Knoxvillel TN
Knoxvillel TN |
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Date: April 16, 1999 JOHN PRINE : PRESIDENT OF TENNESSEE?? ŠJerry Briggs 1999 In an atmosphere of happy, screaming fans, John Prine tonight brought Knoxville a festival of sound. Playing old favorites such as "Dear Abby", "Donald and Lydia," "Hello In There." and newer ones such as the show-ending "Lake Marie," John found the audience singing right along with him. His music is known to these Tennesseans: they revere it. Smiling more frequently than is normal for John, he drew frequent applause just for grinning. His music sounded the same. John sings in different keys now....and his audience follows! "Hay shore sangs g-o-o-o-d!" was heard in the audience. This and other appreciative comments came from a row where strange sweet smells eminated from time to time, along with whined, "Pass it down here... pass that down here...!" On occasion the audience could heard the clink of a bottle landing on the concrete floor below the comfortable seats. John once again was welcomed like a "hometown boy" to this cheering audience. He can do no wrong in Knoxville, and the encore tonight was forced by the insistent, sustained applause. Knoxville is a spawning place, a springboard, to good, real, country music. These folks know what they need, what they want, and what they are getting. John is accepted in an area that knows the likes of The Carter Family, Don Gibson, Chet Atkins, Flatt and Scruggs, Tennessee Ernie, and a million others. Tonight, they would have all been forced to open for the show John presented, and with their abilities, would have known that it was right that they do so. John's good humor was evident throughout the show. He could feel things going right with this event, and his audience was reacting the way he has come to understand. Perhaps the theater policy of allowing beer in the auditorium contributes to this. At any rate, the audience was loose, wet, and frantic. Their appreciation was most evident. John's inclusion tonight of "One Red Rose" was nice. This is a pretty song that was rarely done in recent tours. Once again, AP Carter's old "Bear Creek Blues" was done to rousing applause from the audience. This song has been updated by John to a real rocker. It will be a regular part of his show now, probably appearing in half his shows. Folks planning on attending future shows need to be prepared for the "Moses" story John tells about his old guitar that has his name inlaid on the frets. Unfortunately, tonight's story was missed by many as the over-indulging patrons made too much noise, not knowing that his low speaking voice was actually telling another John-story....stories that have proven to be worth the price of admission all by themselves! John stopped frequently to relate bits of stories to go with his music. Tonight we learned that his character in his new movie is named Alvin C. Montgomery, and "he just sits around the house reading Zane Gray westerns and drinking beer....!" (Billy Bob, in an interview, has described John's character as 'A Zen Hillbilly!..') John's ability to arouse, amuse, and entertain an audience was never more evident than in this concert. Never have I seen so many of his songs treated as sing-alongs...and it was often hushed singing...listening singing...singing that was appreciative of John's phrases and choruses. It was nice, and the crowd was John's. Men were yelling out, "I love you, John...!" The old theater, built in 1928 by Paramount Pictures, rang with sounds never expected when talkies were just being introduced. John added his music to the plaster's memories, and the building, quite tired from the years, probably rested the remainder of the night with a smile that wouldn't stop. SET LIST, KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE 1. BLOW UP YOUR TV (SPANISH PIPEDREAM) band leaves John alone 9. DEAR ABBY band returned to finish 'Sam Stone' 16. BEAR CREEK BLUES encore.... 20. HELLO IN THERE
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