John Prine at the Uptown Theater, Kansas City, MO Feb 3, 2007
Opening: Maura O'Connell -- Band: Dave Jacques and Jason Wilber

By: Timothy Finn | The Star

Full Review at: http://backtorockville.typepad.com/back_to_rockville/2007/02/concert_review__1.html -----
   For a guy who has written so many great lyrics, John Prine is a man of few words, at least during his live shows. So be it: Less talk means more music. Saturday night, Prine and his sharp-dressed two-man band (guitarist Jason Wilber and bassist Dave Jacques) performed at the a very sold-out Uptown Theater (about 1,700 in attendance), and they filled two solid hours with two dozen of his best songs. ----- His voice may be cracked, scratched and dented by age and the throat cancer he vanquished, but Prine, 60, can still deliver his songs with whatever emotion is necessary: humor, sadness, melancholy, poignancy or joy.
   When he did chat with the crowd, he typically said something brief but funny. Before "Glory of True Love," he mentioned the song's co-writer, Roger Cook, and said: "I had my wife in mind when I wrote this and was hopin' he didn't."
   Before "In Spite of Ourselves" with Maura O'Connell, he said with some chagrin: "Nobody tell Iris," as in Iris DeMent, former KC resident, who recorded the song with Prine for the album of the same name. (O'Connell also joined him on "Long Monday" and "Takin' A Walk," cuts from his 2005 album, "Fair and Square." )
   What he said after "Your Flag Decal ..." -- Jesus don't like killin, no matter what the reason's for -- wasn't funny but it got a big cheer: "I'll sure be glad when I can put that one away." Knowing he was in Missouri, he changed the lyric in "Illegal Smile" to "the judge's name was Ashcroft," which got laughs, cheers and a few boos.
   Comedy and politics aside, mostly this show was about his music and his lyrics, which can be incomparably trenchant and poignant all at once. Prine writes in simple prose, but he conveys truths and sentiments that are as universal as they are deep and complex.
   The crowd this evening was a blend of a few generations, but most looked like they were boomers who bought "John Prine" when it was first released nearly 36 years ago. During "Illegal Smile," when he sang the line "And all my friends turned out to be insurance salesmen," it prompted laughs and cheers of recognition and resignation. -----
   That was one of the night's better moments. -----
   Others: "Souvenirs," "Hello in There" and "Sam Stone." And if I hear it 1,000 more times before I die, I'll still never get tired of hearing him sing "Angel From Montgomery." He flubbed the lyrics to "Big Old Goofy World" but made up for that with a flawless rendition of "Paradise." He could have gone on for another two hours; he has enough material. And if he had, I'm guessing most of this big, appreciative crowd would have chosen to stay instead of leaving for the big cold world outside. ----- Setlist: Spanish Pipe Dream / Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore / Six O'Clock News / Storm Windows / Souvenirs / Grandpa Was A Carpenter / Fish and Whistle / Glory of True Love / Long Monday / Takin' A Walk / Angel From Montgomery / You Got Gold / Donald and Lydia / Dear Abby / Illegal Smile / Sam Stone / Bear Creek Blues / She Is My Everything / Ain't Hurtin' Nobody / Hello in There / Lake Marie. Encores: Big Old Goofy World / In Spite of Ourselves / Paradise.

By: Gloria Feinstein

Few can compare to the great John Prine - brilliant singer, songwriter and even at age 61, still quite the rockabilly rocker. Eddie and I were eating out of the palm of Prine's hand last night, as we do at everyone of his concerts. He treated the sold out crowd at the Uptown Theatre to over two hours of his signature work: Sam Stone, Hello in There, Grandpa Was a Carpenter, It's a Big Old Goofy World, Lake Marie, Souvenirs, Angel From Montgomery, Donald and Lydia, Illegal Smile, Taking a Walk, She is My Everything, Dear Abby, Fish and Whistle, well, the list goes on and on. His writing skills never cease to amaze me. These are poignant, sad, humorous and sober songs about the everyday loves, dreams and devastating losses of ordinary people. If you have never heard him in concert, just do it one of these days. If you're lucky, he'll bring along one of his fellow singer songwriters, usually one of the female persuasion, who joins him onstage for some of his dreamy duets. Last night, he had Maura O'Connell in tow. You'd be in for a special treat, as we were a couple of years ago, if Iris DeMent stood at his side....

Read the rest and see the great vintage photo here: http://gloriainafrica.blogspot.com/2007/02/john-prine.html

By: Cary in Lone Jack, MO

I finally got to see John Prine live on stage and oh my was it worth the wait! John opened the show with 2 of my most favorite old songs and it just got better from there. For me, the defining moment of the concert was during the start of Sam Stone when a moron from the crowd still enthused from the previous rendition of Illegal Smile shouted out "Yeah... Morphine!" The mood of the room was completely in John's hands as he masterfully had countered the pro-drug message from Illegal Smile with the somber Sam Stone. John's hold on the audience was intense and when the socially inept fan yelled his pro morphine taunt at the stage an entire section of the audience was heard quickly silencing him, with one clear female voice saying "just shut up!" John didn't miss a lick, and the mood was saved. My wife heard in the crowd after the concert that this person was so embarrassed that he left the building right after the incident. I was very pleased to be in a venue intimate enough that this kind of interaction was able to be seen and very impressed with the professionalism shown by all on stage. John Prine showed us that even at 60 years old, he could still keep us all riveted by the power of his lyrics and his incredible energy on the stage. I have to say this was one of the best shows I have ever attended. Thank you for all the songs John!

Waldo Oiseau
Full Blog entry here
  <snip> I received a call that I had won two tickets to see John Prine at The Uptown. So, I didn't really know much about John Prine, but I was going to find out.

  The Uptown had a sold out crowd, which was mainly comprised of "regular folks" who had likely been listening to Prine since their own youth of late 60s, early 70s long hair and mustaches. Prine seems to be a cross between folk and country, and many of his lyrics have been covered by other country musicians such as Bonnie Raitt and Johnny Cash.

  While some of the music wasn't really my style, I did thoroughly enjoy many of his lyrics. He sings about regular events in the day-to-day lives of all of us--growing older, falling in love, being lonesome, being happy. In many ways, John Prine is a poet in his own right.

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