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UPDATED 06/25/02
OTTAWA SHOW
NATIONAL ARTS CENTER "CONCERT FOR A LANDMINE
FREE WORLD" with Emmy Lou Harris, Bruce Cockburn, Mary
Chapin-Carpenter, Nancy Griffith, Steve Earle.
Ottawa,
Ontario-12/03/2000 -
- FROM: The Ottawa Citizen: Music
From the Heart - By Bruce Deachman
FROM: The Ottawa Citizen: Landmines Lineup was Packed with Winners - By Lynn Saxberg - FROM: Gerry Bedard
It was great and there's no doubt about it John was clearly the fan favorite, it's a shame that he only got to play 4 songs but with 5 other performers on the same stage that's all that could be expected. I didn't get to stick around to try and meet John as I had commitments at home after the show but I bet it would have been a real challenge as the security seemed to be everywhere and not shy to tell people what they expected of them. in case anyone is interested here are the 4 songs that John sang in order. Big Old Goofy World, Sam Stone, Paradise, Illegal Smile, That's my take on the show and I'm sticking to it. - FROM: Leonard Hogg
The Ottawa show was great. All the artists were fantastic......but you all know who was the best.... John only got to do 4 numbers but he was the fan favorite.... he really had the crowd going with Illegal Smile....everyone knew the words.....sold out house....all old hippies I guess... "no I'm just trying to have me some fun" - FROM: MB
I was at the Ottawa show Sunday night. It was so very nice to see John up on a stage again. Based on crowd reaction, and the following press clip from today's (Dec 5) Ottawa Citizen, Mr. Prine was a big hit. 'Just wish we could see some more of him from time to time.
"If it was up to the audience, however, the popular vote would go to Prine. You could feel the excitement in the air each time it was Prine's turn for a song. Applause was extended and enthusiastic, and fans shouted encouragement at the 54-year-old singer-songwriter who underwent surgery almost three years ago to remove a cancerous lump from his neck. It was good to see him in such fine form, his voice strong and his wit sharp.
The atmosphere got even more welcoming each time Prine started a song: As soon as the audience recognized a tune like Sam Stone or It's a Big Old Goofy World, they began singing and humming along. Eyes closed, the 2,000-seat Southam Hall took on the intimacy of a campfire jamboree.
Seated in a semi-circle on stage, the rest of the performers watched the hubbub over Prine with smiles that showed they were clearly in agreement with the crowd. No one on stage minded having to wait until the cheers died down before taking a turn."
In fact, Canadian Foreign Affairs minister, Lloyd Axworthy (the man responsible for the global legislative push for the Landmines treaty) paid homage to John by making reference during his speech to our "big old goofy world." - FROM: Brian in Kinburn
They were all on the stage for the entire evening (7:30-10:20) and took turns singing, ala song-circle style. A very unique way to see all these performers.
John looked and sounded pretty good at this very relaxed concert setting, (totally sold out months ago). He was definitely the crowd favourite! He did a total of 4 songs, just him and his Martin. I think the songs came in this order: Big Old Goofy World Sam Stone Paradise Illegal Smile (an encore tune which he did for someone's donation of $500.00(cdn?) to the Anti-Landmine cause. He remarked before the last verse that he was already $350.00 into it, too funny!) Significantly enough I think, John was the last one off the stage...
I managed to get him to sign my birthday card with his hair wet from taking a shower. A highlight for me, Thanks John! - FROM: Pakenham
I know for a fact and I am sure John will agree that Ottawa and the valley folks love John Prine. You could tell each time he sang a song people sang along and knew the words and the applause he received after each song. All I can say is please come back to Ottawa Real Soon!! - FROM: Greg Purdy
This is an amazing show in that you have John, Emmylou, Bruce Cockburn, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Steve Earle and Nancy Griffith all setup on stage together and they simply just take turns doing songs. If one of the other knew the words of one of their counterparts songs then they joined in. And there were plenty of moments like that. Very relaxed but exciting because of the anticipation of what song would be next. Emmylou showed up at the beginning and introduced the rest of the 'gang'. John was first and received a huge cheer. After they were all introduced, I realized that John was the crowd favourite. A little extra amount of applause and cheering happened each time it was his turn to sing as well. He started with It's a Big Old Goofy World, which a lot of people sang along with. Right after the intermission John gave us Sam Stone. Although it wasn't really his turn, I'm sure nobody was going to complain judging by the amount of sniffling I heard as tears were shed. I was worried if because he snuck Sam Stone in that he'd miss his next turn but he didn't. Next up was a great sing along with the other artists of a classic but because I'm not as hard core a John fan as I should be, I'll just say I recognized it as something to do with Ulenburg County or whatever. Sorry to not know the name but a great song anyways. Earlier Emmylou mentioned that silk scarves that had been made by victimized women in Cambodia were for sale in the lobby. But for $500 anyone could request the song of their choice and receive a scarf signed by all the artists. One woman apparently offered Nancy Griffith $500 for her to do From a Distance and she obliged. A little while later some guy in the crowd who had been partying or whatever shouted that he had $500 for Nancy Carpenter? to sing Illegal Smile. The place went silent with most people trying to figure out what the guy meant. Cockburn said something about how we in the crowd were making up songs to confuse them. But John obviously heard the Illegal Smile part and sure enough, he played it on his last turn. Not sure if got the $500 or not but he had us all roaring when he offered it up for $499.95. Guess you had to be there. I can only hope that I get a chance to see John do his own show sometime in the future so we get a few more songs. But last night, it was quality over quantity. - FROM: Brad Peterson
I went to see John play in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada tonight as part of a Vietnam Veterans of America sponsored concert series to ban landmines (see http://vvaf.org for more info). Along with Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bruce Cockburn, Steve Earle and Nanci Griffith (and her keyboard player), John played to a sold-out crowd. The crowd was definitely John Prine friendly, and although all the artists were great, John was coaxed into singing a fourth song for an encore by a fan who donated $500 to the cause. I'd gladly have paid for a full concert, and hope John got the distinct feeling that Ottawa wants him back! Great cause, great concert. Everyone had fun! P.S. I love the website! - FROM: Steve Battig
Artists Against Land Mines Tour, Ottawa Performance After 20 years of listening to John Prine I finally saw him live. It was beautiful. The show featured John, Emmy Lou Harris, Bruce Cockburn, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Steve Earle, and Nanci Griffith. They each took turns performing their songs. John opened with Big Ol Goofy Word. Next turn he played Sam Stone. Most of the time artist improvised accompaniment and back up vocals or just sat back and enjoyed the others performance. When John started into Paradise they all sat up and either sang or played along. It was truly a rare treat to see John in Canada. With each of Johns songs the theatre warmed with the murmur of fans singing along. I was lucky to get tickets because I didn't call untill six hours after the box office opened. Most fans totally missed him because the show was so quietly promoted. I only saw it here at the Shrine. John could easily headline and sell out this venue if he were inclined to come back. During the encore John performed Illegal Smile, by request and the audience sang along. I hope John noticed the large reception he got. He doesn't cross the boarder into Canada much but we sure appreciated this visit.
"YEAH LITTLE BUDDY GONNA GET YOUR CHANCE -
MAKE THE PUBESCENTS ALL WET THEIR PANTS"
