‘Prine is the king… One of the greatest songwriters and performers that ever was. His stage show is better than ever and attendance should be considered mandatory.’ – Dan Auerbach
Watch: John Prine NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
For this special tour, Frontier Touring has teamed up for the very first time with Americana lovers Love Police, responsible for bringing some of the biggest names of the genre down under for two decades now.
The list of performers who’ve recorded from Prine’s extensive catalogue, or appeared alongside him on his many albums, reads like a who’s who of the greats: Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, Iris Dement, Dan Auerbach, Tom Petty, the Everly Brothers, John Denver, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Carly Simon, Ben Harper, Lucinda Williams, Norah Jones, Bette Midler, and more.
Watch: John Prine and Iris Dement – ‘In Spite of Ourselves (Live From Sessions at West 54th)’
From the release of his eponymous, ground-breaking debut in 1971, for over 40 years now Prine has forged a path through the American musical landscape, with his heartfelt narratives and expressive voice. In April 2018 the 71-year-old icon released his first new original songs in 13 years: the critically acclaimed The Tree Of Forgiveness (Oh Boy Records/Cooking Vinyl). The album debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Folk Albums chart, #2 on Top Country, and #5 on the overall Billboard 200 – the highest chart positions of Prine’s career.
Born in 1946 in Maywood, Illinois, Prine was raised in the Midwest. His songs are filled with the tales of blue collar suburbs, where country music, the Grand ‘Ol Opry, good Southern cooking, and annual visits ‘home’ to Kentucky were as naturally part of his family’s lives as Chicago hot dogs and baseball. Long before the awards and accolades, the concerts and many albums, Prine trudged through snow in the cold Chicago winters, delivering mail across his childhood suburb. “I always likened the mail route to a library with no books,” he recalls. “I passed the time each day making up these little ditties.”
Those “ditties” led to countless awards and accolades. Just a few Prine has received in recent times include his 2003 induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, an Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for songwriting, and being honoured at the Library of Congress by US Poet Laureate Ted Kooser. For many, Prine has become not just a well-loved and appreciated songwriter, but a bonafide American treasure.
Having fought cancer battles twice (he underwent surgeries in 1996 and 2013), John Prine currently lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, Fiona, and enjoys spending time with their three sons, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren.
‘At 71, John Prine is a virtuoso … writing about what it means to be alive.’ – Pitchfork
‘Prine and the late-Leonard Cohen are a rare breed of songwriters who can make you cry and laugh in the same song … a complete night of exquisite storytelling’ – The Times (Pittsburgh)
Joining John as special guest at all shows is Kentucky singer/songwriter Tyler Childers, who released his breakout debut Purgatory in 2017 and recently played Chicago’s Lollapalooza festival and supported Jack White in Minneapolis. Steeped in the sounds of the Appalachian South, Childers’ debut is bluegrass-infused, semi-autobiographical tracks co-produced by Grammy winners Sturgill Simpson and David Ferguson. Says Rolling Stone of tracks such as ‘Whitehouse Road’, Childers’ music sounds like, “A raw look at the darker regions of modern-day Appalachia, where bluegrass is in the soul, but cocaine is in the blood.” Watch his NPR Tiny Desk concert here.
Touring for the first time in 25 years, these AU/NZ shows from one of America’s greatest talents will be truly unforgettable. Don’t miss John Prine, live in concert this summer!
TOUR DATES
Wednesday 27 February – Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland (Lic. All Ages)
Thursday 28 February – Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch (Lic. All Ages)
Saturday 2 March – TSB Auditorium – Shed 6, Wellington (Lic. All Ages)
Tuesday 5 March – The Tivoli, Brisbane (18+)
Thursday 7 March – Palais Theatre, Melbourne (Lic. All Ages)
Saturday 9 March – State Theatre, Sydney (Lic. All Ages)
