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FLASHBACK BLUES
WINDOW SHOPPING THROUGH THE PAST
The Prine Shrine Archived pages
(you never know what you might find here)
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Florida, Ohio
Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL October 20, 2001
By: Tamara L. Allen
The sound in Ruth Eckerd does not do justice to your music. We saw you
there with Iris a year or so earlier and we really think a change of
theaters in the Tampa area would be helpful.
May I suggest the Mahffey? The acoustics are much better and I have
seen several shows of other performers at Ruth Eckerd and despite the
reviews, the sound is just not that good.
Just my opinion, thought you should know.
By: jimbo
the man is the the man no one is as real as john but the crowd singing
along was very distracting where are the real fans johns shows are for
listing not hootanannys so just be quite and learn something
By: spinkick's "Unlonely" Cinderella
October 20, 2001 - The best night of my life :^)
I'm just a country gal from the coal mining hills...but, it took a city boy to introduce me to the legendary John Prine. I have been aware of his music for 3 years now. Don't understand why I've never heard of him before...runnin' in the wrong circles I guess. But, thanks to Mr. Spinkick, (Of course God woke up and heard my prayers and sent him to
me) I am now one of the privileged. When I'm feelin' down I put on JP. When I'm up I put on JP. (He goes best with an ice cold Molson). And even though I listen to a wide spectrum of music, nobody can do to me what he does. I've got practically every lyric on his Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessing album memorized. Even printed out all of his tabs so that my beau could learn to play his songs on his guitar. While we had wanted to go to Atlanta to see him last year, unfortunate incidences prohibited us from doing so. Early this year I sent an email to the webmistress asking whether or not John comes to Florida, and low and behold he's here. Those tickets were selling out fast...Sheesh! But we got very lucky. I feel a bit of sorrow for those that were not at Eckerd Hall that night. He came on stage and I couldn't believe it was really HIM. It wasn't a show or a performance of any kind on his part...it was John Prine just sharing a bit of his life with us. He sang, I sang with him, and even though I got a couple of sshhh's, I don't think he minded one iota. I was just thrilled to death that I was singing with John Prine with him in the same room...yeah! Everyone in that Hall, had one thing in common...a taste for the finer things in life. And Mr. Prine is definitely a slice of the finer. Through all the turmoil he rings true. A true artist...an artist of the heart and soul. You could hear it in his voice and if you were lucky enough to be there that fateful night...you experienced it, too. Our 1st John Prine concert...hoping never to be our last. God Bless You John Prine, for all you do! Here's Hugs to YOU :^))
By: John
The October 20th show at Ruth Eckerd Hall was wonderful. I really enjoy the performance when the performers seem to be truly enjoying themselves and that was the case from the beginning. Pat McLaughlin was very entertaining. A fine guitarist and song writer. Kinda reminded me of James Taylor in his bluesy mood. But, John Prine and the band were great. I have seen John 5 or 6 times, with my first show being at Radio City Music Hall in the late 70's (He played with Rick Danko), but this was the most enjoyable. Although John was a little hoarse the crowd was behaving and you could really appreciate his talent. While the band was good, I personally enjoyed John's solo portion of the show the best. John's guitar playing was the best I remember. He did all of my favorites. (Play lists were presented in earlier reviews by others). It was a wonderful experience for me, the show was great and I met old friends I hadn't seen in years (was it the last John Prine show?). Can't wait for him to come back.
By: Denise
After the tragic events that took place in our great country on September 11, 2001, I found myself searching for comfort, peace, an
explanation as to why? As I have done for the past twenty years when something bad happens in my life, I turn to the words of John Prine to find answers. One of my favorite Prine lines had been running thru my head since that day, "Just give me one thing that I can hold onto to believe in this living is just a hard way to go." Well after seeing John Prine perform in Clearwater this past Saturday night I found peace, comfort and something to hold onto. I have seen John Prine perform live many times, the last time was two years ago just before he was diagnosed with cancer. I was looking forward to this concert because I knew John would stir all of my emotions, just like his words have done so many times in the past. Prine's words about life can make you happy, sad and just damn glad to be alive. This concert was a celebration of life and living and moving forward after something bad happens to you. As soon as John came on stage and starting singing you could hear the effects that cancer had on his voice. John clearly was struggling with the first few songs and even apologized to the crowd. He tried to make light of the situation by saying, "I just gargled with some glass before coming on stage." The audience laughed then broke into applause. The truth was no one cared that his voice was hoarse we were just thrilled to hear him sing. We were there because we love and respect this man and his talent and will continue coming to see him no matter what his voice sounds like, we are true John Prine fans! John continued singing and with each song has voice became stronger and soon that old familiar, comforting sound was back. John played some of the best guitar I have ever heard him play, the two back up musicians were wonderful, this was truly the best John Prine concert I had ever been to. There was a feeling of triumph in the air, people were celebrating the life and music of John Prine. About ten minutes into the concert, I realized that I have something to hold onto, the words of the greatest singer/songwriter of our time. John played many of my favorites including Donald and Lydia, Sam Stone Please Don't Bury Me, and as always the ones that brought me to tears, Hello In There, Souvenirs and Angel From Montgomery. Thanks John
Florida Theatre-Jacksonville, Fl October 19, 2001
By: Rob
I also attended the Jacksonville show. I have been a Prine fan since 1977, but never saw him in concert. When he came on stage and started off with Spanish Pipedream, my friend Tom turned to me and said, "You can always tell right away which entertainers are a cut above the rest." The Prine Trio was tight, energetic, and it was nice to see their smiles. Everyone looked like they were having a good time. John's great guitar playing, which is sometimes muted on his recordings, really came through in concert. He has such a nice finger picking style on the small guitar, and that big guitar for strumming has a loud, crisp sound. The Lake Marie song was a great jam. He did almost all of my favorites, and some other songs I was not familiar with, like The Other Side of Town. But even the new songs were great. I only wish he had performed Aimless Love and Speed of the Sound of Loneliness, but hey, he played his heart out for two hours, and you can't do them all. The three song encore with Pat was also a treat, with the "quartet" doing Daddy's Little Pumpkin, Please Don't Bury Me, and Paradise. What a great night.
By: Jimmy "Rod-Hawg" Darrah
I just wanted to tell the fans, and John and the boys how much my brother-in-law and myself enjoyed the performance in the Florida Theater in Jacksonville on October 19, 2001.
Once again I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I think it should also be noted that whoever the "Sound Man" is has a great ear, and always has a perfect mix... John, pay him more, would ya.?
Jimmy Darrah
Prine fan since the late 1970s when a friend introduced me to "Bruised Orange"..
By: Mitch Mattocks
This was my forth John Prine "experience", and I must say the best ever. After a very entertaining show by Pat McLaughlin to start the evening, John performed in front of a packed theater for a solid two hours of story telling and jamming. A few of my favorites were Fish & Whistle, Sam Stone, You Got Gold, Bottomless Lake, Hello in There, Ain't Hurtin Nobody, Souvenirs and so, so many more. But the highlight of the evening had to have been Lake Marie, which seemed to have lasted ten minutes or more, with John, Jason and Dave giving it their all.
Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, Ohio October 13, 2001
By: Angela
I went to see John Prine live for the very first time Saturday night. I have to say...it was the best performance I have ever seen! No doubt about it.
His tiny little band of minstrels jammed and jammed and brought people to their feet!
Thanks, John....I needed that....this Country needs you and your music more than ever.
By: kydeadhead
Such a great show...John made my husband's night when he sang "Bottomless Lake" and mine with "Angel from Montgomery." It was good to see that he didn't use a stool for half the show like he did in Lexington---John is on the mend! Yahoo! I must agree with the earlier post about some of the rude people--we had the misfortune of being seated next to three drunken frat boys with their pockets full of Milwaukee's Best ("It doesn't get any better than THIS????"). Still, there were lots of other nice folks around. But, I digress...back to JOHN PRINE. Loved the songs, loved the stories...John Prine is a national treasure. Thanks for another wonderful concert. We (my hubby and I) were celebrating our anniversary and couldn't have had a better time! I just want to know--what happened to the bra that got thrown onstage? (It wasn't mine, I promise.) Can't wait for John to come back to Cincinnati or (better yet) Lexington SOON!
Thanks,
kydeadhead
By: BendyWV
I just got back from the concert in Cincinnati. It was a very enjoyable evening. I would like to offer up an apology to Mr. Prine however. There were some "people" in the audience who were very rude. I had a front center seat, VERY close to the stage and still was not able to hear him talk between songs because of several rude people yelling over top of him.
I have been wanting to see John in concert since my early 20's. I just turned 37 and this was my first Prine concert. I want to go again every chance I get.
Pat McLaughlin is awesome!!!!!!!! "Lake Marie" was wonderful!!!!!!
PREVIEW:
Kentucky was Paradise - and John Prine's inspiration
By: Staff and wire reports
http://www.cincypost.com/2001/oct/11/prine101101.html
''My brother Dave taught me a chord and the first time I held down a chord I didn't muffle it, well, I just sat there with my ear on the wood even after the sound died feeling the vibrations. From there, it was me sitting there alone in a room singing to a wall.''
And what about his very first audience?
''Well, the wall seemed to like it...'' Prine says now with a twinkle in his eye and his characteristic understatement. That wall has an awful lot in common with countless people Prine has touched his songs. He's certainly come a long way since he made his first appearance in Maywood, Ill., in 1946.
Being third in a family of four children meant that Prine ''got away with everything.'' Which included the latitude of giving his imagination free reign. Coupled with a childhood that was rich with classic American values and traditions -- many which would later be incorporated into his songs -- like summertime visits with his relatives in western Kentucky's small town of Paradise.
It would take a stint in the U.S. Army in Germany and a job with the Post Office before Prine would make his public debut at an ''open mike night at a local bar fueled by a few beers and the knowledge that he could do it better than everyone else he'd seen that evening.
''There were all these amateurs that were getting up,'' Prine says, ''and they were terrible. So I started making some comments about it and the next thing I knew somebody said, 'well, if you think you can do it better...' I said 'I could' and got up on the stage and played ''Sam Stone', ''Hello In There' and ''Paradise' and people seemed to like it.''
That included the club owner who promptly offered Prine a job. After asking how long he'd have to play for, he went home and wrote the rest of what was to become his first self-titled debut album. It wasn't long before a little guy from Chicago named Steve Goodman met Prine and would become his best friend as well as being responsible for bringing Kris Kristofferson to The Earl Of Old Town to see Prine...a move which would result in Prine's gaining a national label deal.
From there, Prine went from being a local singer/songwriter to being an artist on a national label, lavished with praise from critics around the country. Throughout Prine's major label migrations, which would eventually cover eight albums and two companies, he continued refining his voice and attracting fans who closely identified with his emotional sharp shooting.
''It's a great feeling when you put something in a song and other people say that's exactly how they feel,'' he says. ''That's the most gratifying thing about songwriting for me: it's always been a real outlet for me - being able to put those feeling down.''
Among the songs that Prine wrote during this period were such classics as ''Please Don't Bury Me,'' ''Fish And Whistle,'' and ''Souvenirs.''
But John Prine's special visions and personal integrity - something which attracted Bette Midler to cover ''Hello In There,'' Bonnie Raitt to adopt ''Angel From Montgomery'' as her own, and the numerous country artists such as Tammy Wynette and Johnny Cash to release their versions of ''Unwed Fathers'' - wasn't best served by the big labels' way of doing business. He had his following, but there had to be something else to making records.... So he called it quits with the big companies and took some time to re-think what he was doing. Out of that soul searching, Prine decided to put on another hat - record company executive.
After moving to Nashville in the early '80s, he decided to start making records his way. To that end Prine formed Oh Boy records. His first independent release in 1984, ''Aimless Love,'' was followed up in 1986 by the Grammy-nominated album ''German Afternoons'' and the 1988 Grammy-nominated 'John Prine Live.'' Prine later won a Grammy for 1991's ''The Missing Years. In 1995 he released ''Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings,'' followed in 1997 by ''Live On Tour.''
The year 1999 saw the release of the Grammy-nominated ''In Spite Of Ourselves,'' an album comprised of classic country lovin', leavin', and cheating songs, of which only the title cut is a Prine original. It features duets with Lucinda Williams, Trisha Yearwood, Melba Montgomery, Emmylou Harris, Dolores Keane, Patty Loveless, Connie Smith and Fiona Prine.
''Souvenirs,'' released in 2000, is a group of re-recordings of many of Prine's Classic tunes, many of which date back to his earliest days of songwriting. So now John Prine has the best of all worlds: a loyal following and being able to make his music his way - doing whatever he believes is best for his songs.
John Prine will perform at the Taft Theatre at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets: $27.50-$48.00 at Ticketmaster
(513)352-4949. |
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