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WANDERING WISCONSIN: MADISON Late August in lower Wisconsin on this Saturday morning proved to be chilly: 65 degrees with the sun as I pulled into a parking lot near the Barrymore Theater on Madison's Isthmus. "JOHN PRINE SOLD OUT" was the word on the marquee outside. The 800-seat theater should prove to be a comfortable, intimate setting for an evening with the tunesmith of our times. A college area, I expect to be the oldest baby in the world tonight. Next door to the theater is the "Green Earth," a boutique-type natural-health items store that has been in business for 25 years. Featuring Mini-Pads that are "kinder to nature" was a kick to me, and I found that for around eight bucks I could get a plastic (natural??!) bottle of 100 dandelion/milk thistle tablets that would make me feel....oh....maybe fifty.....again. Posters on the shop's walls informed me that for $10 I could attend, in September, a seminar held by Susun B. Weed (yeah....really....that's correct!) on "Menopause Discussions." Gotta make a note of the date... Lynn, the owner of the shop, told me (condescendingly) that Prine tickets sold out quickly "a couple months ago." Tickets were physically held by the several outlets around town, instead of being generated by a computer. John's show is the highest priced of the lengthy list posted on the theater windows. Arlo will be there in September for $16, but is not sold out. John's are $28. Earlier in the morning, I thought I saw a few of Crusher's friends. Coming off highway 12/18, there was a line of motorcycles two abreast that had police escorts. There were an estimated 3,000 of them! They were led off the highway, down the boulevard between the lakes, downtown around a state capitol building that rivals Washington, DC's for beauty, past the Saturday Morning Farmer's market in progress, and then out to head right on back the way they had come. It was an orderly procession, and my retail instincts winced as I realized the opportunities available to anyone selling sunglasses...or leather...or flags...or do-rags....or boots...or Viking helmets....or fur seat covers..... I'd more likely be that jerk selling Lemonade and Good News Razors....and closing up shop... Harley-Davidson motorcycles are manufactured in Wisconsin, and the governor had apparently proclaimed this THE DAY TO STOP AUTO TRAFFIC because it was at a standstill as they all passed by. I have never seen this many hogs in one place....'course if John ever goes to Sturgis at just the right time.... Madison last year was declared the most desirable city in the United States in which to live, so I got a room for the night and took up semi-residency just to feel a part of the city's woodwork. Directions, always a must for me in a strange city, were again greeted with friendly instructions. A lady returning from a coin laundry got out of her car and drew me an accurate map so I could arrive at the theater's doors. Her pale blue eyes and quick smile will be remembered. BARRYMORE THEATER READIES FOR PRINEAbout 4:00PM I returned to the Barrymore just in time to give Mitchell a hand with his shirts. Carrying them into the old lobby gave me the first glimpse at this old theater. Built in 1929, it is about a five on a scale of 1 to 10....and has an odor that suggests a four might be a better rating. However, the theater section is quite nice and holds a total of 750 seats, counting the balcony. With additional seats added on folding chairs up front, the theater is expected to host 836 bottoms for the evening's festivities. A look around reveals the bass to the left of the stage and no keyboards for the show. Phil will not be in any of the shows left on this current tour. John reports he is going into rehearsals in Septemeber with "duets on cheatin' songs" with some girl singers....and Iris Dement is the first. This for the Cleveland Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Show in the fall. Sound checks, scheduled to start about 5:00 PM, are going slowly. John is present, as are Jason and David, and finally John launches into "Blow Up Your TV," "Six o'Clock News," "Picture Show," and "Fish And Whistle." Dave and Jason wander off, Jason to talk with his sister, a Madison resident who didn't make it for the Indianapolis family get-together last week. John sings, complete, "The Great Compromise." Wondering if he will do it tonight, I listen closely and realize what a great song that is. John never performs it in his regular show this year.... RB hasn't made an entrance yet, overdue for his sound check. No one has any idea of where he might be. I go to a restaurant next door, and see Eric and the band leave the front of the theater for a table over at the "Blue Plate Diner," a 50's theme place just packed this particular afternoon. The crowd for John has already begun to gather, and lawn chairs are opened. The seating is free-for-all, or "open" as they like to call it....which means....kill for the seat you want. With an eight-o'clock start time for RB, this crowd promises to be an enthusiastic one. At 6:15 I spot RB trailing across the street, having left the back of the Barrymore. He had made it and got his sound check squared away. The band's "runner" joins the diners, but Mitchell and John chose to head elsewhere. Donning the Alpo Cap, I soon find Crusher, Q-Ball, and Dennis, but never do hear yells from Brian Frain or Ethan. The line, by 7:00PM, is now stretching to the corner and around the side and clear to the back of the Barrymore. Area restaurants are booming, and Prine shirts are visible in them; the residual effect of the concert affecting everyone. People are walking down the street from all directions. Parking is limited to a few here and there, and it requires a bit of footwork. The neighborhood association that owns the theater are used to crowds, and when a concert is successful, they all share in the profits.
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