All The Best

I wish you love and happiness; I guess I wish you all the best; I wish you don't do like I do and ever fall in love with someone like you… (John Prine – All the Best)

This month I have had the privilege of seeing two of the best in concert on the University of Kentucky’s campus; John Prine (4/1) and My Morning Jacket (4/17). Last year My Morning Jacket recorded one of John’s songs All The Best for the Prine tribute album Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows (a line from the John Prine song Souvenirs written by Steve Goodman). Neither artist played the song in the April concerts though.

However in a video from The Late Show with David Letterman, John Prine and My Morning Jacket’s front man Jim James (AKA Yim Yames) perform All The Best. I have seen John sing the song in previous concerts. This is a favorite of mine and John would introduce the song as his divorces song.

MMJ at UK

If we holler loud and make our way we'd all live one big holiday (My Morning Jacket - One Big Holiday)

I saw My Morning Jacket on the University of Kentucky's campus at Memoiral Coliseum on 4/17/11. The band played a high energy set that spanned their 10 plus year career. Frontman Jim James jumped around and shook his head in youthful exhuberance. James having attended U of K for a few years in the 90's talked about the city reminiscing about living on campus, walking around the city and working fast food.

The rest of the band was very solid; guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Carl Broemel was impressive playing alot of the key parts all the while singing perfect backup; drummer Patrick Hallahan came off like a modern day Keith Moon; Two-Tone Tommy & Bo Koster were on their game as well.

Highlights of the concert: on the epic Dondante, Jim James improvised along as the song built into a crescendo, exploding at the end; I'm Amazed was awesome; Golden, Mahgeetah and One Big Holiday all from 2003's It Still Moves were crowd favorites; Jim James donned on a cape during Wordless Chorus hiding his face like a vampire; both of Touch Me I'm Going To Scream were great, as well as Highly Suspicious.

Setlist:
Mahgeetah
Anytime
Off The Record
Evil Urges
I’m Amazed
The Way That He Sings
Gideon
Circuital
Golden
Lowdown
Dondante
Butch Cassidy
Wonderful (The Way I Feel)
Lay Low
What A Wonderful Man
Dancefloor
Smokin’ From Shootin’
End of Run Thru
Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 2
Encore:
Wordless Chorus
Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 1
Highly Suspicious
One Big Holiday



*****************************************************************


Consequence of Sound review

John Prine: Singletary Center, Lexington, KY

Now my grandma was a teacher went to school in Bowling Green; Traded in a milking cow for a Singer sewing machine... (John Prine - Grandpa Was a Carpenter) I had the privilege of seeing John Prine at the beautiful Singletary Center on the University of Kentucky's campus on Friday (April 1). This was my 5th John Prine concert since 1995. It seems like every 3 years or so old John comes around and I try to go see him. John is 64 years old and you hope he's around for a long time, but you never know. As a friend of mine told me that when she saw Bonnie Raitt in concert a few years ago, Bonnie called John a "national treasure". On this evening John was backed by his fantastic musical mates Jason Wilber on guitar and David Jacques on bass. The song selections for the show was pretty standard; the set started with as alway Spanish Pipedream and ended with Paradise. John played mostly songs from his earlier albums including 8 songs from his 1971 debut album.

My highlights were Angel From Montgomery; Jason Wilber's slide guitar and David Jacques bass fiddle made the song hauntingly beautiful; Grandpa Was a Carpenter, on the introduction John said he originally debut the song at a family reunion and his aunts later cornered him to point out the mistakes in the song - Grandpa smoked Kools not Camels and Grandma went to school in Berea not Bowling Green, at which John replied that they didn't have to rhyme Berea with singer sewing machine; Lake Marie is always a treat; Clay Pigeons, That's the Way That the World Goes Round and In Spite of Ourselves were also excellent. On In Spite of Ourselves John sang the boy part and girl part which was quiet funny.

Complete Setlist:

• Spanish Pipedream


• Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore


• 6 O'Clock News


• Aimless Love


• Souvenirs


• Grandpa Was a Carpenter


• Far From Me


• Fish and Whistle


• Glory of True Love


• Angel From Montgomery


• Oldest Baby in the World


• Clay Pigeons


• In Spite of Ourselves


• Dear Abby


• That's the Way That the World Goes Round


• Sam Stone


• Bear Creek Blues


• Crooked Piece of Time


• Humidity Built the Snowman


• Hello In There


• Lake Marie


• Encore:


• Please Don't Burry Me


• Paradise