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SIX O'CLOCK NEWS
I GOT EXCITED JUST BEING PART OF THAT SCENE
REVIEWS OF THE
JOHN PRINE IN '99  CONCERT TOUR
NEW YORK SHOWS

• Country Star Thankful to have a voice in his future
• MUSIC REVIEW JOHN PRINE AND IRIS DEMENT. Newsday 9/18/99
  Honest, unadorned Americana. Thursday night at Town Hall, Manhattan. EARLY INTO HIS captivating show at Town Hall on Thursday night, John Prine mentioned Bob Dylan and Hank Williams as two of his heroes. They also, clearly, are two of his key influences. Like Williams, Prine has a knack for plainspoken poetry and an affinity with the common man's woes; like Dylan, he moves seamlessly from folk to country to rock and back again. Add the fact that Prine was elated to be onstage and in good health, having recently defeated the neck cancer that nearly cost him his life, and the combination was irresistible. In an era rife with country confections such as the Dixie Chicks and Shania Twain, Prine's hardscrabble Americana was as welcome as the sunshine after Floyd. Prine was on the second stop of a tour in support of his new album, "In Spite of Ourselves," an engaging collection of classic country duets about, as he put it, "meetin', cheatin' ... and breakin' up." He performed several of the tunes with opening act and kindred spirit Iris DeMent, who shared Prine's wry sensibilities and complemented his gruff baritone with her twangy, schoolgirl warble. Highlights of their mini-set included the George Jones and Tammy Wynette duet "(We're Not) The Jet Set," about a couple who is instead "the old Chevrolet set ... our steak and martinis is draft beer with weenies," and "Let's Invite Them Over Again," a sly tale of a man and wife who are into mate-swapping. But, to Prine's credit, it was the title track, the only song he penned on the album, that was the best of the new material. Bawdy yet tender, it recounts a man and woman's ability to keep loving each other against all odds. Fighting the odds and the rate at which they're stacked against the common folk is one of Prine's favorite themes, and he revisited it several times during his 125-minute set, always eloquently. In "Sam Stone," he chronicled the demise of a Vietnam vet who became a drug addict after discovering that morphine eased his psychological as well as his physical wounds; his sardonically upbeat "Paradise" described a coal mining company's rape of a landscape and a way of life; "Unwed Fathers" deplored a societal double standard in which single mothers are ostracized while the fathers of their children run from responsibility "like water from a mountain stream." Prine made his acoustic guitar laugh and cry; he often picked in a bouncing gait that evoked a lazy lope. He was backed by bassist David Jacques, who mostly played standup acoustic, and guitarist-mandolinist Jason Wilbur; their understated elegance was as effective on the charging rave-up "Bear Creek" as on the somber "Lake Marie." DeMent opened with a set of unvarnished country-folk that was mostly insightful and occasionally precious. Like Prine, DeMent excels at underscoring the significance of mundane occurrences. One of their recurrent themes was the hopelessness that envelops people who lose their ability to communicate -a dilemma that neither of these performers faces in their music.
• FROM: JS
  I wanted to tell everyone about the NYC concert during the hurricane. We were there on our honeymoon (we are from California) and got tickets at the last minute. It was pretty exciting. Definately a different concert from the one a couple of months ago in Hanford CA JS

• FROM: Brian G
  What a great performer! Saw him live at the NY Sessions gig and what a treat it was! I wrote the whole set down and will post it later, but for now I just want to say thanks! Lake Marie was outstanding - what a great live piece...He really rocked out! Of course, it was a shock to see him so gray..last time I saw him was 1985 in New Mexico somewhere. I can't wait to ge the new album as well as see the tv recording...outstanding! ~Brian G.

ARTICLE IN THE TENNESSEAN

• FROM: Alabama Mike 
  I was at the NYC Fleadh show; the second time I have seen him. The first was in Birmingham, AL where he was pretty much the headliner at a similar outdoor festival. This show (b'ham) was easily the best i've seen. The NYC Fleadh show did not disappoinment either, excepting the brevity of the performance but then again even if Mr. Prine were to put on a 4hour Greatful Deadesque show he'd still leave me wanting more. He really seemed on the spot this day in NYC his face shone with a beatific yet devilsh grin the entire time. As usual Angel From Montgomery left many in the audience with a lump in their throat, which turned to laughter with a great rendition of Ain't Hurtin Nobody. Mr. Prine even gave a plug for his upcoming performance in Billy Bob Thorton's "Daddy and Them" all in all the Fleadh show was a great hour spent, worth the cross country trek.
• FROM: SHELLEY
  Just wanted to check in and tell you that I was at the NY Fleadh Festival yesterday and John was GREAT. It was hot and dusty and the sun was blazing down like the devil but he was even hotter. It was well worth the 250 mile journey!

"YEAH LITTLE BUDDY GONNA GET YOUR CHANCE -
MAKE THE PUBESCENTS ALL WET THEIR PANTS"