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PRINE, PMS*RED & PEORIA
John Prine and the ramblings from his webmistress

Prine show diary:


#51prine arrow11/14/2019 - Punta Cana, DR
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50prine arrow
11/13/2019 - Punta Cana, DR
#49prine arrow
11/12/2019 - Punta Cana, DR
#48prine arrow
11/11/2019 - Punta Cana, DR

#47prine arrow
09/11/2019 - Morrison, CO

#46prine arrow04/28/2018- Champaign, IL

#45prine arrow
11/11/2016 - Davenport, IA

#44prine arrow03/12/2016 Nashville, TN

#43prine arrow03/11/2016 Nashville, TN

#42prine arrow11/01/2014 Milwaukee, WI

#41prine arrow09/14/2013 Cedar Rapids, IA

#40prine arrow12/18/2012 Nashville, TN

#39prine arrow04/13/2012 Champaign, IL

#38
06/17/2011 Davenport, IA

#37 09/17/2010 Madison, WI

#36John Prine Chat House 05/13/2010 Maywood, IL

#35John Prine Chat House
09/12/09 Kansas City, MO

#34John Prine Chat House02/27/09 St Louis, MO

#33
John Prine Chat House02/09/08 Whitewater, WI
 
#32John Prine Chat House03/10/07 Davenport, IA
 
#31John Prine Chat House08/26/06 Des Moines, IA
  
#30John Prine Chat House05/10/06 Madison WI
  
#29John Prine Chat House05/08/06 Wausau WI
 
#28John Prine Chat House01/28/06 St Louis, MO
 
#27John Prine Chat House10/01/05 Nashville, TN
  
#26, 25John Prine concert in GA and AL04/14-16/05 Atlanta, GA & Birmingham, AL
  
#24John Prine Chat House10/06/04 Des Moines, IA
 
#23John Prine Chat House04/23/04 Des Moines, IA
 
#22, 21John Prine Chat House03/26-27/04 Madison & Milwaukee WI
 
#20John Prine Chat House09/05/03 Champaign, IL
 
#19John Prine Chat House04/19/03 Cedar Rapids, IA
 
#18John Prine Chat House04/18/03 Peoria, IL
  
#17John Prine Chat House09/13/02  Kalamazoo, MI
  
#16John Prine Chat House05/19/02 Green Bay, WI
 
#15John Prine Chat House05/18/02 Rockford, IL
 
#14John Prine Chat House09/28/01 Lincoln NE
 
#11, 12, 13John Prine Chat House4/4--7/01 Oshkosh, Milwaukee & Madison WI
  
#10John Prine Chat House09/29/00 Ames IA
 
# 9John Prine Chat House02/26/00  Maywood, IL
 
# 8John Prine Chat House11/20/99  Chicago, IL
 
# 7John Prine Chat House11/13/99  Nashville, TN
 
# 6, 5, 4John Prine Chat House06/07-10/99 Crushfest  Madison, LaCrosse & Milwaukee, WI
 
# 3John Prine Chat House08/16/97 Wogstock  Indianapolis, IN
 
# 2John Prine Chat House03/22/97 Peoria, IL
 
# 1John Prine Chat House1995 My Prine Story & start of the Prine Shrine
 

 

~ ~

 

my long winded story....    

  I was a madwoman the morning of March 22 trying to get all my John Prine goodies together. I had just spent the past week printing out the "Shrine". . . (and crashing the computer with my lovely Netscape editor) the amount of paper that pumped out of that web page was overwhelming. I sincerely thought that if I could get it to John Prine, he would appreciate all the notes and letters from his fans. That it may inspire him to someday get his grand old self online too. With my Lost Dogs T-shirt, the Shrine, Kathy47's Rolling Stones scarf, Mungo's vintage pics and of course -Terry (that's the Mr.) we were off to Peoria. The ride was spent scribbling little notes here and there throughout the Shrine's pages, I thought I needed to explain why some things were colored (the links), who some of the people were that had messages in and I just needed to keep busy while I plotted a plan to get the Shrine to the Wise Wordsters hands.

 

John Prine Live On Tour early tee shirtWe arrived in Peoria at the downtown Holiday Inn, where we were to meet WOG ... my chat room Prine-guru. He was not there ... I figured that maybe something (more important? Hah what could be more important than a Prine concert?) came up with his work or ...or maybe he thought I was one of those internet weirdos you read about in Dear Abby and decided it would be safer to see us at the concert. So hubby and I went back to our hotel, cleaned ourselves up and decided to bum around downtown Peoria, find the Madison Theater and enjoy our childlessness. We found a street corner behind the Madison Theater and parked. Terry noticed a man getting out of a sort of red T-bird at the adjacent corner and mentioned that didn't WOG drive a red t-bird? What the hell, "Hey Jerry"... I yell ,causing the silver haired guy to spin around and start toward us ... I (still not sure it is he or just some other weirdo) holler across the four lanes ... "Do you own a computer?"  The silver haired guy looks kind of dumbfounded and shakes his head with a chuckle ... "Hmmm," (thinks I, what did that mean?) still I am curious :"What's your online name?" The silver haired stranger (and getting stranger still) is now playing with my one brain cell and we are about three feet apart ..."Ah PMS ... of course it's me." ... and the adrenaline began to percolate in me...

 

Now, I don't know how often people have met in real life the people that they have been talking with on the computer for months but it was a first for me. It was like knowing someone for a long time ... but not really ... it felt comfortable in an anxiousWog, webmister, cop, cap, and carpenter sort of way. WOG walked us into the Madison theater and they promptly told us we couldn't come in ... I tried to be a name dropper (knowing in reality how very uncool that is) and well have you heard the story about the lead balloon?

 

I should mention that the bars, restaurants, street corners and hotels are all brimming with parents and their basketball playing kids. This is also the weekend that Illinois is holding their Basketball championships just a block away. The downtown area is alive. We wandered into a bar called SOP (same old place) and it was packed with regulars and Sports fans, except for a 6-top (oops that's restaurant talk for a table for 6) where 3 handsome 40-ish aged men were seated at the far end ... "Do you mind?  "as we started to seat ourselves... they didn't mind.  Guess what ... these guys were avid Prine fans too ... going to the concert no less. One was a cop, one was in a cap (trying to retire) and the other was a carpenter. Just in case they see this ... (Glenn or was it Mike ... you know where I am ... I'm waiting for that Peoria Starr....) 2 of them (Lenny and Mike) were going to be related by marriage to twin psychologist sisters) ... but I guess that that is getting off on a tangent to my story. My adrenaline meter is hitting the "better tie her down" zone as I whipped out the "Shrine" (and my glasses) and the Cap began to read (looked just darling in my glasses too) ... he was fascinated with what all you fans have written ... I was getting inspired.... We all conversed ... took pictures, drank a few beers and Pepsi's ... ate ...and shared forks (don't tell mama).

 

Wog was sitting at the end of the table in his red "Alpo" hat ... we figured that was because being such a loyal Prinester that it was to help him find "Lost Dogs."

 

John Prine and Jason WilberWog having scoped out the neighborhood earlier in the day, led us into another bar on the next corner and showed me a stack of flyers for the concert (that's what's at the top of the page ... ain't the Mr. talented?).... told me to pick up a few ... so I did ... he looked at me like I didn't understand.... he meant a few hundred.... I picked up about 50 more. He proceeded to show us the Madison theater notice on the door ... and he pulled it off the door for a better view, then forgot to put it back. The man was on a mission also ... He was going to make darned sure that I went home with a bag full of memorabilia and a head full of memories.

 

I giggled at this all ... the adrenaline is about to just come gushing out of my eyeballs as we enter the doorway to the Madison. Inside there is the Cop, the Carpenter and the Cap ... feeling pretty darn good by now and we're all acting like friends forever. Terry ushered me over to the T-shirts and we picked up the "Live on Tour/Oh Boy" in Prine black. Again, I try to drop a few names and again am dazed at with potato eyes.

 

The usher showed us our seats. What a let down, Terry is mumbling something nasty about Ticketmaster. The venue was small and cozy but our seats were about 5 away from the back wall and the sound technicians, I wasn't going to sit that far back. I was a woman on a Mission!!  I went back to the ticket counter and tried to exchange our tickets for the great seats in the front, in the folding chairs (where the mosh pit was the previous night).  Nope ... not even if I palmed them an extra $20.  Harumph. So we did the next best thing. Hubby and I went down and sat next David Jacques and RB Morris to WOG who was in the 10th row from Prine himself. (Wog, who seems to know the poop on everything said not too worry ... there would be seats up front ... just act like I belonged in one of them) We got bumped to the 9th row and then scooted over and nobody else claimed the seats. The lights dimmed ... and I wondered if maybe I should have purchased some Depends....

 

RB Morris came on, quiet like, and started singing and strumming his guitar. I truly loved his voice. He can do that little yodel thing with his voice. He sings great and seemed a little bit relaxed with the crowd. The Peoria crowd was awesome. They were all a bunch of real nice people and gave RB a chance. No rudeness, no yelling to get off the stage. They listened and enjoyed this new man opening for the great Prine. I think I am going to place and order with Oh Boy for the guy's cd.... if he has a cd ... he seemed to enjoy us too and by the time he was to his last few songs he seemed to be having fun with the whole thing. You gotta admit ... opening for John Prine, has got to be pretty hard ... especially with an impatient crowd.

 

Alrighty then, if you have read this far then you have made it to the really good part. John came out on stage in all his blackness. ..grinning from ear to ear and looking ready for a good time. After the screaming and cheering subsided we could hear him breaking into Spanish Pipedream ... (well, I think it was Spanish Pipedream) ... Okay this is where you'll have to read what Jerry Briggs has to say cause he and his mag light took notes on songs and their order and all that. I couldn't sit I was suffering from a severe adrenaline overload.  I found a spot to stand closer to the stage ... and a much better view in between a guy who was playing a harmonica ... and a guy who was singing the bassest bass I had ever heard.  I could see John just having a grand old time. He's up there looking like he's tickled to death at the crowd ... from my spot Explaining the contents of the Prine Shrine to the Prine man you could hear the crowd singing along with every tune ... I mean loudly ... John noticed this too ... there was no getting away from it. He seemed to be proud and kind of awed at it all. He also seemed to be reassuring his two back ups ... they kind of reminded me of Prine Bookends ... David Jacques and Jason Wilbur both with long ponytails, young, and dressed in dark suits. The interaction, to me, between those three was sort of like The patient master and his two students ... it was kind of fatherly. I don't know, I was watching the eye contact ... it was ...well to not sound too god-awfully corny ... it was heartwarming.

 

They went through the paces ... sang their songs ... I gave a standing ovation for every tune as did many others. and He came back for 3 encores ... I didn't want him to leave ... I kept shouting "Play 'em all" (cause I can't have just one) ... was really hoping he would would feed us his entire bag of chips. On the last encore RB Morris and some other guy joined in ... what screaming fun . . The lights come up, the crowd pauses, we're all thinking that maybe, just maybe, he'll come out again... after all ... bics were bicking, whistlers were still whistling ... and dammit we'd been good.  (sniff) As always ... all good things must come to an end.

 

Nay ... this is where I think it gets even better. Terry, Wog, and I wait ... John Prine and his Prine Shrine bookwe nudge toward the stage acting like we belong there (as do a hundred or so others) I look for a man that has been told to me holds my name to see John backstage.  I find the guy ... I drop a few names and ask when will I get to go backstage to see John. Again, I get this mashed potato look ... he snorts ... (I check to see if my zipper is down) ... he kind of shakes and points behind the curtain and replies "there isn't any backstage"... There wasn't, just a door that led to the parking lot. Hah! that doesn't stop a woman on a mission and her two cohorts. We just hung, and hung, and hung around. Someone said John was out back eating ...(I secretly knew that it was meatloaf) even if everyone else thought it was ribs.

FINALLY ... he appears from behind the curtain and places himself under a dimly lit exit sign at the official autograph signing table. Somehow we have found ourselves at the back of the line, where I wanted to be ... as it was not like Disneyland where being in the front of the line and hurrying is the  best way to be.  I was going to take up his time ... I was going to do it ... (sheez, what if the meal he just had made him sick right as I approach the table?)  A few of the fans run out and get their guitars and break into a song ... one of them is my bass voice that stood behind me during the concert. It was better than the best roller coaster ride ... all these people hovering over John trying to get a glimpse, a piece of him and singing to him. The cameras were flashing, one by one each Prinester would leave with a smile, a token ... and a memory.  The line is moving ... I can see him ... THEN ... AAAUUUUGGHHHHH it's my turn ... WOG and Terry step back into Kodak memory taking position and I quiver.John Prine and wondering who this woman is .... "ooh it's my turn now" I really don't know if he responded, I just kind of looked at his face and remember how kind and wise I thought it looked. He oozed of one that had a very old soul. I placed his Shrine before him and taking his hand in mine said, "I really haven't come for anything from you ... but I do have something for you." he looked rather pleased and kind of surprised. Then (I really wish I had a Depends) I went rambling on pointing out the different sections of the Shrine, explaining the Chat room, Message Board, Letters, Poems, and Pictures.  I told of Lars in Norway and Marc Marnie in the UK, of the friends I made that were some of his greatest fans .  . . I rambled a little about Bear, MA, Jimmy, Kathy47, GQ, mannie (aka Space Monkey) and Mungo. I flipped pages, I talked fast, I marveled at his cute little size 8 looking feet in shiny black cowboy boots (they looked new and maybe a tad bit uncomfortable). He nodded, he smiled, he seemed to hang on my words ... he seemed genuinely appreciative.  That's when I realized that the few still waiting to see him were looking a bit impatient and I knew that John had a tour to finish.... I ended with  "enough about you, let's talk about me ... and I proceeded to show him my John Prine learning of the Shrine "Life in the Big Couch" and the little bit that said who I was. I added my meatloaf from Hell recipe and promised to make it for him with real mashed potatoes if he ever showed up in Davenport again. He seemed to think that maybe he would pass through at the end of his tour ... hmmmm...maybe for a concert, or does the man really have such a meatloaf hankering that he would stop by my house for a little of my hell? Then I broke down and whipped out my liner of his self-titled CD ...  the one with him on the haystack and he signed it for me ...  "To Reeda, Thanks for everything, John Prine" ... At this point my adrenaline is just dripping all over the table spilling in great gobs to the floor ... "I just gotta kiss you"  I whisper, and he leans in and lets me. He had such a soft as a baby's butt cheek ... no, I didn't kiss his butt cheek, his left facial cheek was as soft as a baby's butt and he smelled so sweet. Did WOG and Terry get that  pic? ... No ...  they were standing back watching and discussing whether or not they were going to have to pry me off this guy..... That's when John had this little smirk on his face and asked me to settle an argument between him and Jason. He called Jason over to the table and quizzes .."What four cities make up the Quad Cities?" ...and I answer Davenport, Rock Island, Moline and East Moline" John and Jason exchange grins and John had obviously won an argument the two had had on the subject earlier. I sort of step back to let others have their turn ... but not back far enough to exit his aura that is sort of glowing all around him.

 

meeting John Prine and showing him print outs from his Prine shrineThis story is really dragging on isn't it?

WOG gets up and talks with John about stuff ... they sounded like old friends. It was obvious to me that John had recognized WOG. When John first arrived to come out and sign autographs, he gave WOG this knowing glance and said "How ya' doin'?"  They chatted about things that I couldn't hear, as I was in such a stupor and starting to come back down to Earth. It was almost over, and I didn't wanna go. WOG finished with John and went over to R B Morris, Jason, and David and started discussing playlists, and music ... the Wise Old Geezer had these young guys interested ... meanwhile everyone else is gone,  John is standing and ready to go ... he takes the "Shrine" and tucks it under his arm and we are asked nicely to leave.

 

Wog, Jason Wilber, R B Morris, and David Jacques after the John Prine concertJust a little bit more now ... We say good-bye to them all again ... feeling all special and gushy inside ...and leave the beautiful old Madison Theater. Terry, Wog and I aren't really sure what we want to do, so we walk around the block chirping about the concert and what had just transpired. ..as we round the alley way behind the Madison , I eye Mitch and Jason and John getting into a car. I spastically point them out ... and the fact that John has the "Shrine" still tucked under his arm!! Terry yells ... "Hey John?" John looks back and Terry continues, "You really need to get to reading on the Shrine there" ... John nods to Terry, waves, and gets into the back seat of the car. Double and Triple WOW!!

 

John Prine a bit tired after his 1997 Peoria ConcertAnd that's it. The three of us decide that we are not in a mood to go out partying anymore (are we really getting that grown-up?). The party was over ... and has created such a fantastic memory that nothing could improve on the feeling. we say our good-byes ... and roll on down the road.

 

for the rest of the evening I would replay our little conversation in my head and sort of sing at very odd or quiet moments: "I kissed John Prine", "I touched John Prine", and "I met John Prine"... .

As far as my little brain cell is concerned ... this is only the beginning ... thanks for hanging on and listening...

 

 

PMS*red aka Reeda

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