Please  feel  free  to  drop   us  a  line  with  your  review...just e-mail me.
SIX O'CLOCK NEWS
UPDATED 06/25/02
I GOT EXCITED JUST BEING PART OF THAT SCENE
REVIEWS OF THE IRELAND SHOWS

JOHN PRINE IN 2000 SOUVENIRS CONCERT TOUR

UNIVERSITY CONCERT HALL, LIMERICK, 10/26

• My wife and I, along with my sister and her husband, went to see John Prine at the excellent University Concert Hall Venue in Limerick last night. The man has great energy, playing as he did for almost 2.5 hours. He was ably assisted by Jason and Dave who always amuse me by being impeccably dressed in dark suits. John was more interactive last night than the other times I had seen him here, recounting many stories about the origins of songs. Jesus, the Missing Years and Lets Talk Dirt in Hawaiian went down very well. He told a story about how a man approached him a grocery store recently and asked him where he got the ideas for all those songs. John replied "I don't know man - if I did, I'd probably move there". He told us about his bout with cancer and how he had a hiatus from work, the Billy Bob Thornton movie and how it was still not released and the story behind the "In spite of ourselves" album. His solo acoustic set in the middle was a particular highlight, the acoustics in the hall resonating with John's unique raspy delivery. Philip Donnelly joined him for the encore with "Speed of the sound of loneliness" and finally finishing off with "Paradise". Most of the patrons had already gotten there. Come back soon.

MOUNT ERRIGAL HOTEL, LETTERKENNY CO. DONEGAL 10/20

FROM: ©Owen Brennan, (Check out his photos and his BEAUTIFUL SITE!)
    I was in Letterkenny, County Donegal last night at John's concert with my brother and it was just great. {I'll be using the word great a lot in this :0) } The venue was a hotel and the room held about 800 people. It was packed out.
    Todd Snider opened the show. I hadn't heard him before but I liked him a lot. He's a great songwriter, great guitar player and has a great way with him. He chatted loads and had a wee drink between songs to, as he put it "Take the edge off" He was very funny with the various introductions to his songs. The audience loved him from the word go. I've no doubt that Todd will be back again sometime with his own show. I never noticed that he didn't wear shoes and I'm sure that I would have seen that. He took careful steps crossing the stage but with so many wires etc that was natural. He didn't walk funny. My brother bought me Todd's CD "Happy To Be Here", Its great! I bought Johns "Souvenirs"
    Johns Stuff
    As far as I know Johns wife Fiona is from Donegal. John was in the best of humour, he said he was delighted to be surrounded by so many friends and relatives. He did all the usual stuff. There was a few special moments. One was when the audience started singing the chorus of "You Got Gold" back to him. He looked real pleased. Then they sang all of the next song. John said "So you know that as well" Then he said "This next song should sort out all the "Singalongers" His next song was "Let's Talk Dirty In Hawaiian." Another was when he said he has to do a special request for his kids or else they wouldn't go to bed. He sung "Picture Show" the kids were to the right of the stage and away they went to bed after the song.
    He mentioned the various females who sung on "In Spite of Ourselves" but he kept mention of Iris to the end and talked a lot about his admiration of her. He talked about the film but said it still hadn't been put on release.
    Another thing that happened at the concert was John put a lot of extra words into his "Missing Years" song. The audience also gave a cheer when he came to the bit about an Irish bride.
   Also when he was talking about the people who sang on "In Spite Of
Ourselves" and mentioned Fiona someone shouted something like "bring her out"
and John said "That was supposed to be a surprise later on" Fiona did come
and sing with him and Todd at the end. My brother had to leave straight after the show so I wasn't able to hang about. 

JOHN PRINE IN 2000 IN SPITE OF OURSELVES CONCERT TOUR

• LATE LATE SHOW, DUBLIN - 1/14/2000

FROM: Owen Brennan
They sang one song "In Spite of Ourselves" but were not interviewed. Iris was a bit subdued but her voice was great as usual. John had a big head of hair sticking nearly straight up. 

FROM: John M.
John and Iris were on the show, and sang "In Spite of Ourselves". There was no interview, just a glowing introduction, a mention of their sell out concert and a warning that this was not your standard love song. The audience gave them a very good response at the end. Lots of shouting and cheering, which is unusual as the audience tend to be rather conservative. John sounded great and looked just like his old self, circa late 1980s.

• OLYMPIA THEATRE, DUBLIN - 1/17/200

Goran Bendiktsen Aasen's Concerts page
The Irish Times review

From: John
Just a quick note on last night's Dublin Show. Absolutely brilliant ! Iris opened the show but the sound was not great for her first few numbers. After the interval at 9.15 John and the band walked, unintroduced, on stage and kicked into Spanish Pipedream and from the on it was one gem after another. The highlights for me were Angel From Montgomery, Fish And Whistle, Far from Me, a riproaring Lake Marie which tore the house down and brought a standing ovation. He encored with Unwed Fathers(with Iris), Till a Tear Becomes a Rose (with Fiona), then he brought on Philip Donnelly for Speed of the Sound of Loneliness (he is the only person who can play those licks !, I'm biased as Philip is from Clontarf in Dublin where I live, hence his nickname "The Clontarf Cowboy"). He rounded off the night with Paradise with Philip singing one of the verses. This was just after 11.30 and I think he would still be there singing and telling stories but the theatre has an 11.30 curfew. One hell of a night! That is just the bare details of last night. Hope this keeps you going. Allthe best, John

From: John Moloughney
Show started at 8.10 pm Iris did about 50 mins before the interval, then John & the band arrived, blew the Olympia away from then till 11.30 pm , absolutely stunning performance, joined at the end by the Clontarf Cowboy, Philip Donnelly and his wife , the entire event was awesome and as my travelling companion , Tom Stapleton, remarked , he had a smile on his face for over two hours. We travelled from Co. Tipperary while my brother in law and his wife travelled from Co.Sligo. Everyone was over the moon and look forward to the Great Man's return to Dublin or elsewhere in the country. May he continue to pack in the big venues and generate whatever income he can, still a pity he can't play some of the smaller , more intimate venues. Delighted to have been there.

• WATERFRONT HALL, BELFAST - 1/18/200

FROM: Gerry McBride
I am just bursting to share my thoughts with other John Prine fans after seeing him in Belfast the night before last. 48 hours after the event I am still feeling high (without the aid of alcohol or drugs!) from this wonderful concert in Belfast's Waterfront Hall (18th January 2000). The beautiful newly-built hall holds more than 2,000 people and it was completely sold out. There wasn't one empty seat to be seen (despite a flu epidemic in the country!). The audience ranged in age from about 25 to 65. Iris Dement sang for about 45 minutes. She sang some very good songs but, in my opinion, only about 2 or 3 great ones (e.g. "Our Town"). After a short interval John Prine came on, with his two backing musicians, and from the very first moment he was magic. I don't know what it is about him, but he is just so good at what he does. He played non-stop for two hours and twenty minutes. His voice sounded very gravelly and croaky at first, though he is such a wonderful performer, musician and songwriter that it did not matter if his voice was not quite perfect. But - as with his concert in Derry last summer - his voice improved as he went on, and he soon sounded no different from his old self. For about the first hour he played mostly the old favourites from the 1970s - which the audience of course loved. Then he did some of the country duets from his new album, with Iris Dement. But I think the last hour of the show surpassed everything: The guitar playing - on songs such as "The Sins Of Memphisto" and "Lake Marie" - was absolutely sublime. The other two musicians on stage (their names sounded like "Jason Wilbur" and "Dave Jacques") were tremendous. The audience seemed mesmerised and astounded by the beautifully harmonious and melodious jangling guitar sounds which saturated the huge hall - at the end of "Lake Marie" especially - and they showed their appreciation. When I go into a record store to buy a CD I can quickly find the musician I am looking for by going to the appropriate section, e.g. pop, rock, folk, country, etc. But how can John Prine be categorized? He tends to be designated as a "folk" artist, but he also writes and sings "country" songs and lives in Nashville (and I am sure there were a lot of country music fans in the audience?), yet at this superb concert a lot of his music could only be described as "rock"! And a lot of it was quite uncategorizable! And the huge audience showed their immense appreciation after every song, of whatever category. There is one category which all of John Prine's music fits into - especially at live performances - and that is "heavenly music"! As well as being a brilliant performer, musician and songwriter, he is also immensely charming, and he introduced almost all his songs with a few very entertaining and often very humorous words. This is the fourth John Prine concert I have been to, and they have been the four best concerts I have ever been to. He is not my favourite musician of all time (though he's definitely in my top five) but he is by miles my favourite live performer. I mentioned that many of his fans are "country" fans, so it may perhaps surprise you if I tell you that my favourite musician of all time, whom I have been mad about for 30 years, is David Bowie. Some people think it is unusual that I am a fan of two such seemingly very different musicians, but I think Bowie and Prine have a lot in common - they are both musical geniuses, wonderfully creative and extremely talented, and they both have the courage to do their own thing rather than kowtow to commercial pressures. It is getting late, so, like JP at Lake Marie, I gotta go now.
    While reading your Web site I realised that not only did John Prine perform many brilliant songs during his near 2˝ hour concert, there were also many of my favourite songs which he did not perform, such as "The Late John Garfield Blues", "Your Flag Decal...", "Everybody Needs Somebody", "Way Down", "You Got Gold", "Bruised Orange (Chain Of Sorrow)", "Rocky Mountain Time", "Big Fat Love", "The Torch Singer", "I Love You So Much It Hurts Me" (which I know he didn't write, but he sings it brilliantly), etc., etc., etc. Like everyone else, he has written some mediocre songs in his time, but (again like David Bowie) he has now built up a great and varied collection of wonderful and brilliant songs to choose from for his live performances.
    There were several people I know - friends, colleagues, friends of friends, etc. - who were at the John Prine concert (some devoted fans and some who had not heard him since the 1970s), and I also eavesdropped on several conversations as I left the hall. I did not really expect everyone to have enjoyed the concert as much as I did, but it seems, judging by this sample of people, that everyone did. All have described it in superlative terms, even people I did not expect to (e.g. wives or husbands of fans).
   And as I have said, and as you can now read, the two reviews from two Belfast newspapers were 100% favourable. The Belfast Telegraph archives are available on the Internet but you have to pay for access (and get a password, etc.), and I am almost sure that the News Letter is not on the Internet. So here are the reviews, word-for-word as they appeared in the newspapers, if you wish to copy them. (I don't know about the copyright situation, so I have included telephone and fax numbers. People in this country are generally very friendly and very approachable, so if you need to contact either of the newspapers, don't hesitate. They would probably be pleased to get a mention on your Web site.)

*The first review is from the Belfast Telegraph (Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1EB. Telephone Belfast 264000 [if you are dialling from the USA it would be 011 44 1232 264000]. Fax Belfast 554506 [from the USA: 011 44 1232 554506]. Web Site www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk). It was in the Wednesday evening edition (19th January), on the day after the concert:
Prine returns in triumph
A lot has changed since the last time John Prine played Belfast - and we're not talking about the peace process. On his previous visit back in the mid 90s, barely a couple of hundred people turned up at the Presbyterian Assembly Halls. Last night, the Waterfront was sold out, a remarkable turnaround in his drawing power. Prine has also survived a near two year battle against neck cancer, the reason, he told us at the start, why he hasn't been back earlier. It was well worth the wait though, as he leafed through his well thumbed back catalogue in a brilliant show. You could call it a greatest hits show - if only Prine had ever a hit. Every song was a homespun beautifully crafted gem, mixing humour, pathos and humanity in equal measure. The quality never flagged, for more than two hours, including a five song interlude with Iris De Ment playing songs from his new duets album 'In Spite Of Ourselves'. -Neil McKay ************************************************
*The second review is from the News Letter (46-56 Boucher Crescent, Belfast BT12 6QY. Telephone Belfast 680000 [from the USA: 011 44 1232 680000]. Fax Belfast 664436 [from the USA: 011 44 1232 664436]). It was in the Thursday morning edition (20th January):
Prine's in his prime
The welcoming roar that greeted John Prine onto the stage for his sell-out concert at the Waterfront Hall on Tuesday was a foretaste of what lay ahead. Many of the audience were delighted to see and hear the renowned American singer-songwriter, who is back in business after his serious illness two years ago when he was diagnosed with neck cancer. As he quipped: "The doctors couldn't do anything with the voice", he was clearly fit and well, and with the backing of two talented musicians, he delivered an outstanding performance availing himself of songs he had written during his 30 years in the business. Every intro was greeted with a ripple of applause as fans recognised their own favourite number. Prine could feel he was among friends and devout followers of his music - he could do no wrong! Never one to take himself seriously, Prine the poet is a great observer of life and a master of putting it to music to portray his message. Playing on all of the emotions, he took us on a journey through the highs and lows of life as he saw it. From the thought-provoking Hello In There and Sam Stone to the hilarious Dear Abbey and Let's Talk Dirty In Hawaiian to the haunting Lake Marie, each delivered with sensitivity or tongue-in-cheek as required. There were many more songs in a memorable night and with guest Iris DeMent they provided more than three-and-a-half hours of music. Surely it is only a matter of time until Iris headlines her own show as she gave a polished solo performance and was brilliant when she accompanied Prine on a set of songs to promote his new album In Spite Of Ourselves. Their two voices, so contrasting, blended brilliantly. When Prine returns to Belfast, as he surely must after this performance, give your ears a treat and make sure you catch his incredible show. Norman Hamilton

It is rare to see such unanimous totally positive reviews. By the way, despite what Norman Hamilton says about Iris Dement, I thought she was rather mediocre- apart from two songs.   I discovered on the radio last night that I wasn't the only one who was disappointed in her performance. Apparently even Iris Dement fans were disappointed, and one fan on the radio (a record shop owner) described her performance as "terrible", and the radio presenter (who had been the MC at the concert) said that during the duets John Prine seemed to be trying to "jizz her up a bit", but "she just wasn't at the races" and had hardly any life in her at all! So she was having an off-day (she confessed at the beginning of her performance that she had had a very late night in a Dublin pub the night before). I am glad to hear it really, glad to hear that she can be better than that. Maybe I will buy that John Prine duets album after all. The radio presenter (Frank Galligan) said that even though a lot of Iris Dement fans were disappointed in her performance, they loved John Prine!

FROM: Heather (Heather, your email address is not working for me...please contact me without using the form:  webmistress@jpshrine.org) thanks-
HI,I would just like to say that Johns concert at the Waterfront in Belfast on Jan 18th was absoulutly fantastic. His duets with Iris DeMent were wonderful. For someone to sing like he does(especially after throat cancer)is an achievment in its self. Song after song I enjoyed myself and so did my husband. Two years without John was well worth the wait. My only dissapointment of the evening was, at the end of the show I went up to the stage to get my copy of In Spite of Ourselves signed by the great man himself, and guess what, he walked away. Maybe He never saw me (I was the only person up at the front) or he just didn't want to sign. I was deeply offended as it took a lot of my courage to get up and walk up to the stage.(although I didn't have far to go as my husband and I were in the front row. If you read this John I would appreciate an auto graph as it will go in the familys year 2000 capsule.

FROM: Gavin
John who? Until last night that was more or less my knowledge of John Prine other than the few songs I had heard on local radio and thought..mmmm I like that. I heard he was comming to Belfast about four weeks ago and managed to get two of the last five tickets available. The demand for tickets got me even more interested so I got the new CD to find out a bit more. So off I went last night to check him out for real. Like the Dublin show Iris DeMent opened. She played about 45mins and was great inspite of confessing to a rater long and late night in Dublin. I felt the guy on the desk was a bit unfair to her as her sound wasn't that greatest but I suppose that's usually the way with the opening act. John Prine came on around 9.10pm and the sound guy got his act together. Along with his bass player and lead player(both of whom were outstanding)he played until 11.30 with no break. I was hooked, the guy was fantastic.I enjoyed the songs off the new album that Iris DeMent joined him for and his explainations of them, but I have to admit I prefered what I persume to be the 'old stuff'. Although I vaguely knew only a few songs it made no difference I could listen to this guy for as long as he cared to play. It was a great night and introduction to the man and his music, my CD collection is about to grow.

FROM: Hugh
John Prine at his best. He played, and smiled, for a solid two and a half hours. He played many of his standards, among them: Sam Stone, Dear Abbey, Illegal Smile, Quit Hollerin', Grandpa was a Carpenter, Speed of the Sound of Loneliness, Fish and Whistle, Souvenirs, Lets Talk Dirty in Hawaiian, Unwed Fathers, Jesus the Missing Years, Donald and Lydia, and many more (not in this order). He also did a terrific set from 'Inspite of Ourselves' brilliantly accompanied by Iris DeMent. The show was superb, as you would expect, but what made it for me was the poignant performances of Angel from Montgomery, Hello in There, and Six O'Clock News, and the energy of Lake Marie. The show finished with John and Iris playing Paradise - were we where for two and a half hours.

FROM: John
Went to see John and Iris on Monday night.This was my third time to see John but my first to see Iris .The show was unreal am a big fan of both and was delighted to get the chance to see them on the same bill.Iris opened and captivated the place for nearly an hour she seems just to good for support act but I suppose opening for John Prine is just aboutgood enough John came on and opened with Spanish pipedream and it took off from there. I was wondering how it would go after the cancer but he sumed up his mood when he said "its great to be back in Dublin and working" The House was full of the faithfull and he rose to us all night.Its hard to put into words how unbelieveable it was to be there. I just wish him the very best of health and hope he can still churn out the gems. Maybe we might see him in "Matt Mulloys" for Tune and a beer sometime. "I guess I wish you all the best"

FROM:Owen Brennan
I've been smiling a lot today because I went to see John & Iris last night at the Waterfront, Belfast.  The whole thing was a bit of a dream so I'm sure there's a lot I have forgotten. The Waterfront which can hold over 2,000 was sold out.

Iris DeMent: This is about the fourth time Iris has been to Belfast although on previous occasions she was alone and appeared in much smaller venues. She has a loyal group of fans here and got tremendous applause as she was introduced and came on stage. She started on the guitar with "The way I should" and 3 or 4 others songs. At one point she stopped to tell us about the previous night in Dublin. After the show they ended up in a bar in Dublin where they stayed until 4:30 a.m., here Iris said she sang every song she ever wrote and then started singing every song she ever knew. She said "I kinda forgot about you guys in Belfast" and apologised if her voice wasn't great. Iris doesn't have to worry one bit about her voice, it soared on wings of gold to every corner of the auditorium, it's unique.
   Iris then did her piano songs, "Walkin' Home" was beautiful. A new song to me was "Living On The Inside". Back to the guitar again. Is it just my imagination, or is "Easy's Gettin' Harder Every Day" gettin' slower every concert. (Only joking, I love the song) After this song Iris quipped "Was that desperate enough for you"
   Iris left the stage to great applause and returned shortly to finish with "Our Town" The audience adored "Our Town" and "Our Iris". She sang for about 50 minutes. The only thing I would have loved was for Iris to chat a bit more. Apart from the Dublin story she sad little. When she came out with John she didn't speak, she stood back and just stepped forward to sing. Iris, we're on your side, tell us about yourself, your music, talk to us, just a wee bit more.
   There was a 15 minute break.
   John Prine: The lights dimmed, a lone figure could just be seen in the darkness moving to the centre of the stage. The audience clapped, they cheered, it got louder, they whistled, they went mad and a single spotlight came on, lighting up a guy called Frank Gallaghan, he had come on to introduce John. Everyone laughed. At some point here Frank tripped over a cable which in turn knocked over the big bass which was at the edge of the stage. We all forgave Frank who is a local radio presenter. He is a long time fan of John's, always plays his music and loves Iris DeMent. The next day on radio Frank talked about all the jokes that were made backstage at his expense.
   I've only been a fan of John's for the past two years, so there's a lot's I don't know about him and songs I haven't heard yet. It was the nice things he said about Iris on her "Infamous Angel" CD which brought me to him. What can I say, John Prine came on with two great musicians and sang his heart out. He told us about his life, his cancer, He said it was great to be here in Belfast that it had been quite a while, longer than he would have liked, but the main thing was he had made it back.
   He told us about how he came to write the various songs. He had us in fits of laughter. He told us about his granda, how he once worried that he would forget about him so he wrote a list of the things he remembered about him. He didn't intend to write a song but when he looked at the list he discovered that item two rhymed with number 17 and item 15 with 4 etc and so he moved the list about and made the song. He first sang the song at a family gathering and afterwards two old aunts took him aside and gave off to him because he had got the brand of cigarettes his granda smoked wrong.
   In between songs now again someone would shout up for a particular song. At one point several people were asking for different songs. John gave a big wide grin and said "I know 'em all" and he sang 'em all. John sent the musicians off and sang a load of songs himself, He brought them back and them brought Iris on for his new album songs. Iris's voice compliments Johns beautifully. Iris left and John sang on and on and on. His part of the show lasted over two and a quarter hours.
   At the end Iris came back on and they sang about three more songs. One of them was "Unwed Fathers" Iris was brilliant at this. They finished with "Paradise."
   As this was my first time seeing John I can't compare it with anything so I'll have to rely on others to let me know if I've seen John at his best. What I do know is that while Iris DeMent has my heart, last night John Prine reached out and captured my soul.

FROM: kevin in lurgan county armagh n. ireland
i was at the john prine concert in belfast n.ireland on 18/1/00. iris dement opened and then did some songs with jp. it was a sellout and a knockout. 3 years ago john played this city in a smaller venue and the real diehards who had waiteds for years were there. this time he played the newly built showcase waterfront hall and the show was sold out way in advance and john seems to have picked up a whole new range of fans judging by this and the age and dress of the audience. needless to say the concert was superb--although in a couple of the heavier numbers some of us felt the sound mix was not up to the high standard of the whole show. this is just a constructive suggestion--sorry guys. the show was tremendous value for money and 95% of the way the sound was great. iris told us that her voice was a little rough from the late session (to 4am ) in a dublin pub after the gig the previous night and of course thats proper protocol for this neck of the woods so we could identify with that. she is going to be massive in her own right--what a singer and what a songwriter and i'll attend her first big gig here. i dont know what its like other places but i think like us people feel they know john because of his unassuming manner yet he is obviously touched with a form of genius. the songs from his first album are as fresh and were sung as fresh as all of his recent works. some of the audience were calling out titles they wanted to hear and it became a little tedious but jp eventually sorted it out by saying "i know them all", offending no one but adding a wonderful touch of humour. i've been a fan since 1974 and i'm one more than ever now. when will he be back? dont forget he'll have to book the hall for at least 2 nights next time.

JOHN PRINE IN '99 PARADISE CONCERT TOUR
IRELAND SHOWS

• RIALTO THEATRE, DERRY IRELAND, JULY 7

FROM: Desi Fisher
Thanks for info!! We had a wonderful holiday in France with great weather, great wine and great Craic!. We had a barbecue one night with some of the other campers and we introduced them to JP's "The Missing Years".  A lot of people in Ireland would know "I wanna dance with you" (due to Daniel O'Donnell) and "Speed of the sound of loneliness" (due to Susan McCann or Nanci Griffith's, who resides in Dublin most of the time!!). Our boat back was delayed by 3 hours so we just arrived back from France to go into the concert at 8:30, and JP came on stage at 8:45!!   Our car was parked with all our holiday clothes, etc, after having driven from Rosslare at the bottom SW of Ireland to Derry in the NW of Ireland,  a drive of 7 and a half hours!! Anyway from the moment the MC introduced John with the famous Kris Kristofferson thumb quotation to the finish of his encore with "Paradise" 2 hours and 15 minutes later, the sell-out audience was in raptures. I was surprised that he played so long, especially surprised that he did 60 percent of the show on his own with David Jacques s(bass/ cello) and Jason (Lead guitar/mandolin) going offstage for so long.   John had certainly "aged" since 3 years ago and he had lost weight and a lot more grey in the hair! The one thing that had not changed was his dynamism and able to hold the concert in rapture. I was especially pleased that this time he told quite a few anecdotes about his songs and they were not ones heard on the "JP Live" or "Live on tour" albums. I was also surprised to find myself enjoying "Dear Abby" and "Space Monkey" 2 of JP's songs that I intensely dislike as I find they wear thin after the first hearing. I felt that both band members were keeping a very keen eye on JP as he was getting carried away with his guitar playing and they weren't sure of their cues!! Having a front row seat (due to the fact that the shop sold more tickets than the actual venue!!) we had a wonderful view and my youngest son (whose 12 and loves "Lucky Larue" and "Bells of Memphisto") managed to get a guitar pick. I never got a chance to meet JP after the show as I was too tired and needed to get home to unpack the car!!  Anne said that it was one of the best concerts she had ever been to and I have been receiving a lot of calls from customers throughout N. Ireland to tell me how much they enjoyed the show. We sold some hats before the show and I still have some in the shop but they will soon go.  I gave one to a local radio presenter,   Frank Galligan, who MC'ed the show and he wore it on stage while introducing JP, he champions John's music on his show all the time.

FROM:  Frank Galligan
I had the pleasure of introducing John in Derry on WED JULY 7th - his only Irish gig. What an ovation from his loyal fans.....he was very moved and kicked in a two hour plus performance that belied his recent illness. Proof, if proof were needed, that his heart is immune to any damn carcinoma and for those of us who have worshipped quietly for almost three decades, this was the opportunity to laugh, cry and holler in equal measure. He is still the songwriter by which everyone else should be measured....humour, compassion, integrity and - fundamentally - he cares deeply about his audience. The Happy Enchiladas are buzzing since!

FROM: cookstown fan
I seen john in Derry Ireland on wed 7th of July..great great great...love prine, got talking to him after sneaking into his dressing room, beer was flowing and john looked great after his illness...I told john a few jokes and he laughed...I TOLD JOHN PRINE A FEW JOKES AND HE LAUGHED...we got on like a house on fire...kind and honest man..I'm 24 years of age and recommend everyone of all ages listen to this legend THANK YOU

FROM: IAN MC WILLIAM WHITEHEAD Co ANTRIM N IRELAND
I WAS AT THE JOHN PRINE CONCERT, AT DERRY IRELAND LAST NIGHT. THE HALL WAS AS FULL AS YOU COULD GET. JOHN CAME OUT ON STAGE, AND TOLD THE FANS ABOUT HIS ILLNESS AND HOW HE HAD BET IT, AND HOPED THIS WOULD NOT EFFECT HIS VOICE. BUT LET ME TELL YOU, JOHN SANG HIS HEART OUT, AND HIS VOICE WAS AS GOOD, (IF NOT BETTER) THAN I HEARD. THE FANS JUST LOVED EVERY MOMENT, THE BACKING BAND WAS GREAT. JOHN PLAYED FOR OVER TWO HOURS, HE WAS AT HIS BEST.  JOHN SANG ALL BEST SONGS, AH IT WAS WONDERFUL THANKS JOHN FOR A NIGHT TO REMEMBER. YOUR IRISH FANS FOR EVER.

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