aPr 16, 2010 Arlene Schnitzer HALL, Portland, OR - John Prine with SPECIAL GUEST DAN REEDER, back UP by Jason Wilber and Dave Jacques.

By: Ryan White
Concert review: Portland show proves John Prine a strong songwriter, well aged
  In 1971, in a bar in Chicago, Kris Kristofferson introduced John Prine by saying Prine was so good they might have to break his thumbs.
  Nearly four decades later, in USA Today, Jakob Dylan, son of Bob, asked to name a "role model," offered Prine. "He found a singular voice, and nobody can replicate it," Dylan told the paper. "I would hope to have that down the line. Prine was born with something special, but he also dug deep."
   John Prine is John Prine, and was exactly that for more than two hours on Friday night in front of a packed Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. He's a national treasure and has been for a long time. As he said for laughs late in his set, "I wrote this song about 40 years ago, when I was 43." ♠♠ He was really only in his mid-20s in 1971 when his exceptional self-titled debut record came out, the one that included "Hello In There," with its perfect-through-the-years lyric about old trees just growing stronger. Old songs, too. The good ones, anyway. And if old singers' voices don't necessarily grow stronger, they do plenty enough to get the job done.
  You know the biggest difference between art and entertainment? Art ages gracefully.
  "Crooked Piece of Time" was released in 1978. "Things got rough, things got tough, things got harder than hard," Prine sang then, and it was still true when he sang it Friday. It'll be true 20 years from now. Anxiety remains a terrible crime.
  The only difference between then and now would be that in 1978 surely no one yelled, "Way too loud, John." That happened Friday, and the gentleman might be advised to pick up a live record -- perhaps even the one Prine will release on May 25 -- and listen in the comfort of home.
  It's not like Prine decided to up and play a metal show. Joined on stage by guitarist Jason Wilber and bass player Dave Jacques -- and at times joined only by his own guitar -- Prine ran through 24 familiar, wise and timeless songs.
  Sad songs, like "Sam Stone" and its story of a veteran's drug overdose. Funny songs, like "Illegal Smile," and its guitar part Prine said was written to approximate the shuffle he'd keep when he was a mailman. Perfect songs, like "Paradise." Love songs, like a lot of them.
   It's nice to hear John Prine play his songs. The world slows down and makes more sense when you're listening to him. Blowing up your TV still seems like good advice. Also, he can rhyme Quasimodo, a trick that still brings a grin to his face when he arrives there at the end of "The Sins of Memphisto."
  Works of art that have aged gracefully. These aren't nostalgia pieces; they're museum pieces with influence that's easily traced.
  "Nothing but the Whole Wide World," the lead track on Jakob Dylan's beautiful new disc (produced by T-Bone Burnett), "Women and
Country," is nothing if not a musical expression of his admiration for Prine.
  June 25 will bring the release of "Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows," a tribute disc featuring the likes of My Morning Jacket, Justin Townes Earle, The Avett Brothers, Deer Tick and the Drive-By Truckers covering Prine's songs. Each has taken something from Prine.
  There's no great trick to Prine's music. Its brilliance is in its simplicity. As he sang in "Dear Abby": "You are what you are and you ain't what you ain't."That has served him and the listener well for nearly 40 years. He is what he is. He's John Prine.

By: NONAME
I have lost count of the number of times that I have seen John Prine live. tonight was the first in ten years and the first time my 27 yo son joined me. The show was awesome and John's voice is still strong. Most profound was to hear him sing hello in there; to hear the intuition of so many decades written when he only had a few under his belt. tough to find words to match how he still touches my soul!

By: Epop
I've been a Prine fan for many years but after the concert in Portland tonight I'm a worshiper!!! Tonight was first my time seeing him live…holy @#*!!! Lot’s of fans say he’s getting better with age………that’s understatement……amazing show.