John Prine in rare form

By Jack Hill

John Prine was in rare form Saturday night at Robinson Center Music Hall, and fans in the near-capacity crowd knew it. Counting a fine opening set by Kane, Welch and Kaplin, the audience got almost three hours of music, counting the interim between the acts. And everyone on stage seemed to be having a Saturday night hoe-down sort of experience, while the fans gave it back with numerous standing ovations.

Prine certainly knows how to deliver the goods. Starting his two-hour set with "Spanish Pipedream" (better known to some as "Blow Up Your TV") he wasted no time in setting the mood, and by the fourth song, he revealed that he had written it ("Please Don't Bury Me") at Jack's Fishing Resort in Stone County, Ark., long rumored to be a favorite retreat for Prine.

With only bassist David Jacques and guitarist Jason Wilber to back him up, Prine poured out a fine selection from his nearly four decades of songs that ramble from poignant to hilarious and back again.

Commenting on the recent snow he had seen and heard about, he delivered several of his songs that make mention of the white stuff, starting with "Souvenirs," noting when he finished that he had sung it for his old pal, the late Steve Goodman, a singer-songwriter who had gotten his start in Chicago about the same time as Prine.

The splendid set also included "Storm Windows," "Fish and Whistle," "Glory of True Love," "Crazy As a Loon," "Angel From Montgomery," "Bear Creek Blues," "Hello in There" and "She Is My Everything," dedicated to Prine's wife, Fiona, who was in the audience, he added. When he sang "Lake Marie" (known to some as "Standing by Peaceful Waters") Prine got so carried away, he was having an Elvis moment, it seemed - shaking his leg, swept away by the power of the song and the story behind it.

Truly, Prine is one of those icons like Bob Dylan who thankfully put Little Rock on their schedule every two or three years, as they try to keep us safe from the onslaught of commercial country, trampy tart music and other corporate attempts to force feed fast food-like music to the faithful.

The opening act, Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch, Fats Kaplin and Kane's son, Lucas Kane, only got a six-song, 25-minute set, in which to wow the crowd with an unusual mix of instruments and voices. The set was typified when the group did "Postcard From Mexico," a David Olney/John Hadley composition in which they took pains to announce that it was a two-voice song, but not a duet. Other stand-out songs were "I Wish I Had That Mandolin" and "I Ain't Gonna Do It."

And though their set was a bit short, they did get invited out on stage by Prine for a blazing version of "Paradise," the last song of his three-song encore, which also featured "Illegal Smile" and "Killin' the Blues."

For more information see Monday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.