and thought "I'll fix him," so he wrote the "worst" song so that the producer would agree that the record was over. He said after he had "sung it a couple hundred times he got to like it." Fish and Whistle, He said the next song he wrote with a friend from Bristol named Robert Cook who speaks like Carey Grant but doesn't look a thing like him, not that John minded. And they wrote this in his kitchen in Nashville (to which someone hollered and John said, "oh, you've been there?") He talked about how when he was writing a song with someone he didn't know if they were thinking the same thing he was but since he was thinking about his wife, he sure hoped that Robert wasn't thinking about the same thing. Glory of True Love, During which Emmy snuck down to the stage John said that Emmy and her band were playing in Lawrence, Kansas tomorrow night and that they had "a few miles to put on" but she was gonna come out a sing a few with him. Emmy came out with some papers (song lyrics) and her glasses which she put on and then took back off before they started. Unwed Fathers, John told the story about the movie with Billy Bob Thornton and said that Emmy was "brave enough" to sing this next one. In Spite Of Ourselves, Emmy managed to get through this with a straight face... how I'll never know... though she did do a cute little dance-y thing at the end of her verses. Emmy said that she'd "always wanted to sing this one." Angel From Montgomery, Emmy left and John started You Got Gold, Donald and Lydia, Dear Abby, That's The Way The World Goes Round, Sam Stone - During which his band returned as they had left during the time Emmy was on stage. Bear Creek Blues, He said this next one was in the memory of Hunter Thompson - Sweet Revenge. He said that the next one was a song he wrote for his wife, Fiona, saying "she's here tonight, so I'm gonna sing this song. We're taking the kids on an RV trip though Utah tomorrow. We'll see you at the KOA." She Is My Everything, I Ain't Hurtin Nobody, He took a moment to properly introduce the rest of the guys on stage. Hello In There, Lake Marie, Flag Decal, Paradise. Unfortunately John never quite looked my way and I couldn't get back to the middle where I had taken photos of Emmy earlier, so I didn't get any great shots of John by himself.

By: Crabby Char, Madison, WI
What a beautiful night in Colorado it was! Emmy Lou Harris came out at 7:30 and played until 9:00. I counted 21 songs that she did, including a duet with John, I think called "Lucky Star" Forgive me, I am not as familiar with Emmy Lou's songs as I am with John's, so I won't even try to guess the titles.
Set list:
Spanish Pipedreamm, 6 O'Clock News, Souvenirs, Please Don't Bury Me, Storm Windows, Fish & Whistle.
   Emmy Lou Harris came out and sang with John: Unwed Fathers, In Spite of Ourselves, Angel From Montgomery
   Then, a solo set: You Got Gold, Donald and Lydia, Dear Abby, That's The Way The World Goes 'Round, Sam Stone. Dave comes out and joins him at the end of Sam Stone and plays that soulful, sad solo that fits the end of that song so well.
   Then it's time for THAT part of the show. You know, when the sound gets big and electric: Bear Creek, Sweet Revenge, She Is My Everything, Ain't Hurtin' Nobody, Lake Marie.
   Finally: You're Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore, Paradise
   John was at the top of his form, the show was seamless, the setting was beautiful.

By: Maco

I've listened to Emmylou Harris and John Prine for decades, this was the first time I've gotten to see them live. What a great show. I took a few photos. You can see them here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wackomaco/sets/72157605474337206/
I will be adding more this weekend.

By: John J. Wood

The setlist to part of a wonderful night of music:
   Spanish Pipedream
   6 O'Clock News
   Souvenirs
   Please Don't Bury Me
   Storm Windows
   Fish And Whistle
   The Glory Of True Love
   Unwed Fathers (w/ Emmylou Harris)
   In Spite Of Ourselves (w/ Emmylou Harris)
   Angel From Montgomery (w/ Emmylou Harris)
   You Got Gold (solo)
   Donald & Lydia (solo)
   Dear Abby (solo)
   That's The Way That The World Goes Round (solo)
   Sam Stone (solo to start, Dave and Jason return)
   Bear Creek Blues
   Sweet Revenge (dedicated to Hunter S. Thompson)
   She Is My Everything
   Ain't Hurtin' Nobody
   Hello In There
   Lake Marie
ENCORE:
   Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore
   Paradise
John also appear in Emmylou's set for one duet...forgot the name off hand, but it was a country classic.
   Emmylou's set ran 95 minutes. John's set almost two beautiful hours where he, Dave and Jason were in crisp form. Thank you, John and Emmylou, for one wonderFULL night. :-)

By: Ricardo Baca

Tonight. Americana. Emmylou Harris and John Prine are legends in their own right, and so it's kind of a big deal when they join forces for a shared bill such as the one taking over Red Rocks Amphitheatre tonight. They're co-headlining, but Harris will play first. More: http://www.redrocksonline.com

By: G. Brown - KCUV (102.3 FM, kcuvradio.com)

ASKED AND ANSWERED:
Read and comment on the full interview here:
Link To Post: http://www.examiner.com/x-363-Denver-Music-Examiner~y2008m6d5-Asked-and-answered-John-Prine?cid=Examiner
   An authenic American voice, John Prine retains a devoted troop of followers and adoring critics for his down-to-earth, unadorned insights. The ever-humble singer-songwriter will perform at Red Rocks Amphitheater on Friday night.
   You’re notoriously patient with your muse. How are you getting a bundle of new songs?
   “I didn’t have kids before my two boys, Jack (13) and Tommy (12), came along when I was 49. And I’m here to say that it totally changes your entire life around. I found out that I have to make an appointment with myself in order to go write. I can’t walk around whistling all day and eating hot dogs and waiting for a song to come.”
   A diagnosis of neck cancer brought you up short a decade ago. Did you wonder whether a joyful life was possible after a serious illness?
   “They found it early enough that it was treatable. I had to lay off the road for about fifteen months for the surgery and radiation and everything. It really gives you some time to think about things, y’know? You’re just a little more grateful for everything there is. I got a lot anyway – I get to go out and play music for a living. But when you realize that, it just puts a nice shine on everything. You just take it easy and enjoy what you’re doing.”
  “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore” established your anti-war credentials in 1971. You had that song in retirement for years. What triggered your decision to bring it back out again in concert?
  “My cancer was all in the throat area. When I got all done with my treatment and got my strength back, it turns out my voice had dropped some, almost an octave. And some of my old songs, I never bothered to change the key on them – so I just thought I couldn’t sing them anymore! It didn’t occur to me to take the capo off and sing them in a different key. Once I did, I found that I could still do them. It was time to dust `Flag Decal’ off a few summers ago. It seems like it was begging to be sung again right now, particularly with this administration.”
   Red Rocks is your latest visit to Colorado. What was your earliest?
  “In the summer of ‘73, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and myself played a tour of nothing but Colorado ski towns in the summertime. There are crowds year round for different events now, but back then a lot of those little ski towns weren’t known as destinations, so we were playing mostly to locals in movie theatres. And it was absolutely crazy. If I live to be 200, I’ll remember that tour. We got in an RV with Ramblin’ Jack’s big sheepdog Caesar, and we had about eight people with us that I think fell off of Ken Kesey’s bus. We just rambled around Colorado. It was great!”
  
By: Debbie
I took my son to see Emmylou & Johnny before he moved to Richmond VA to go to school (we live in Chesapeake). My son's always been a music fan, and grew up hearing John Prine around the house all the time. We had 4th row seats to such an awesome venue, so it was priceless when he looked at me and said, "I feel like I've died and gone to heaven"! That's how I feel each time I hear Johnny in concert-I'll be attending my third this year next month in Deleware, having also seen him in DC in Oct. Thanks Johhny, I can't get enough of you!! Debbie B Parker, Chesapeake VA
 
By: crusher
  All shows this year have been very good shows with John feeling good and wearing his happy feet each night...each show was special in it's own way.
    The show with EmmyLou at RedRocks ampitheater outside of Denver was just amazing. John was just ON that night, as was Dave and Jason...the music sounded so very nice, it's an amazing place to see John Prine play his treasures. The trip included 2 nights of camping in a "yurt" (igloo shaped canvas tent on a raised deck) near Redrocks at "Bear Creek". and 2 nights camping in rocky mountain national park in my cot-tent with only 1 night in a very chili snowstorm. I laid down in a thunderstorm and woke to 3 inches of snow! The second night it was rather warm, only got down to the 40's (outdoor showers were ALMOST warm)... every chill I felt was so very much worth the show at Redrocks, thanks so much John !!!
   Wish you could have all been there.... stay warm and safe everyone! ~ crusher

By: Average Joe
Absolutely the highlight of the year. Beautiful evening under the stars and on the rocks with Emmylou and Mr. Prine. It doesn't get any better. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!