John Prine alone would’ve been a treat, but the 71-year-old, living American songwriting legend and his band brought pals Amanda Shires and Sturgill Simpson along for the ride at Ruth Eckerd Hall on December 15, 2017.
Here’s part of what our reviewer saw:
For two hours on Friday night — in front of a nearly sold-out crowd at Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall — he did just that. Dressed for business in a blue suit and purple necktie, Prine and his three-piece band turned a walk through that aforementioned canon into a 25-song set that felt like watching birds fly oh so high. Guitarist Jason Wilber, longtime bassist Dave Jacques and drummer Kenneth Blevins were more than warmed up by the time the ensemble launched into its second song (“Glory Of True Love”), and Prine was happy to play along by joyfully tapping his feet and subtly shimmying in his little square of the stage.
Read the rest of the review — and see photos from the show — here, and see below to listen to a playlist featuring songs Prine, Shires and Simpson played at the show. Download the songs via Spotify.
This article appears in Dec 14-21, 2017.