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John Prine takes your breath away.
He does it by delivering an incredibly clever turn of phrase, an oh-so rare bit of insight or by mixing heartbreak and humor like few others have ever accomplished.
His lyrics are just so impactful, in a variety of ways, that they can leave a listener in a state of sheer awe. I lost count of how many times that happened to me during Prine’s wonderful concert at the Fox Theater in Oakland on Thursday night (Oct. 3).
The sold-out show was another lyrical tour-de-force for the legendary songwriter, who mixes folk, rock, country and Americana styles in his music. It was such a strong showing that it left me thinking back through the decades, trying to pinpoint another songwriter who has given me goosebumps with his or her lyrics as frequently as Prine did in concert. The only name I could come up was Leonard Cohen.
Of course, the goosebumps showed up when Prine — who was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018 — performed such longtime fan favorites as “Hello In There” and “Donald and Lydia.” And the audience sing-along during Prine’s best-known song, “Angel from Montgomery,” was pretty awesome.
But all of that was very much expected.
The nice surprise was that the newer material sounded just as good as the classics on this night.
Prine devoted nearly a third of the show to his latest album, 2018’s excellent “The Tree of Forgiveness.” Out of the 23 songs performed, the singer-songwriter-guitarist and his excellent four-piece backing band performed seven “Forgiveness” cuts, including such standout numbers as “Egg & Daughter Nite, Lincoln Nebraska, 1967 (Crazy Bone)” and “Knockin’ on Your Screen Door.”
Of course, it’s hard to really tag anything as a “standout” during a Prine concert. That’s because pretty much everything he plays is exceptional, at least in comparison to the overall world of music. And it’s really difficult to talk about individual lyrical highlights, when your’re dealing with one of the greatest songwriters to every pick up a pen.
Go to multiple Prine shows and you’ll probably walk away with a different set of tunes that deeply resonated with you each time. There’s just such a wealth for the ears, mind and soul to take in.
There’s plenty of humor to be had. And there are heartbreaks by the dozens, for sure. Yet, Prine’s signature is the ability to seamlessly mix the two into the same song, using clever word play, a quick one-liner or curious details to help fans smile through the tears. The song that really seemed to sum that up on this night was “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness,” a classic from the 1986 album “German Afternoons.”
I sat mesmerized as Prine sang the opening lines:
“You come home late and you come home early” / “You come on big when you’re feeling small” / “You come home straight and you come home curly” / “Sometimes you don’t come home at all”
Those who missed Prine in Oakland — or simply want to a double dose of Prine — can check him out when he performs at Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center in Davis on Oct. 4.
Kelsey Waldon — who sounded superb at the Fox — opens the Mondavi gig as well.
For more information, visit www.mondaviarts.org.
Here’s the set list for the Oakland show:
1. “Crooked Piece of Time”
2. “Six O’Clock News”
3. “Knockin’ on Your Screen Door”
4. “Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow0”
5. “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness”
6. “Caravan of Fools”
7. “Egg & Daughter Nite, Lincoln Nebraska, 1967 (Crazy Bone)”
8. “Grandpa Was a Carpenter”
9. “Hello in There”
10. “I Have Met My Love Today”
11. “Storm Windows”
12. “Summer’s End”
13. “Angel From Montgomery”
14. “Mexican Home”
15. “Donald and Lydia”
16. “Souvenirs”
17. “In Spite of Ourselves”
18. “Unwed Fathers”
19. “Sam Stone”
20. “God Only Knows”
21. “Lake Marie”
Encore:
22. “When I Get to Heaven”
23. “Paradise”
