Live music review: John Prine, Cork Opera House

Some people are born to see deep value in adversity, and John Prine was born to turn that human triumph into poetry.

“I was supposed to have a five-piece band here tonight, but their flight is stuck in Paris, so you’ll only have myself and [lead guitarist] Jason Wilber here tonight, but that just means you’ll be better able to hear the words,” Prine tells a capacity Cork Opera House audience, adding that he and his wife had flown into Shannon early to enjoy a lazy day in Kenmare.

Earlier, standing in for the grounded support act, denim-clad Wilber wowed the audience with a set of his own stunning songs. At 9pm, he returned with Prine, both now dressed in formal suits.

“The guy next to me may look familiar,” Prine said. “When we arrived backstage, you can imagine our surprise when we saw just how much the support act looked like Jason.”

It was a night that started with gags and finished with two standing ovations. Now looking every bit of his 70 years, Prine’s voice has nonetheless aged fairly well, with Wilber’s world class guitaring and vocal harmonies papering over any cracks.

Introducing ‘Hello In There’ and ‘Grandpa Was A Carpenter’, both tales of elderliness, Prine recalls that even as a young man he was always more drawn to older people.

“My only ambition in life was to be an old man,” he said. “Well, John, congratulations.”

He also thanked RTÉ’s John Creedon for playing so many of his songs on the radio, and then sang one of Creedo’s favourites, ‘Please Don’t Bury Me’ (in the cold, cold ground), with its macabre suggestion that he instead be dismembered for distribution: “Give my feet to the footloose … give my knees to the needy.”

We heard all the hits: ‘Lake Marie’, ‘Sam Stone’, ‘Souvenirs’, ‘Angel From Montgomery’ and ‘Speed of The Sound of Loneliness’. And plenty of lesser known gems, arguably the best received of which was ‘Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore’.

He devoted this tale of America’s devotion to its flag to Donald Trump, “because there’s just no knowing what that crazy f**ker will do next”. Giant roar of approval.

It’s hard to credit just how good a John Prine show is. He only has a handful of chords and his vocal range is limited, but he makes up for this with some of the best lyrics ever to grace folk music, and an ability to charm and connect that only those lucky enough to have seen him will understand.

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