Birmingham, AL

OBSERVATIONS AT CITY STAGES,
BIRMINGHAM, JUNE 15, 1997
Jerry Briggs-- (WOG)

Reluctantly putting the gaudy red corduroy ALPO cap on my head, I entered City Stage with the idea to look around and get myself oriented, then to find the Blockbuster Cafe and see if the Professor made it (I had just met Mari(ann)) at Wolf Trap, and I was also hoping that Gilligan...I mean nutt, was also able to make it.

I heard music everywhere I walked. As I'd pass a certain point, the music would be very quiet, then suddenly I'd find myself in the point of fire of the next stage. The sun was shining, and it was a beautiful day. I felt great.

After maybe 45 minutes, I came wandering upon the Blockbuster Stage, a very tall, very new-looking aluminum structure. As I walked along, I noticed people everywhere, just scattered, just listening. I glanced over toward a "potted" tree embedded in the sidewalk, and saw a bearded, straw-hatted-tobasco-shirted-Prine-looking man, and as I caught his eye, he just nodded. I had found Briny! Brian (real name) and I made quick work of introductions and started talking about just about everything.

Remembering his promise to buy me lunch, and realizing I had driven 1600 miles already for that free meal, Briny suggested we wander around and look for some food....we did, with Brian pointing out to me various points of interest. He had been here since the start, and as we walked he described really interesting shows he had already seen.

We ended up eating lunch right by the tree he had been under, in a restaurant that has seen better days. The $6 burgers were good, however, and filling. We loaded his camera equipment up and put it in my car, which was in the building right beside the stage, but which required walking about three blocks to get to via security.

We saw a bit of several shows...including a fascinating example of good-timey zydeco from Boozoo Chavis and his Majic Sounds Band. The street in front of his stage was almost shaking with the dancing from the observers. I wanted to buy some of the souvenirs, but realized that green pantyhose with Boozoo's name on them and the inscription, "Let me play with your poodle," probably would cause unnecessary speculation on the chat page should Brian mention the purchase, so I tore myself away.

We attended church, did Brian and I, and heard a White Methodist choir sing some gospel...it was air conditioned, and we stayed until their set was over. Black gospel, which is much more appealing to me, was due in about 40 minutes. Turns out we never made it, though, because there were other places to go, other places to see.

Mostly we hung around the Blockbuster, as that was the type music we seemed to prefer. We heard Laurie Lewis, a bluegrass-perky-as-hell lady with a couple fellows accompanying her. She was pleasant and I was glad that I saw her, having missed her show in California over Memorial Day at Strawberry.

David Olney (look him up on your browser) had an interesting voice and did lots of ballads. His style on the guitar indicated that he is used to putting on one-man-shows frequently, and he had a good, full sound. He's no Prine...but neither's Guy Clark, and Guy's terrific! The show was interesting.

The most amusing and best-produced show of the day were the Austin Lounge Lizards. They have an ACT, and it is well-rehearsed and very funny. They make a lot of appearances around, and are a novelty act with talent. If you get a chance, I do recommend them. Their ascerbic wit and and outright laughable lyrics keep the audience right on the edge.

John Prine. The show. This was not a happy day for John and crew! Flying in from what John reported to be a "terrific" show at the Irish Fleadh Festival the night before on Long Island, they got to the City Stages Blockbuster Stage a little after 6:00. Chris Smither was on stage most of the time as they worked to get things ready for their show. It's kind of like a ball game, where you always have "one in the hole" to go out as soon as the next batter retires or moves on to base.

This show is different. Four musicians doesn't mean four guitars, plug 'em in, GO! John himself uses a couple guitars, and Jason has one for every shirt he's ever owned. David was without brass, but had several instruments that had to be tuned, positioned, sounded out, etc. Phil, traveling light himself with only a mis-matched suit and his ever-present fedora, doesn't make it that easy when it comes to his equipment. He plays anything with strings or keys, and likes to keep plenty of them around.

Anyway. About ten minutes was set up between changing sides in this ballgame, all day and all three days, so it was no different for John's group. The problem was, this show was the finale, the end, the one to leave 'em smilin' on their way home. Ten minutes wouldn't have been enough set-up time if John was just going to come out solo and whistle.

The equipment was placed, with even Mitch feeling the pressure of getting the show on in time. Eric kept a cool head, directing the sound men, increasing, lowering, sound levels. Placement of the extra equipment and then checking to see if it was audible was important. It was like a relay race wearing lead boots. Impossible, but necessary.

The show got off at 9:43, scheduled for 9:15. This put an immediate mental cramp in John's style. When, upon starting out, he realized the sound was not just what he needed, it was too late to stop and begin again. They proceeded on. The audience loved him. They were entirely unaware of what the fellows were going through, and the show went on.

As I have mentioned many times, John needs the feedback from the fans to get that instant feel on how he's doing with them, and what he should go with next. The set list is there, but he feels free to waver, add, try new things. Tonight he felt frustrated and didn't know what the crowd really was feeling.

The problem with an outside show is that the speakers by the performers are blaring loudly, and invariably cover up the individual screams and yells of encouragement found in theaters. John just had to assume things. Looking out, the street light illuminated the crowd and the ones in the center often had the look of persons napping...they were seated, clapped politely, and behaved. The distractions around the stage were a different thing. While John was playing, hands shot up, hoping he'd stop the song and shake their hands...and CD's were held up for signatures, I guess! The people all loved him, don't mistake what I say here. It is just that the timing of the whole evening was off just one beat or one half a beat...it just didn't synchronize, couldn't, and never did. John was fully aware of it, but the pressure of the evening was wearing thin. The band appeared oblivious to all the problems, and together they all put on their normal volatile show. No one complained, all enjoyed, and only John and company knew that it had been less than a fun time....

Briny, seeing John for the first time ever, was amazed, excited, and thoroughly satisfied. He had carefully wrapped up his first-place prize, the "Bruised Orange" LP, and before the night was over, he told John what he was going to do with it, and John signed it, "Thanks...All The Best...John Prine." This will make a fine gift for the trivia winner. Briny, who has been busy purchasing Prine CD's to get all caught up, brought about 10 booklets with the liner notes and lyrics, planning on asking John to sign one of them. He laid them down, and while he and John talked, they all received signatures!

We met Billy Prine. Billy is the "baby" in the family and stands probably 6'3"! He works at OH BOY and I had planned on stopping Monday to get a picture of him for PMS and the JPCR people. They are curious about everything to do with the Prine empire!

We got pictures of Billy, of Briny and Billy, and of Briny and the Prines...and through the evening's show briny took at least 2-rolls of 35mm shots of John in action! It was a fun night for both of us, and I was delighted that the Professor got his dream this warm evening.

Before Briny met John, we got a chance to talk with Jason and Phil backstage. Phil was commenting about the chat page, and about things in general. He didn't outright admit being a lurker, but said, "Uh...I've looked around..uh...I've seen some stuff..." Pushing him relentlessly, we got him talking a bit more. I include this mostly because it is a real compliment to the Davenport Diva, PMS!

Phil remarked that he was not impressed with the OH BOY page. Just does what it is supposed to...nothing special... Said the "Official Prine Page" is only 'so-so'. But then he smiled when talking about the shrine. "Now...THAT'S COOL!" he said. He thought it was the most authentic, and enjoys it, he said. I invited him, again, to join the chat room conversations. "That's Mondays, right?" he asked innocently. I think we'll one day be finding him coming by. Phil has been around computers a bit, I believe. He lists two addresses on his new cassette, which I hope to review shortly on these pages. It's a step in another direction from a most versatile musician and I am anxious to put down what I enjoy about this new album. I am not aware if it is commercially available yet...that's a question you guys who are interested can ask him, should he ever get on!  

JOHN PRINE PACKS THE STREETS
WITH CITY STAGES FINAL SHOW

It was an overheated crowd that gathered to watch John Prine and his band at Sunday evening's Blockbuster Cafe Stage.

The day had been in the 90's, and the occasional gusts of air that came down the street was a welcome relief to patrons, some of whom had spent three days watching and listening to music.

A four-lane street was closed up and an elevated stage set up across it. Fans brought lawn chairs, sat on curbs, stood on sidewalks, and totally covered the yew-covered grounds. The crowd was 90 feet wide but spread clear down the block.

The sound system had 14 large speakers on each side of the stage, and John was very audible to all within a couple blocks.

Starting late by nearly a half hour, the crowd waited patiently, constantly changing position and vying for better spots to see the show.

The anticipation in the audience was high; this crowd was quite familiar with John, even though he had not been to City Stages before. They knew him from other area appearances, and all spoke highly of him. The show did not let them down, and the sidelines and front by the stage was full of screams from excited fans throughout the show.

John opened up with his standard "Blow Up Your TV," and the crowd loved it. Opening notes of "6 O'Clock News" were greeted with cheers as soon as John sang, "Wanda Had A Baby....!"

"Picture Show" was rewarded with cheers, and "You've Got Gold" was just as popular with this crowd as it is everywhere John performs it. The line, "...I've got some gold inside me, too....," never fails to arouse the emotion of the fans, and gets cheers.

Phil was in remarkable form this hot evening, back to his theatrics and playing once again with his foot on "Daddy's Little Pumpkin." Jason seemed wrapped up in the music, and poor David, shuffled to the back of the tight stage, did his thing in relative anonymity. John got frequent cheers for his stage movements, especially during hard strumming portions of his songs. This crowd enjoyed them all.

Sound problems were more bothersome to the crew than to the audience. Mitchell on several occasions was caused to crawl on his hands and knees out to help reinstall a faulty plug ...and Eric was in constant motion trying to get every instrument back to where it should be, all during the show performance! The crowd didn't mind this at all...City Stages throughout is more informal than most settings, and the crowd is used to crew standing in full view, working, and I don't believe anyone thought too much of this.

This was Father's Day. John performed a song that I have heard from him only once before. It is powerful. It is loaded with emotion. It was written by Steve Goodman following his father's death. "MY OLD MAN" is a classic, and John performed it flawlessly. Perhaps the inclusion of this in more shows would be worthwhile, especially on inside venues, where the sound is held closer and the lyric quality of John's songs can be more fully appreciated. "Mexican Home," John's own song, would also have been appropriate on this day. His slow version of more recent years is another that helps describes aman's love for his father.

John did his "must-do" songs..."Illegal Smile," "Sam Stone," "Hello In There," "Angel," and wound up with "Paradise." This was the shortest Prine show I have ever seen, outside of "Austin City Limits"! The quality, however, was there, even if the quantity was not.

Of great surprise to me was John's call for his brother Billy after he began the final number, "Paradise." This was a surprise to Billy, also, because Eric had to go drag him out of the back trailer provided for the band and get him up to the platform. The song is long, and Billy made it, strapped on a guitar, and shared a microphone with Jason. An estimated crowd of 4500 cheered when the show ended after this song, expecting an encore. They hung around, and finally an announcement was made on the PA---"Trisha Yearwood's show is still on...GO WATCH IT!"

SET LIST

1. BLOW UP YOUR TV
2. 6 O'CLOCK NEWS
3. FISH AND WHISTLE
4. PICTURE SHOW
5. YOU'VE GOT GOLD
6. ALL THE BEST
7. AIN'T HURTIN' NOBODY
8. ANGEL FROM MONTGOMERY

--John performs solo--

9. DEAR ABBY
10. THAT'S THE WAY THAT THE WORLD GOES 'ROUND
11. MY OLD MAN
12. GRANDPA WAS A CARPENTER
13. SOUVENIRS
14. SAM STONE

--band returns--

15. PRETTY GOOD
16. LAKE MARIE
17. HELLO IN THERE
18. DADDY'S LITTLE PUMPKIN
19. ILLEGAL SMILE
20. PARADISE
 

SHOW LENGTH: 1 HOUR, 24 MINUTES

CITY STAGES: A WELL-EXECUTED COMMUNITY EFFORT

I arrived in the downtown area of Birmingham a little past noon on what had to be one of the hottest days of this year so far. The temperature was in the high eighties, but the lack of wind made it feel even warmer under the bright sun.

City Stages amounts to a huge cooperative effort with both the city and the businesses involved each year for this event. A chain link fence is in effect placed around the perimeter of several city blocks, with the few openings commandeered by ticket takers and security people.

Temporary stages are situated outside, several blocks from each other, facing different directions. A single ticket provides entrance to any show that is playing at the moment at any of the sixteen locations. Music screams from all directions as you walk the streets. The aroma of unusual foods wafts throughout the streets. Pitas, chicken, chinese food, endless spiral thin-cut potato chips, burgers, pizza....it is all there, and the fresh-cooked smell, often laden with just-cooked onion, gives a festive feel to the whole experience.

Beer $4.00 a can? Pretty slow sales? Nay! Empty cans everywhere indicate both the heat, the popularity of such drinks, and a need in the future for more trash collection receptacles. Porta-potties conveniently located throughout the many, many blocks of this area...but word is on the street that there's little, no, or wet, tissue in them....yuck...

People everywhere, both employees vending their foodstuffs, and the customers wandering the streets, all were in a mellow, friendly mood on Sunday when I attended. Lots of hot people, but no filth that you'd associate with such an event. Single day tickets were $18, and those who planned ahead could purchase all three days' worth for $25. I found a fellow not using his Sunday, and bought it before I got to the gate, for $10....think about it...how much would you pay for a John Prine ticket, all by itself? This included all kinds of entertainment until his show!

Programs for the events, day-by-day and stage-by-stage, were freely available. Radio and TV stations were in ample supply, passing out their hand-fans, which did little real good toward helping the heat situation. The few downtown trees were usually commandeered by persons willing to park it there for a while and watch the world pass by. This is a great event for people-watchers...they come in all shapes and sizes, wearing nearly everything imagineable.

Babies from tiny on up to geezers (I saw one guy that looked almost as old as me...) were present, and there was indeed something for anyone interested in music. This was an affordable festival; smart folks ate before coming there, but, maybe half the fun is paying through the nose for some fun food that is not available in regular stores. I expect City Stages to continue for many years to come. This is a great place!