John Prine 1946 – 2020
One of our most cherished band memories is of our 1992 co-headlining tour of the US with John Prine and company. It was the largest tour we had ever mounted, with 11 musicians, 16 crew, three buses and a tractor trailer. We played some of the most beautiful halls in America, had too many late nights, consumed too much alcohol, laughed and laughed and laughed, the music was stellar and the love in those rooms, amplified by John’s presence, was as intense as we had ever experienced. John taught us to enjoy ourselves on stage, to not shy away from “entertaining” the audience, to feel worthy of the love and above all else to make sure to return it in full. I remember one very drunken night in Chicago at a post-show celebration asking John, between tequila shots, how he was able to play, night after night, that core group of songs that he had become most associated with (Hello In There, Sam Stone, Angel From Montgomery, etc). And how was he able to still invest them with so much vitality and sincerity. He said, “those songs aren’t mine anymore, they’re theirs, I just sing them”… and we took another shot and it all became so clear. Thank you for the love John…we will all miss you so much.
