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SIX O'CLOCK NEWS
UPDATED 06/25/02
"I GOT EXCITED JUST BEING PART OF THAT SCENE"
REVIEWS OF THE
JOHN PRINE CONCERT TOUR 2000
LOUISIANA SHOWS
FROM: bayoupoetryman
At the risk of comparing singers and shows, last night at the
Strand was the best Prine show I have ever seen.
To me, it ranks with his opening for Kristofferson (sp? I don
t care- he sucks) back in '71. I have seen 74 or so Prine shows. Last night was
flawless, not because of the facility or the crowd, but because of the talent of
the performer. He has always been good and "relevant." Last night he
was not just personable and intimate. He sang a collective generation's life
story and made it quirky, meaningful, and vibrant.
The crowd was grand and the hall was magnificent--give the
good folks in Shreveport credit. The acoustics at the Strand cannot be
underrated. They are crafted for a coloratura soprano, not the usual trash that
gets pushed in pseudo restored mondo-big curler venues. For the otherwise not
impressively "present" (technically) voice of Prine, the theatre was
perfect.
The rich overtones in the plush and authentic architecture
warm the sound in Prine's vocal range better than anything typically found in
the New South, or even on the East Coast. (The Lyric Opera in Chicago, where Van
Morrison has been known to play may be an appropriate audio comparison.) Acoustically
and visually the Strand was a jewel, but kudos goes to the performer, who could
have played in the seventh race at Maywood race track and won the crowd over.
Now, if we could just get the legendary Fred Carter out of
retirement to back John up just once.
Compared to rather moribund tours this spring from other
singer-song writers (especially the trying set from a tired Bruce Springsteen
that lacked intimacy and feeling) it is simply a blessed event to know that a
national treasure of a song writer is right on form. This man is in a league
that writes STANDARDS, for God's sake, but he makes us feel like they are our
songs.
Short of Bob Dylan playing my rec room, I would be hard to
think of a musically more pleasant night.
FROM: Jeff and Matt Impson
Setlist: Spanish Pipedream, Six O'clock News, Souvenirs, Fish and Whistle,
Grandpa Was A Carpenter, Far From Me, All The Best, Angel From Montgomery, It's
A Big Old Goofy World, Dear Abby, Donald and Lydia, Jesus The Missing Years, The
Bottomless Lake, Sam Stone, *Milwaukee Here I Come, *(We're Not) The Jet Set,
*Let's Invite Them Over, *We Could, *In Spite Of Ourselves, Bear Creek Blues, Ain't
Hurtin' Nobody, The Sins of Memphisto, Hello In There, Lake Marie Encore:
*Unwed Fathers, *Sabu Visits The Twin Cities Alone, *Paradise *= w/Iris Dement
Review: I live here in Shreveport, but this was only my second concert to
see at the Strand Theatre. I'd previously seen Ravi Shankar and a couple of Pink
Floyd laser shows. Every time I visit the Strand I am blown away. The sound is
great. And it is definitely the most intimate and fancy venue in Shreveport. It
is a real shame we do not get more concerts to the area. But last night was a
very special treat. My younger brother and I saw our first John Prine concert,
and we got to go with our father. My dad had not seen John Prine since around
1976 at Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic somewhere around Baton Rouge, LA.
This was a real treat for us (especially since we had second row seats). If I've
been raised on anything it has been The Houston Astros, Jesus, and the music of
John Prine.
Back in 1998, John was scheduled to play in Shreveport but
unfortunately had to cancel due to his bout with neck cancer. Last night we were
lucky to have him with us and he seemed in perfect form. The concert could not
have been any better. There was not one song we didn't want him to play and he
even mentioned Billy Bob Thornton a couple of times. :-)
Iris Dement opened the show with a nice 45-60 minute set. I
am not familiar with any of her solo work but after last night I will definitely
be getting some of her music. The woman is amazing. She's full of emotion and
has one of the most unique voices. I must admit that I often have trouble
relating to and enjoying female singers, but Iris is different. At times I felt
like my mind was on a brief vacation. Her performance complimented what was to
come perfectly.
Shortly after Iris Dement's set John Prine took the stage. As
my brother says, "It was a realized dream to see John Prine live."
Most people remained seated throughout the show. However, this was interrupted
after every song by standing ovations. I have been to many concerts where the
performer received a lukewarm response. Last night I realized that there are no
casual John Prine fans. If you like him, you love him.
I've already mentioned the amazing setlist. I loved it all,
but my personal highlights were "Far From Me", "All The
Best", "The Bottomless Lake", "Sam Stone", and
"Hello In There". Before playing "Donald and Lydia" John
told us that the song was written about when he was in the military in January
of 1966. He was stationed at Fort Polk in Leesville, Louisiana, where he once
had four days of leave and was gonna come to Shreveport but ended up blowing all
his money in Lake Charles. I thought that was cool. He went on to say that
"Donald and Lydia" was written about a girl in Leesville. The songs
from the album "In Spite Of Ourselves" that Iris Dement came out and
sang with John were great. I really enjoy the new album so this was really nice.
Before "Hello In There" John mentioned that Johnny Cash recently
recorded a version of it about a week ago. I'm really looking forward to hearing
that.
I can't quite put into words how special this concert was for
my dad, brother, and I. The beauty of the Strand Theatre, our second row seats,
the amazing setlist, the guitar picks handed out after the show, and getting to
see this with John's amazing fans was a very wonderful experience. Thank God
that John's health has been restored so that his gift can still be shared with
"newbies" like my brother and I. Thanks John, "You've got gold
inside of you."
FROM: Ned
Saw John last night in Shreveport and ran into a bunch of people I know but
hadn't realized were fellow Priners. The crowd loved him and Iris. I don't think
people at other concerts express as much love for those two as they do at
Prine/Dement concerts. Yells of "Welcome to Shreveport, Louisiana" and
"We love you" poured out throughout the entire concert. I went and saw
him after the show and told him I flew in from Boston just to see the show. Then
I got my picture with him and an autograph. I got to talk to Iris also and
learned that her brother lives in my mother's home town in Arkansas. David
Jacques also was in the green room, but I didn't see Jason Wilber. Anyway, I had
a great time. Thank you for keeping us all up to date at the Shrine.
FROM: Lori Laketrash
Awesome. John played Shreveport last night and I have never ever been to a
better show in all my life! What can I say? The show last night was the best
show I have ever heard in my life! John played everything I wanted to hear and
more. He played and he played and he played. "Bear Creek" was killer!
I like that new rockabilly rhythm and blues! He rocked on that one! He and Iris
played absolutely everything we wanted to hear and some more that we were not
expecting to hear. It was like a campfire singalong, the whole house was beltin'
it out! I am counting the days till he comes back! Lori Goodwin
FROM: Greg
John was excellent as usual. my favorite singer/songwriter kicks major ass!!!!
"YEAH LITTLE BUDDY GONNA GET YOUR
CHANCE -
MAKE THE PUBESCENTS ALL WET THEIR PANTS" |
