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GEORGIA 2001
The Grand Opera House, Macon, Georgia
April 28, 2001
Date: 4/28/2001
By: Craig Fluck
In spite of the rowdy crowd of over testosteroned dudes and screaming chicks, John entertained the folks from around Macon, and other far flung cities in GRAND style at the Grand Opera House. He added to his
repertoire with his new song, entitled On The Other Side of Town, so much so that I even remembered most of the title these three months later. The local paper, the Macon Telegraph, even wrote an article about the concert but as usual was completely unable to capture the essence of this once in a life time experience, hopefully it will happen again soon.
Prine Brings Storytelling Songs To Macon
Venue: The Grand Opera House, Macon, GA
Date: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 28
By: Thomas W. Krause, The Macon Telegraph
http://www.savannahmorningnews.com/smn/stories/042801/LOCprine.shtml
John Prine's "Please Don't Bury Me" is a humorous little song
about a guy who's just had the worst morning of his life.
He slipped on the kitchen floor, hit his head and died. The mishap
occurs in the song's first line. And you thought your morning was bad.
Well, if that doesn't sound like the happiest of songs, try comparing it
to the remaining tracks on Prine's new CD - "Souvenirs."
"Sam Stone" - World War II vet, addicted to morphine, dies.
"Hello in There" - lonely old-folks beg for attention.
"Christmas in Prison" - well, no explanation needed really. If
these song titles sound familiar, it's because many were written in the early
1970s, when Prine was a lanky kid with a gravelly voice belting out tunes about
blue collar misery and good love gone bad.
On "Souvenirs," originally recorded for release solely in the
European market, Prine re-recorded 15 of his oldest - and arguably - his best
songs. They are the tunes he has sung so often "the memories are
worn," to borrow a line from one of his more famous songs.
Saturday night, at the Grand Opera House, Prine will bring those songs to
Macon.
If the new recordings of his old songs are any indication of his musical
state-of-mind, locals are in for a performance of the highest musical caliber.
Prine, for years a heavy smoker and heavy drinker, had surgery recently
to remove a cancerous lump in his neck. His vocal cords, thankfully, were not
damaged. But through that experience, he has apparently rediscovered the beauty
in songs he wrote when he was playing in bars instead of opera houses.
On the "Souvenirs" CD, Prine re-visits his standards like an old
widower, unexpectedly reunited with his high school sweetheart.
Listeners can picture Prine, a bit grayer and a bit more worn than his
youthful self, standing in the recording studio. Unlike typical recording
sessions, there is no sheet music in front of the musicians and the singer.
There is no pausing between riffs to second guess the arrangements and to update
the band on a new idea.
Prine knows these songs better than even his most ardent fans. And on
"Souvenirs," listeners get the feeling he loves them as much as the
fans who have worn through countless turntable styluses and countless vinyl
copies of his early albums.
Through the decades, Prine has continued to write songs. Though his
arsenal is hundreds of songs deep, his appeal never really took hold in the
mainstream. Still, he has enough of a following to have made a career playing in
small venues and cutting albums, tapes and, now, CDs.
Prine's fan base includes multitudes of bar room musicians as well as the likes
of Kris Kristofferson, Bruce Springsteen and the late grandfather of bluegrass,
Bill Monroe.
Prine is a songwriter's songwriter. His characters are deep, his themes
are intense and his subtle musical accompaniments are always on point with the
lyrical mood.
Though not as clean or precise a writer as Paul Simon or Willie Nelson,
Prine's heart has always been smack in the middle of his tunes, like a bluesman
who knows exactly when and where his pain began. The situations Prine creates
draw the listeners into smoky cafes and beer halls, out to farm houses and small
town streets - and, hopefully, out to the Grand Opera House on Saturday night.
By: The Midget & The Wookie
This was my 7th John Prine concert, & my 2nd in the past 12 months (saw him @ Chastain Park in Atlanta in August with Iris Dement). I've been a fan since I heard him on the "Underground" radio station in Richmond, VA in 1972. His concert last Saturday was a superb experience from start to finish. He did most of my favorites, including "Fish & Whistle" (my personal favorite). With the exception of 1 lost soul who kept yelling "Son" & "John Prine" from time to time, the audience was comprised of respectful but enthusiastic Prine fans, who gave him the respect I've always found at John Prine concerts. I've been to many different concerts by many different performers, & never have I encountered the respect for a performer I find at his concerts. I'm saddened by his recent physical problems, none of which at all impacted his performance, & hope they are behind him now. Thank you, Mr. Prine, for 29 years of wonderful music, strange & wonderful poetic images, and another memorable concert
experience !!Message from HOME
Message from HOME
Venue: back at home
Date: 4/28/01
By: Fiona
I cannot be at every show - really very few - but reading all the concert reviews tonight
at least I know where he is!! He IS a beloved marvel and it makes my heart happy that he has so many friends out there on the road.
Love to you all,
Fiona
Lucas Theater, Savannah GA
April 27, 2001
with Pat McLaughlin
Date: 4/27/01
By: jackson32812@yahoo.com
What a show John had on Friday night at the beautiful Lucas Theatre in Savannah.
As I have been lucky to see John on many occasions, this was a special venue played at a special location.
To bad that the fans didn't see it the same way, how rude could the fans be to show up late, talk out loud during play and getting up and down all evening long.
I was appalled at the way that the locals treated the building that they spent 10 million dollar on as their showplace, spilling beer on this magnificent restored location.
What a Shame! I for one traveled over 200 miles to see John Prine in a location that I felt would be special. Much to my
surprise I was disappointed by the lack of respect to Pat McLaughlin.
I have traveled many times to Savannah and personally couldn't wait to see a show at this theatre, but to my
surprise when I found out that my performer that I have listened to for over 20 years was playing at the Lucas, this was a perfect match.
John Prine and the Lucas,,,, WOW!!!!!! To bad that the beer spilling Johnny come lately had to show and ruin a perfectly good evening.
Southern Hospitality? Have we forgotten how to show some respect?
I was grateful to see the old and young there, this means that as I suspected all along that John Prine songs have no defined age barriers.
As I always say if I have to explain who John Prine is you probably wouldn't get it any way.
On Friday I got to see the person that I, believe it or not have set some of my standards by, Hello In There, mainly is my motto for the lost generation.
Needless to say John Prine played his heart out on Friday and personally left me in
awe once again.
Thank you John Prine for another memory.
John Prine Knocks Out The Faithful At The Lucas
Savannah Morning News 4/27/2001
By: Doug Wyatt
John Prine has been around.
For more than 30 years, he's been singing songs filled with scathing wit,
aching loneliness and piercing resignation. He's endured hip surgery, a bout
with cancer, and misunderstandings with womenfolk and record companies. He's
also won a fanatical following, who have thrilled to each new Prine release and
patiently waited out several lulls in his career.
Friday night, he entertained a
rambunctious crowd at the Lucas Theatre with tunes spanning the decades, from
early classics like "Sam Stone" and "Dear Abby" to the
recent "Other Side of Town," a witty paean to fragile domestic bliss
Prine penned while recuperating with his new hip.
Backed by a bassist and
electric guitarist, Prine opened with "Spanish Pipedream," following
with such favorites as "Six O'Clock News," "Souvenirs"
(which he dedicated to the late Steve Goodman), a rollicking rendition of
"Fish and Whistle," "Grandpa Was a Carpenter," 'All the
Best," and a gorgeous, gracefully lilting take on 'Angel From
Montgomery."
Prine then played a solo acoustic set, which he dubbed the
'rest your hip' part of the show. Among the songs he performed were "That's The
Way the World Goes 'Round," "Donald and Lydia" and "In
Spite of Ourselves," originally a robust hit as a duet with Iris Dement.
The highlight of the set was probably "Dear Abby," his tongue-in-cheek
homage to the advice columnist. Everyone in the building seemed to know the
lyrics.
Prine's voice, never as sweet as honey, has coarsened a bit over the
years. Its roughness often works to the songs' advantage, complementing the
lyrics' worldly weariness or adding bite to their cheerful silliness. When his
backup band returned to the stage, they knocked out rollicking takes on
"The Sins of Memphisto" and "Hello In There," closing the
regular set with an sizzling, flat-out rocking version of "Lake
Marie." For the inevitable encore, they were joined onstage by Pat
McLaughlin, who joined them for "Please Don't Bury Me" and
"Paradise." McLaughlin opened the evening with a well-received solo
acoustic set. The night, though, clearly belonged to Prine. "The years just
flow by like a broken down dam," he sings in "Angel from
Montgomery."
Friday night, Savannahians took a memorable trip through those
years with one of our most inventive songwriters.
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