John Prine home page John Prine Music - Lyrics, Chords, Repertoire, Tabs, Song note, guitars, album reviews, Trivia and information John Prine Tour Dates, Concerts, Tickets, Venue, and Artist Links John Prine Biography information John Prine picture show - image  links and items to buy John Prine souvenirs, 35 years of posters, cds, albums, clothing and more John Prine message board, chat room, misheard lyrics, guest book, polls, Prine poetry, lots of Prine fan participation Live Music Trader forums, cd art, set Lists, boots

JOHN PRINE GEORGIA CONCERT REVIEWS 2009


Read the Current John Prine 2009 Concert News, Previews & Reviews.
 
Concert Reviews by State
USA:  
AZ | CA | CO | CT | GA | IL | LA | MO | MA | NC | NY | PA | RI | TN | VA | WI 
CAN :  
AB | BC | MB | NB | NL | NS | ON | PE
 
  More: Other Reviews in 2009 |   2008 Reviews   |  2007 Reviews  | Set Lists Archive | Past Reviews

June 6, 2009 - John Prine and Levon Helm at the Chastain Park Amphitheatre, Atlanta GA

By: JoeJ
Was fantastic to see John again. As always, never ready for the show to end. Wish it could have lasted hours more. John Prine shows are always great events.


By: Jeremy Roberts

Setlist & Review
1. Spanish Pipedream
2. Picture Show
3. Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore (John talked about playing with Steve Earle in D.C. the night before, singing a bunch of patriotic songs. He said he thought he had 1 more left (Flag Decal).
4. Six O'Clock News
5. Souvenirs (John said it was for Steve Goodman).
Band Intros
6. Grandpa Was A Carpenter (John: Unlike most of my songs, that was a true story).
7. Fish & Whistle (John: I was almost done with one of my records until my producer asked me to write 1 more song. I said I'd write the worst song I could. Now, after playing it a couple hundred times, I think I finally like it).
8. Glory Of True Love (John: mentions co-writer Roger Cook & Roger's difficulty pronouncing "R's." He also said that he preferred writing alone. He also humorously told the audience he worried during the songwriting process that Roger was writing the song about John's wife).
9. All The Best
10. Angel From Montgomery (for Bonnie Raitt) Band Exits, leaving John to perform with just his acoustic guitar
11. Donald & Lydia
12. Dear Abby (crowd does sing-along: during the song John relates that the final verse about sitting in the backseat of the car with his girlfriend was a true story, then he said that songwriters never like resorting to the truth & proceeds to sing that verse: Final Line........Signed, Remarried!)
13. That's The Way That The World Goes 'Round
14. Sam Stone (BAND RETURNS ABOUT MIDWAY & REMAIN FOR REST OF EVENING; bass player's use of bow on stand-up bass was excellent choice)
15. Bear Creek Blues 16. She Is My Everything (only time John switches to electric guitar: for his wife Fiona; she's in Nashville tonight, so I'll have to sing loud)
17. Ain't Hurtin' Nobody (he takes off his coat & tie before beginning this song; when he sang the line "50 Million Elvis Fans Can't Be All Wrong," he got some shouts from the crowd (reviewer is a big Elvis fan) After the above song, a lady hollered out a request: "Illegal Smile." She did this earlier, too. John acknowledged her by telling her to sing along with the record)
18. Hello In There (hearing the bow used on the stand-up bass really set an atmosphere for the song; at the conclusion, John goes ahead & unpacks his shirt)
19. Lake Marie
Encore
20. Paradise (for the encore, his brother Billy comes out; John introduced him as his little brother, but he was much bigger & taller than John; Also, Larry Campbell (fiddle) & Jim Weider (electric guitar) from Levon's band come & play on this song; during song's last verse, John's brother takes the spotlight, singing it to a round of applause
   I went to this concert because of Levon Helm due to his work with The Band & his recent solo albums. In fact, I heard about this show exactly 1 week before it occurred.
   The name "John Prine" has always been familiar to me, maybe because I saw him on PBS when I was younger (I'm 25), but I was one of those people who couldn't name 1 song he had recorded or written. However, that first began to change a couple of months ago while I compiled an Everly Brothers' playlist of some of their greatest songs. "Paradise" was one of them. I decided to download a list of John's greatest songs along with those he's been playing recently in his setlist. I found myself really liking what I heard. By the time June 6th rolled around, I definitely knew I was going to attend a concert I would remember.
   I drove about 3.5 hours from South GA to the concert venue in Atlanta. The Chastain Amphitheater has a weird set-up to me; tables for 6 fill up the floor, followed by boxes with rows & then just rows as you get farther away from the stage. People could also sit on the lawn if they wished. The venue wasn't full by any means. Maybe I can find out how many people were there.
   John played 1 hour & 42 minutes, concluding just before 11:00 PM. I especially enjoyed the back-up instrumentation, although I sometimes thought drums might be nice on some songs, since I had only heard the studio versions before attending the show, but that's only a tiny complaint. On the other hands, it gave many of the songs he performed a fresh slant.
   It was very nice of John to mention his band members' names more than once during the evening & praise their amazing musical abilities.
   It's amazing to me that John performed 8 songs from his debut "John Prine" LP from 1971 (were 13 on it).
   In comparison, he sang 3 songs from 2005's "Fair & Square" album. I wonder if he's ever sang any from 2007's "Standard Songs For Average People" in concert.
   In summary, I'd recommend seeing a John Prine to any fan of music. I'm glad I attended it for sure. With all the great things about the show, I was really disappointed that Levon didnt' come out & sing/play with John. My understanding was they were going to do 2 "special" shows this summer, & fans could expect a collaboration of some sort. An opportunity missed. At least Campbell & Weider played on "Paradise."
   Another thing: I tried to take pics, but security immediately said no photos. That's one thing that always irks me. They never went out into the audience to reprimand other concert-goers; they just sat & watched the 1st few rows of people. I did get some, though, but most of them came during Levon's hour before I was told to stop.
   I especially enjoyed the back-up instrumentation, although I sometimes thought drums might be nice on some songs, since I had only heard the studio versions before attending the show, but that's only a tiny complaint. On the other hands, it gave many of the songs he performed a fresh slant. It's amazing to me that John performed 8 songs from his debut "John Prine" LP from 1971 (were 13 on it). In comparison, he sang 3 songs from 2005's "Fair & Square" album. I wonder if he's ever sang any from 2007's "Standard Songs For Average People" in concert. In summary, I'd recommend seeing a John Prine to any fan of music. I'm glad I attended it for sure.


Add your John Prine concert thoughts or reviews here or Add photos here


 


Join the Official John Prine/Oh Boy Records Mailing List!
John Prine dot Net Welcome to the John Prine Shrine - The online John Prine Fan Club - jpshrine.orgOh Boy Records - Company of John Prine

©1996-2016 John Prine Shrine