Prine show diary:
#46 04/28/2018- Champaign, IL
#45 11/11/2016 - Davenport, IA
#44 03/12/2016 Nashville, TN
#43 03/11/2016 Nashville, TN
#42 11/01/2014 Milwaukee, WI
#41 09/14/2013 Cedar Rapids, IA
#40 12/18/2012 Nashville, TN
#39 04/13/2012 Champaign, IL
#38 06/17/2011 Davenport, IA
#37
09/17/2010
Madison, WI
#36 05/13/2010 Maywood, IL
#35 09/12/09 Kansas City, MO
#34 02/27/09 St Louis, MO
#33 02/09/08 Whitewater, WI
#32 03/10/07 Davenport, IA
#31 08/26/06 Des Moines, IA
#30 05/10/06 Madison WI
#29 05/08/06 Wausau WI
#28 01/28/06 St Louis, MO
#27 10/01/05 Nashville, TN
#26, 25 04/14-16/05 Atlanta, GA & Birmingham, AL
#24 10/06/04 Des Moines, IA
#23 04/23/04 Des Moines, IA
#22, 21 03/26-27/04 Madison & Milwaukee WI
#20 09/05/03 Champaign, IL
#19 04/19/03 Cedar Rapids, IA
#18 04/18/03 Peoria, IL
#17 09/13/02 Kalamazoo, MI
#16 05/19/02 Green Bay, WI
#15 05/18/02 Rockford, IL
#14 09/28/01 Lincoln NE
#11, 12, 13 4/4--7/01 Oshkosh, Milwaukee & Madison WI
#10 09/29/00 Ames IA
# 9 02/26/00 Maywood, IL
# 8 11/20/99 Chicago, IL
# 7 11/13/99 Nashville, TN
# 6, 5, 4 06/07-10/99 Crushfest Madison, LaCrosse & Milwaukee, WI
# 3 08/16/97 Wogstock Indianapolis, IN
# 2 03/22/97 Peoria, IL
# 1 1995 My Prine Story & start of the Prine Shrine
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It was this page, this single page that started the shrine and brought us all
together...
© by Reeda Buresh - (the John Prine Shrine webmistress)
COME GATHER 'ROUND ME YOU LITTLE MONKEYS AND A STORY I'LL TELL
I
was 15 years old (oh geez, that was over 20 years ago)... I suddenly feel
old, I mean to be able to say that you have been doing anything for 20 years
is pretty incredible and wrinkle-y feeling! I was sent to live with my older
sister Ellen and her family in the Ozarks because I had gotten "caught"
with the wrong group of friends, doing the "wrong" things at the "wrong"
times...wrong wrong wrong - but that's another story.
I spent my summer painting
houses and listening to the quiet of the Missouri Ozarks, and "their"
music which consisted of John Prine, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson,
and Loudon Wainwright III. In the evenings, My brother-in-law would pick
at his 12-string and his 12-pack and we would sit around the double wide singing
good old Elvis and John Prine tunes (quite the combination). I would play
his self titled album almost non-stop. I recorded it on to an 8-track
tape (remember those?) so I could always have those 13 songs with me. For a
15 year old in the '70's this was considered square... but, being isolated in
the Ozarks, I hadn't the need to impress peers and was able to mold myself,
rather than make mold of myself. Sam Stone and Flag Decal were my favorites,
so were Hello in there, Flashback Blues, Illegal Smile, Donald and Lydia....oh
Hell, I loved every single one of 'em. They grew me up.
That album gave me a
decent addiction for the '70's. I would lock myself in the back room,
lay on the roll out and sing Sam Stone over and over and over. I related to
those songs, somehow they got me through a very lonely and confusing time in
my life.
Terry and I finally got to see his Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings concert 22 years and 12 albums later, at the Adler
Theatre here in Davenport, Iowa in 1995. I felt 15 again. Todd
Snider played first, and he really deserved more of my attention, but honestly,
I wanted him off the stage and JP to come on. During intermission I ran out
and got his "Daily Planet" cd just to be fair (I'm glad I did). Then...He
came on stage and started to sing, and I thought I was going to bombard my britches!
I was taken aback for a moment because he had all these instruments...I
thought he would be alone.
I watched and listened to him in awe, like a child
who was about to sit on Santa's lap, I was just going to burst. Nonetheless...it
was awesome. He would play a few of the oldies that drove all of us into some
kind of Vienna Boys Choir frenzied sing along, like we could carry a tune...it
didn't matter-it felt good. I knew every word to every song and I sang every
tune. . . There "He" was -bigger than life, so normal looking - and
still a legend. I was locked in for the rest of the night.
I sang, I stomped,
clapped, whistled and never stopped grinnin'. John never stopped singing, we
couldn't get enough, I think he came back for 3 encores. I don't know, by then
I was in a folk induced high. I wanna go again. I strongly suggest that
you try to hear him, he is folk, good fun folk and if you like to hear the words,
these words always seem to have some relevance or let you visualize a story,
and if you don't get it by then . . . just the wry sense of humor will keep
you listening.. .
I just can't seem to say enough about his music and how it
has always grabbed me right here in my heart and my head.
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