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MANITOBA

 

Walker Theatre  Winnipeg, Manitoba
April 26,2002

By: Ronald Walter
    My wife and I came from the states to see John Prine at the Walker Theatre and cannot imagine a finer facility to attend a concert by John Prine. My second time to see John Prine in concert, and the concert was nonpareil. The audience was enthusiastic and every concert goer was an officianado. Every seat was a good seat, including the nosebleed section (where the true officianados get their seats). Maybe there were some peanut gallery rowdies but it didn't bother me. How can you blame someone for being rowdy at a John Prine concert? The Walker reminded me of the 22nd Century Auditorium in Chicago. Both are truly a beautiful theatres.
   
John Prine is an unequaled singer/songwriter and a visionary. I was singing along, as were many others. It could not be helped. My only wish was to wake up the next morning and finding out it was still Friday, April 26, 2002 and I would have been able to see it all again, just like Bill Murray in the movie 'Groundhog Day'. Rowdies and all. I think God himself was there and being rowdy.

By: Norm....Len's Buddy!
    My first Prine concert, hopefully not my last. It was amazing! Just like a big campfire singalong. Like John himself said, it was like a folk fest inside. The highlight of the night for me was the entire crowd singing "Illegal Smile". One of my favourite all time concert experiences!...Oh yeah,Greg Trooper was a very good opener. He had the crowd singing also..."another shitty Saturday night"....NOT!

By: Jean
    I went to be a good wife. My husband is a huge fan and I agreed to go with him. Half way into the first song I was hooked!!! It was the most amazing concert I have ever seen!! He looked like he was having such a good time. When will he be back?

By: Alberta Girl Living In Ontario
    This was my first John Prine concert, I've always admired and been familiar with his music and songwriting talent. I'm the last of the baby boomers and my husband and I took along my mother. John gave a stellar performance. My only regret is that I was not familiar with Walker Theatre's layout and that I couldn't get better seats. We were in the nosebleed section and couldn't hear the performance as clear as we would of liked to due to the lousy acoustics in the building and the rowdy drunks in our seating area who would clap and holler stupidities at the most inopportune times. John, a true veteran of class and showmanship, ignored the drunken shouts and played and his heart out. It's too bad he didn't have a nicer facility to perform in like the Centennial Concert Hall because he would have filled the place up and the rowdies would have been kicked out.


Prine-time entertainment at the Walker

Date: April 26, 2002
By: ROB WILLIAMS -- Entertainment Reporter
http://www.canoe.ca/JamConcertsL2Q/prine_john_043002-sun.html  
    It was spring training for the Winnipeg Folk Festival. A sold-out crowd of 1,650 gathered in soft seats at the Walker Theatre last night instead of on tarps to watch folk legend John Prine without fears of being eaten by mosquitoes. "It's been awhile since I played indoors here," he said with a chuckle. Kicking off with Spanish Pipedream, Prine, 55, delivered an awe-inspiring retrospective of songs from throughout his 30-year career, accompanied by a stand-up bassist and electric guitarist. Prine's voice is still as smooth (in its own way) and reassuring as ever, despite a well publicized battle with throat cancer a few years ago. He was even able to hit the high note at the end of the classic Angel of Montgomery, delivered early in his two-hour set. Dressed in a striking black suit, the storyteller held the audience in awe as he sang a mix of ballads and straight-up rockers. And with a recording history stretching back to 1971, Prine has the arsenal to lead the crowd on any kind of journey he desires, which wasn't always easy, as the surprisingly rowdy middle-aged crowd shouted out numerous requests between songs. He did get around to playing most of them anyway, including Six O'clock News, Grandpa Was a Carpenter, Dear Abby, Donald and Lydia and Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian. Between songs he told stories about his life and what inspired him as a songwriter, coming across as witty and self-depreciating. Prine even talked about his hip replacement surgery last year, when he had his joint replaced with a new titanium substitute. "The doctor said it will last between 20 and 30 years, and I said, 'That's great, it will last longer than I will,' " he said to a roar of laughs. But after the surgery he couldn't drive, so he wrote the song The Other Side of Town, about a man who likes to travel in his mind. "He doesn't have a whole lot of money so he doesn't go very far," he said. At press time Prine was singing his Vietnam-War-inspired Sam Stone. Nashville based singer-songwriter Greg Trooper opened the show with a 40-minute set of solid, humorous songs, even getting the crowd to participate in two singalongs.

By: Organic Hemp Farmer
    Hey All!