If last year’s You Got Gold celebration of the life and music of John Prine felt like a night at the Grammys, this year’s show felt like a family reunion. Fiona Whelan Prine, sporting crutches this year, welcomed the crowd on what would have been the late singer-songwriter’s 77th birthday. She thanked everyone from all over coming together “not for the big Billboard acts,” she said, “since we didn’t tell you who was coming. You come together for John, for my family, and for each other.”
Prine’s band members, led by Jason Wilber, along with Dave Jacques on bass, Kenneth Blevins on drums, Bryan Owings on percussion, Jen Gunderman on keys, and Fats Kaplin on a variety of instruments, accompanied many of the acts. But much of the night featured solitary singers backing themselves on acoustic guitar, highlighting the unparalleled lyrics of each John Prine song. The night opened on a somber note with Alynda Segarra singing “I Remember Everything” followed by American Aquariaum frontman BJ Barham’s on the upbeat favorite “Spanish Pipedream.”
While Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovett, Brandi Carlile, and some of the big names who performed last year were absent, this year featured a wide variety of singers, including a number of artists from Oh Boy Records. John Oates, who said he and Prine started their careers together at the same time with Atlantic Records, performed “Long Monday,” with Nathaniel Smith on cello. A. J. Croce sang “Crooked Piece of Time” playing his glittery keyboard. Pat McLaughlin performed “You Got Gold,” the theme song for the week’s event, which Prine co-wrote with Keith Sikes in Memphis.
The one act-one song formula led to some urprising introductions. Rita Wilson sang “Summer’s End,” then introduced Rustin Kelly on guitar and harmonica on “(I Wish You) All the Best. As Katie Pruitt performed a simple acoustic rendition “Souvenirs,” she said, “Let me hear you, Mother Church,” inviting the crowd to hum along.
For much of the evening, the audience didn’t need an invitation to sing the familiar lines. Kelsey Waldon sang with Tré Bert on “In Spite of Ourselves,” a song she said she last sang on that same stage with Prine. Courtney Marie Andrews delivered a haunting take on “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness” and Anderson East’s acoustic rendition of “Storm Windows” was almost painful.
When Jody Whelan introduced Grace Bowers, who played “Saddle in the Rain” with Mick Flannery,” his praise of Bowers as “the greatest talent on this stage tonight” sounded like hyperbole–until she started playing guitar.
Surprise performers included Rodney Crowell, Lukas Nelson, and Tanya Tucker, also celebrating an October 10 birthday, who sang “I Just Want to Dance with You.” Aaron Lee Tasjan nearly brought the house down with “Lake Marie.” Susan Tedeschi took “Angel from Montgomery” and owned it, with a mashup of “Sugaree.”
The evening’s proceeds go to the Hello in There foundation, established in Prine’s memory and having given away over half a million dollars since it’s inception.