John Prine with Pat McLaughlin
Sept 5, 2003
The Virginia Theatre
Champaign, IL

by Reeda Buresh, webmistress of the John Prine Shrine http://www.jpshrine.org

encore
John calls for Pat McLaughlin to come back to the stage to do a number they wrote together: Daddy's Li'l Pumpkin taking turns with verses. Ol' Johnny just radiates that he's having fun up there with Pat, John is shaking a leg and Pat is doing that ubangi stomp... you can tell they love to play together.

The last freshly tuned guitar is served as John strums, it ain't sounding so fresh. He makes sour face looks at the others on stage and  removes it from his shoulders." it's out of tune. burn it. just kidding, they flame real high".. 

He's handed another guitar, slips it on, and strums it, smiles.. "It's a Martin"  and off into the Paradise sunset we ride with everyone singing, clapping, cheering and wishing that it wasn't over.

Through rain or snow or blown out throat
Prine will always deliver the note

There were 30 or so people after the show collecting their Farmer City radio station The Whip and Champaign's BBQ joint Li'l Porgy's winnings of meet and greets with John. Jessica and I moved to a corner and watched. 

We struck up conversations with Dave, Jason and Pat. Pat remembered me making fun if his wrinkled shirt in Cedar Rapids .. a true sign of a man with small children who has to pack for himself. He signed my "Unglued" CD of his. I love it. We talked about Iowa, little kids, the shrine, and road kill.  I gave him a bumper sticker, he seemed genuinely pleased and promised to stick it somewhere. Jason said he was going to put his on his guitar case. I never thought they would care... but they are Prine fans too, and they really know the guy. Dave, I forget if I gave you one... didn't mean to leave you out, I'll send you one if you want... I was too busy admiring your groovy tie (she grins, knowing he may be a babe magnet, but he really is a nice guy)

I asked Dave to clarify something John said that totally threw me during the show. "I've had cancer twice" is what I thought I heard. Dave agrees "Wow, I know, I thought that's what I heard too.he said he had to replayed it in his head and clarified that what was said was "I've only had to cancel twice" - thank goodness, that is a relief. I repeated the message that the Jessica's husband Mark asked to be passed on. "Tell John that his boys look like Wise Guys in those sharkskin suits" (my mind wanders. now that's fun 'John Prine and the DQ Wise Guys' - they like to hang around in Dilly Bars). Jessica is nervous, she has spent the day trying to make herself not appear stupid when she gets the nerve to talk to John. She watches as others step up to have things signed and make conversation.

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