A couple of years back, a good friend was going through a really tough spell. Like a lot of my good college friends, we had scattered to separate parts of the country and had to work to see each other. He asked a group of us if we would be interested in meeting in Louisville for a weekend to see John Prine (and Colter Wall). It was a no brainer.
About a week before the show, both of our daughters had surgeries unexpectedly rescheduled for the day of the show (Friday). Although ostensibly for my friend, I needed that trip badly too, and we were both really bummed. We ended up biting the bullet, and spending a silly amount of money to cancel & change flights/hotels/stubhub tickets, and flew to Cincinnati to see him the following night (with Tyler Childers).
Our big weekend away turned into a single night and it was just the two of us, but it was amazing. We both went home exhausted, hungover, and entirely at ease.
That's what John Prine and his music will always mean to me. Like an old friend, it is a reliable help through the tough times and it has a great power to bring people together.
R.I.P. Thanks for Everything.
RIP John, enjoy the cigarette and your cocktail. Thanks for the memories.
