A great song is a great song no matter how it's played or sung. Kris Kristofferson, undoubtedly one of the best songwriters of any genre, is responsible for some of the greatest and most memorable tunes from the last 40 years. His ability to incorporate satire, humor, raw emotion and honesty into his compositions has served him well. Kristofferson's long career as a musician and performer has undoubtedly been bolstered by his incomparable songwriting talents. [Text by Gabe, photos by Tracy.]
In a rare solo appearance at the lovely and ornate Tampa Theatre last Tuesday night, Kristofferson treated some of his loyal fans to an intimate performance that highlighted some of those great tunes he's come to be known for. Kristofferson walked out to a sparse stage a little before 8:15 p.m., solo, with only an acoustic guitar and a strapped-on harmonica. A music stand and a single microphone were the only equipment needed for the evening's show. It was the words Kristofferson has written so masterfully for decades that took centerstage for the night.
Opening with "Shipwrecked In The Eighties," a classic tale of woe and lost love, Kris dove headfirst into his stellar catalog. Admittedly, his vocals aren't what they once were; Kristofferson's voice has become weakened and strained over the course of time. However, the quiet hush that fell over the theater for most of his performance helped to make his voice easier to hear.
Clad in simple jeans and a button up shirt, Kris exemplified the direct and unpretentious approach he's always stuck to. Lesser-known gems like "Darby's Castle" and "Here Comes That Rainbow" held the captive audience rapt as they listened to the brutal honesty that's woven into so many of the man's fantastic songs.
There was the occasional wolf-whistle from some of Kristofferson's many female admirers in the crowd as well as some requests screamed out. Kris handled all the audience participation with calm and ease. He chuckled and smiled often and acknowledged the song shouters: "Yeah, I'll get to it," he assured some. "Nah, we'll play that one later," he replied to shouted requests for some of his more popular tunes.
Without any fanfare or long intro, Kristofferson belted out the song that he's probably best known for: the song that put Janis Joplin on the map, "Me and Bobby McGee,", is indeed a Kristofferson composition and he treated the crowd to his own version of it, including name dropping Janis within the lyrics, which drew a huge ovation.
After a 30-minute intermission, Kristofferson returned to the stage at 9:30 p.m. and played another hours-worth of his well-crafted songs. He got through "Sunday Morning Coming Down," "Help Me Make It Through The Night" and "For The Good Times," his signature songs that had been requested all night long. He treated the near-capacity crowd to an evening of laughs and humor as well as to some more thought-provoking and reflective material, too. And while he might have forgotten the lyrics to a few of his own songs, and forgotten which harmonica to use a time or two, the audience didn't seem to mind at all. They chalked it up the long and rough road this troubadour has traveled since the tumultuous 1960s, and seemed to celebrate more in the fact that he's still here among us and writing from the heart.
He even handled the somewhat bizarre with poise and class. An obviously drunk fan starting chanting "U.S.A! U.S.A!" towards the end of the evening and then followed up his outburst by announcing, "Don't bash our country!" Kristofferson seemed bewildered and confused. "When did I bash our country?" he replied. His retort garnered wild applause and cheers. (I've got to imagine Kristofferson has been faced with a lot more obnoxious outbursts throughout his long career of playing honky tonks and shady bars, so this exchange was probably rather easy for him to handle.)
Although short on banter and anecdotes, Kristofferson let his fine array of songs speak for him all night. It's nice to be able to hear the clever words and poetry of one of the best songwriters in the business right here in our own backyard. With the impressive newer material he's released within the last decade and the dedicated outpouring his longtime fans still shower him with, Kris Kristofferson shows no signs of slowing down even as he approaches his 75th birthday. Tuesday night's fine show was proof of that for those who were lucky enough to attend.
This article appears in May 12-18, 2011.