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Arizona
Centennial Hall (U of A), Tucson,
November 10, 2001 with Todd Snider
By: Diane
My first Prine concert! Have always managed to miss him whenever he played in San Diego so THiS time my mom and I drove from San Diego to Tucson to see him. It was well worth the trip. Todd Snider was wonderful and John moved me to tears. Having never been to a Prine concert before, I was completely taken by surprise by the audience. Everyone was so friendly and polite; withholding applause until after the very last note on some songs, like we were squeezing every last little bit out of Prine that he was willing to give. It was so hard not to sing along with him but I managed to control myself and not ruin the concert for those sitting around me ;-).
By: CascabelDave
John Prine is THE MAN!! My 3rd JP concert (the last one was with Woody, Steve and Dave)... The Voice shone through at times, and it was all worth it after all.
Todd Snider could be related to John...(supposed to be a compliment!!) Even with the "Frog" singing in John's place at times,
goosebumps rose unbidden when he sang Sam Stone, and several others. He says the Frog's been there
for 8 weeks - does that put it back to about September 11? And did those bastards do something to our hero? Perhaps
a genetically implanted amphibian in a futile attempt to demoralize us ?? Didn't work! Half an enchilada from
South 4th Avenue would probably fix what ails him... What talent on the mandolin, Jason - and the bass parts
were RIGHT ON - especially the Slap Bass style and the bowed parts. This is my only gripe - let the man's voice SING, and
back off on the bass volume a bit! The best of the show of course was John solo (OK, the audience helped out too...)
All in all it was a great show, and converted a few more new disciples to
Prinism.
By: John S.
Last night's concert was just great. Todd Snider opened and was a big hit. John, with and without his excellent sidemen, played a solid 2 hours, acknowledging the "frog in his throat" but not whining about it. I bet it hurt like a sunofagun to sing. The crowd stood and applauded for several minutes and John trooped back out with his backups and Todd Snider and, sore throat and all, did several more numbers as a encore, finishing with Lake Marie--"we gotta go now." I guess I wish him all the best. Rest up, take care of that throat, come back soon.
Orpheum Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona - November 9, 2001
Folky Prine 'still alive,' still a master
by: Larry Rodgers - The Arizona Republic Nov.
04, 2001 12:00:00
http://www.azcentral.com/rep/music/articles/1104prine04.html
Nobody writes and delivers a song like John Prine.
Using folky melodies and nothing-fancy lyrics, Prine's
wry commentaries have branded images in listeners' minds for three
decades.
"Ain't it funny how an old, broken bottle / looks
just like a diamond ring," he observes in the breakup tune Far From
Me.
"She read romance magazines up in her room / and
felt just like Sunday on Saturday afternoon," he sings in the
lonesome tale of Donald & Lydia.
Remarried and the father of two young boys, the
54-year-old Prine - who will perform such classics as Angel From
Montgomery, Sam Stone and Hello in There in Phoenix on Friday, Nov. 9, -
has survived a bout with neck cancer that brought even more character to
his voice. He called recently from his Nashville home:
QUESTION: You were in your 20s when you wrote some of
your classics. How has the passage of time changed your approach to them?
ANSWER: If somebody would have asked me about the songs 30 years ago, I
would have guessed that just a couple of them would have held up. Some of them
got stronger, which surprised me as much as anybody.
Q: The images you came up with in the '70s were almost
beyond your years. How did they emerge?
A: Working at the post office was drudgery. I was writing songs as an
escape route. I wanted to write about what was going on the way I saw it, but I
wanted to create the whole thing like I was telling somebody who had never been
through it.
Q: Is writing easier now?
A: It helps to be hungry. I have a hard time disciplining myself to sit
down and write. I usually like the results when I do, but I'd rather do just
about anything else in the world.
Q: Has your writing process changed?
A: Not really. I don't know that much more about the writing end of it
than when I first started. When you start thinking you know what you're doing,
that's when you mess up.
Q: How has fatherhood altered your outlook?
A: I want to spend more time at home after all those years on the road. I
really have something to come home to - the kids, a great wife. Usually, I just
(perform) on weekends.
Q: Are you comfortable with the "master
songwriter" label?
A: It's just because you've been around 30 years. (Laughs.) It should
say, "We can't believe he's still alive."
Q: You haven't released an album of new material in
some time. Anything in the works?
A: I'm really trying to get an album ready for next year. If I get seven
or eight songs that I really like, then I can go in the studio and get the ball
rolling."
Q: How does it feel to hear covers of your songs?
A: I love to hear somebody else singing my songs. I love Bonnie Raitt's
version of Angel From Montgomery; she's always sung that song like it's her own.
I've heard a lot of bluegrass bands do Paradise, too.
Q: You've always put a wry twist on your narratives.
Where did you pick that up?
A: My mother's sort of funny in a real dry sort of way Also, the crowd I
grew up with in Chicago was fairly tough, and humor was my self-defense. If you
could get a guy to laugh before he'd make a fist, you usually saved your nose
from being broken.
Q: What motivated you to start Oh Boy Records after
being on a larger label?
A: The record companies always thought they had to fit you into
something. That gets frustrating for them and the artist.
Q: Has your successful battle with cancer renewed your
perspective on performing?
A: I'm having a great time. It just made me feel real lucky to be out
there playing music.
Q: You've dabbled in acting, including Billy Bob
Thornton's upcoming Daddy and Them. How did you like it?
A: With Billy Bob, I enjoyed it because he lets you run with it, and if
you're not going in the direction that he wants, then he'll just have a few
words with you.
By: Megan Elizabeth in Arizona
My boyfriend and I went to see the John Prine concert on Friday night to celebrate our one year anniversary. I had more fun at his show than I've had at any concert I've ever been to. The words that he sings and the show that he puts on is
absolutely magical. Watching John move around the stage and interact with the audience was so exciting. After every song I had a feeling in my chest that was so overwhelming I couldn't decide if I wanted to laugh or cry. Since I'm only 19 years old and my boyfriend is 21, we were probably the youngest couple at the theatre. Our parents both listened to John Prine and both of us grew up listening to his tapes. It was awesome to see him live in concert. I LOVED IT!!!
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