I first said goodbye to John Prine in 1998, when I learned about his cancer diagnosis and the irreversible damage suffered by his vocal cords as a result of the medical treatment that saved his life. Then, in 2013, he was diagnosed with lung cancer - how much worse could it get, I asked myself. But John Prine is a survivor, if there ever was one and, long story short, John is alive and well, still writing great music, still recording and still touring in support of what may just be his best album ever - I'm talking about his highly listenable latest release, "Tree Of Forgiveness", a piece of work that is stunningly good.
Being thoroughly impressed by the quality of his latest album, I did something I had not done in my four decades of attending concerts: I left my home state and drove to Las Vegas, Nevada, to see John Prine there. As it turned out, I was well-rewarded for my effort.
The concert took place at the Westgate Theater, located inside of what used to be the Las Vegas Hilton, located right next to the city's humongous Convention Center. Playing in front of an audience of over one thousand fans, John and his band delighted me with a heart-warming show that included many old and new songs that I knew, plus a few that I did not. In spite of being visibly affected by his long history of medical problems and in defiance of his age, John did not cut any corners, as proven by his surprisingly long set list and I'm pretty sure that no one expected him to be on the stage for one hour and fifty minutes, without a break.
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| John Prine at the Westgate Theater |
THE SET LIST
Six O'clock News
Knocking On Your Screen Door
Bruised Orange
Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore
Caravan Of Fools
Crazy Bone
The Lonesome Friends Of Science
Grandpa Was A Carpenter
Hello In There
Boundless Love
Summers End
I Have Met My Love Today
Ain't Hurtin' Nobody
Angel From Montgomery
Dear Abby
That's The Way That The World Goes Round
The Oldest Baby In The World
Sam Stone (with John Paul White)
God Only Knows
Lake Marie
ENCORE
When I Get To Heaven
Paradise (with John Paul White)
The evening was not short on highlights, but the one song that drove me absolutely nuts was "When I Get To Heaven". In sharp contrast with Leonard Cohen's cryptically dark view of his own
impending death, as expressed in his final album, John Prine's afterlife plans involve much simpler "concepts", such as cocktails, cigarettes, pretty girls, nightclubs and guitars, or as he put it, "this old man is goin' to town"!
Overall, John sounded pretty much like on his most recent studio recording. Twice during the concert, though, his voice faltered a bit, but each time he recovered.
Listening to John Prine's exceptionally versatile band was a joyous experience. Here's the band's line-up:
Jason Wilber - Lead guitar, vocals
David Jacques - Upright & electric bass, vocals
Kenneth Blevins - Drums
Fats Kaplin - Fiddle, pedal steel, mandolin, electric guitar, vocals
The were all great. Kenneth Blevins' understated drumming was pure perfection.
The evening's opening act was Grammy-winner John Paul White, of the Civil Wars fame. Bookended by two famous cover songs - Frank Ifield's "I Remember You" and ELO's "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" - John Paul's set consisted of his own compositions which were all new to me. No doubt, he has a fantastic voice, but his vocal acrobatics, particularly those on "I Remember You", did not resonate well with the folkie in me. It was a totally different story later in the evening, when John Prine brought him out again - this time, John Paul adjusted his singing style to that of the headliner and I loved every minute of what he did.
With so many songs of the highest quality, all delivered with John Prine's sense of humor and charm, this concert will be hard to forget.
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| John Prine & John Paul White at the Westgate Theater |
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| John Prine at the Westgate Theater |
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| John Paul White at the Westgate Theater |
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| John Prine's final bow |
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| The stage before the show |
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| The stage after the show |
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| The Westgate Theater |
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| The theater entrance |
