Tomorrow, Oct. 10, would have been the 80th birthday for the late songwriting legend John Prine. Last night, dozens of musicians gathered at the Chicago Theatre paying homage to Prine, kicking off a weekend's worth of events celebrating his enduring legacy.
Last night's event was hosted by Chicago performer/comedian/musician John C. Reilly, featuring Prine’s longtime live band as the house band — guitarist Jason Wilber, bassist Dave Jacques, drummer Kenneth Blevins, Fats Kaplin, and Pat McLaughlin. In addition to being the night's MC, Reilly also performed his version of Prine's "Jesus The Missing Years."
Announced performers included Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff, Amos Lee, Andrew Sa, Briscoe, Jon Langford, Josh Ritter, Joy Oladokun, Kathleen Edwards, Margo Price, Noeline Hofmann, Ratboys, Shemekia Copeland, Steve Earle, the Cactus Blossoms, and the Sullivan Sisters. Surprise additions included Nathaniel Rateliff, who performed "Pretty Good" and a duet of "In Spite Of Ourselves" with Margo Price, and Jeff Tweedy, who played "Summers End."
Here's the setlist, according to setlist.fm:
Alynda Segarra — “I Remember Everything“
John Langford — “How Lucky“
Andrew Sa — “Bad Boy“
Noeline Hofmann — “That's The Way That The World Goes 'Round“
Jordan Davis — “Clay Pigeons“ (Blaze Foley cover that John Prine recorded in 2005)
The Sullivan Sister & Jonas Friddle — “Souvenirs“
Briscoe — “Storm Windows“
Kathleen Edwards — “When I Get To Heaven“
The Cactus Blossoms — “Hello In There“
Arlo McKinley — “The Late John Garfield Blues“
Ratboys — “Quiet Man“
Hayes Carll — vSpeed Of The Sound Of Loneliness“
Emily Scott Robinson — “Unwed Fathers“
Josh Ritter — “Mexican Home“
Shemekia Copeland — “Great Rain“
Amos Lee — “Sabu Visits The Twin Cities Alone“
Valerie June — “Angel From Montgomery“
John C. Reilly — “Jesus The Missing Years“
Steve Earle — “Sam Stone“
Nathaniel Rateliff & Margo Price — “In Spite Of Ourselves“
Nathaniel Rateliff — “Pretty Good“
Jeff Tweedy — “Summer's End“
All Artists — “Paradise“
Check out clips below.
