Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - Kris Kristofferson touring Australia Mar-Apr

charlene · 05-01-2014, 10:14 AM

This is beautiful and I think we can relate our own feelings about Gordon to much of this review.. http://justheardreadseen.com/just-se...civic-theatre/

Just Seen … Kris Kristofferson at the Auckland Civic Theatre
Reviewed by Angelique on May 1, 2014

I’ve just realised I have not included a concert review on here before. I even resisted the urge to review the two Springsteen shows back in March – although I did blog about them . But I may have to revisit this policy in light of last night’s concert at Auckland’s Civic Theatre.

Solo Accoustic

I’ve long been a Kristofferson fan and if anyone is interested, I am not even mildly disturbed by the fact that most people find this very uncool. Anyone who can write the way Kristofferson does is a winner in my book. There’s an honesty and simplicity to his work that I find very powerful – and often very moving. To be able to have experienced those lyrics live was something I will always treasure.

There are not too many people, who at the age of 78 (give or take a couple of months) can undertake an international tour let alone hold an audience spell bound for two hours. I had prepared myself for the experience of seeing and hearing a writer I admire enormously and was prepared to cut an aging singer a bit of slack. From the moment we arrived at The Civic the evening was full of surprises. The first was that we were among a very tiny minority of - hmmm, tact is required here – non senior citizens. Now, I’m perfectly well aware that this is going to cause much hilarity for my offspring – but yes pretty much everyone at last night’s concert was at least in Mr Kristofferson’s age group. At the grand old ages of 51 and 47, Dennis and I were well – babies in comparison.

The show was billed to start at 8pm and at about 8.05 Kristofferson strolled out on to the stage, guitar in hand and began singing. No fanfare, no loudspeaker announcements. Just a quiet arrival and straight into it.

He opened with Shipwrecked in the Eighties and Darby’s Castle – LOVE that song – but it was the third song that just took my breath away. With no warning, or introduction, he launched into a very understated and very powerful Me & Bobby McGee, in which he even mentioned Janis Joplin. I’ve been listening to that song by a myriad of performers from Joplin to Kristofferson himself, and passing by nearly every Country artist who has ever lived, my entire life – and last night’s pared down and haunting delivery was, in my opinion, the best I have heard. It was haunting and achingly beautiful - and followed by Here Comes That Rainbow Again. Now if you are one of the many who dislikes Country on the grounds that it can be corny (and to which I reply – seriously, I can name some rock numbers that make C & W look positively DEEP), then Rainbow is probably not the song for you. As it happens, I love it. It reminds me of those books or movies you watch because you know, just know, they’ll have a happy ending and sometimes a happy ending is what you want. I shall probably be humming “aint it just like a human, here comes that rainbow again” for the next month. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
Before the show, I had been trying to guess what songs we might get and I had a hunch we would get one of two songs as a closer – and since we had just had Me & Bobby McGee, I was fairly sure I knew what was waiting at the other end of the evening.
What I wasn’t prepared for, was what was laying between the two.

Classics
The first set closed with Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever do Again) having passed by Help Me Make It Through The Night, Best of All Possible Worlds, and the amazing Casey’s Last Ride. Now Casey’s Last Ride is one of those songs - a bit like Springsteen’s Jungleland – which in a different era or lifetime would have been a poem delivered by a troubadour and remembered for generations. I’ve always suspected that had the likes of Jim Morrison covered Casey, it would have become an overnight sensation – but maybe that’s just me.
The second set was for me, the real winner. They Killed Him, To Beat The Devil, Why Me Lord, and Who’s To Bless and Who’s To Blame are my favourite Kristoffersen songs but I was convinced the only one we had any chance of getting was Why Me Lord. Ha – show’s what I know. The only one we didn’t get was Who’s To Bless and Who’s To Blame. I was astounded we got They Killed Him - a song about Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Christ – and had the show ended there I would not have felt short changed. I love everything about that song – the lyrics, the meaning, the tune – everything – and it has lost none of its power with time.

At this point, I would like to comment on Kristofferson’s voice. Let’s be clear – this is a 78 year old man singing and there were a couple of times when his age was very evident in his voice. But rather than detracting from the song or the performance it added to it. We were in the presence of a man who has made his living writing some of the most beautiful lyrics and who delivers them with a simplicity that is at times breathtaking. No he doesn’t have the world’s greatest voice, no he is not going to win prizes for guitar playing – but he doesn’t need to. Anything he might lack in technique – he makes up for in belief and honesty. This was no ‘by rote’ performance – this was a man sharing his beliefs – and it was a huge gift to be able to hear him.
His daughter Kelly joined him onstage during the second set - among the songs they did together, The Pilgrim was the highlight mostly because he clearly got a kick out of performing it with her.

Simply Powerful
As it turned out, I was right – the closing song was a movingly prophetic rendition of For The Good Times. I am going to choose to believe I wasn’t the only one moved to tears when he sang the words “Don’t look so sad, I know it’s over” – which took on a whole new meaning in this context. Yes he was saying goodbye, yes he was saying thank you, and yes it was both sad and beautiful. He left the stage for about ten seconds and came back for a very moving three song encore that simply added to the feeling he was taking his final bows in a far greater sense than just the end of the evening: A Moment of Forever, Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends, and Why Me Lord.

Now a lot of people are surprised I love Why Me Lord – I am after all a practicing Buddhist, not a Christian. But there is a power in this very simple song that I really love – and a passion I find inspiring. I am always moved by people who not only have faith, but really live that faith and I’ve always felt this song portrays that.
This was a very understated show by a man who is aware there is far less time ahead than there is behind. And who clearly, has loved every minute of the ride. The power in his performance comes from that simplicity – the sheer reliance on the imagery he creates with words and the direct and simple delivery of them.

All I can say is thank you Mr K for that moment of forever.

First Set:
Shipwrecked In The Eighties
Darby’s Castle
Me And Bobby McGee
Here Comes That Rainbow Again
Best Of All Possible Worlds
Help Me Make It Through The Night
Sam’s Song (Ask Any Working Girl)
Casey’s Last Ride
Nobody Wins
Feeling Mortal
From Here To Forever
The Heart
Broken Freedom Song
The Law Is For Protection Of The People
Sky King
Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)
Second set:
The Only Weakness In My Armour
Duvalier’s Dream
The Golden Idol
Billy Dee
They Killed Him
Daddy’s Song
Just The Other Side Of Nowhere
Jody And The Kid
Good Love (Shouldn’t Feel So Bad)
The Hero
Between Heaven And Here
The Pilgrim, Chapter 33
The Wonder
To Beat The Devil
Sunday Morning Coming Down
The Silver Tongued Devil And I
For The Good Times
A Moment Of Forever
Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends
Why Me Lord

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXJbtAQ-Qjo

05-01-2014, 10:14 AM	#16
charlene Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 16,001	Re: Kris Kristofferson touring Australia Mar-Apr This is beautiful and I think we can relate our own feelings about Gordon to much of this review.. http://justheardreadseen.com/just-se...civic-theatre/ Just Seen … Kris Kristofferson at the Auckland Civic Theatre Reviewed by Angelique on May 1, 2014 I’ve just realised I have not included a concert review on here before. I even resisted the urge to review the two Springsteen shows back in March – although I did blog about them . But I may have to revisit this policy in light of last night’s concert at Auckland’s Civic Theatre. Solo Accoustic I’ve long been a Kristofferson fan and if anyone is interested, I am not even mildly disturbed by the fact that most people find this very uncool. Anyone who can write the way Kristofferson does is a winner in my book. There’s an honesty and simplicity to his work that I find very powerful – and often very moving. To be able to have experienced those lyrics live was something I will always treasure. There are not too many people, who at the age of 78 (give or take a couple of months) can undertake an international tour let alone hold an audience spell bound for two hours. I had prepared myself for the experience of seeing and hearing a writer I admire enormously and was prepared to cut an aging singer a bit of slack. From the moment we arrived at The Civic the evening was full of surprises. The first was that we were among a very tiny minority of - hmmm, tact is required here – non senior citizens. Now, I’m perfectly well aware that this is going to cause much hilarity for my offspring – but yes pretty much everyone at last night’s concert was at least in Mr Kristofferson’s age group. At the grand old ages of 51 and 47, Dennis and I were well – babies in comparison. The show was billed to start at 8pm and at about 8.05 Kristofferson strolled out on to the stage, guitar in hand and began singing. No fanfare, no loudspeaker announcements. Just a quiet arrival and straight into it. He opened with Shipwrecked in the Eighties and Darby’s Castle – LOVE that song – but it was the third song that just took my breath away. With no warning, or introduction, he launched into a very understated and very powerful Me & Bobby McGee, in which he even mentioned Janis Joplin. I’ve been listening to that song by a myriad of performers from Joplin to Kristofferson himself, and passing by nearly every Country artist who has ever lived, my entire life – and last night’s pared down and haunting delivery was, in my opinion, the best I have heard. It was haunting and achingly beautiful - and followed by Here Comes That Rainbow Again. Now if you are one of the many who dislikes Country on the grounds that it can be corny (and to which I reply – seriously, I can name some rock numbers that make C & W look positively DEEP), then Rainbow is probably not the song for you. As it happens, I love it. It reminds me of those books or movies you watch because you know, just know, they’ll have a happy ending and sometimes a happy ending is what you want. I shall probably be humming “aint it just like a human, here comes that rainbow again” for the next month. Don’t say you weren’t warned. Before the show, I had been trying to guess what songs we might get and I had a hunch we would get one of two songs as a closer – and since we had just had Me & Bobby McGee, I was fairly sure I knew what was waiting at the other end of the evening. What I wasn’t prepared for, was what was laying between the two. Classics The first set closed with Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever do Again) having passed by Help Me Make It Through The Night, Best of All Possible Worlds, and the amazing Casey’s Last Ride. Now Casey’s Last Ride is one of those songs - a bit like Springsteen’s Jungleland – which in a different era or lifetime would have been a poem delivered by a troubadour and remembered for generations. I’ve always suspected that had the likes of Jim Morrison covered Casey, it would have become an overnight sensation – but maybe that’s just me. The second set was for me, the real winner. They Killed Him, To Beat The Devil, Why Me Lord, and Who’s To Bless and Who’s To Blame are my favourite Kristoffersen songs but I was convinced the only one we had any chance of getting was Why Me Lord. Ha – show’s what I know. The only one we didn’t get was Who’s To Bless and Who’s To Blame. I was astounded we got They Killed Him - a song about Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Christ – and had the show ended there I would not have felt short changed. I love everything about that song – the lyrics, the meaning, the tune – everything – and it has lost none of its power with time. At this point, I would like to comment on Kristofferson’s voice. Let’s be clear – this is a 78 year old man singing and there were a couple of times when his age was very evident in his voice. But rather than detracting from the song or the performance it added to it. We were in the presence of a man who has made his living writing some of the most beautiful lyrics and who delivers them with a simplicity that is at times breathtaking. No he doesn’t have the world’s greatest voice, no he is not going to win prizes for guitar playing – but he doesn’t need to. Anything he might lack in technique – he makes up for in belief and honesty. This was no ‘by rote’ performance – this was a man sharing his beliefs – and it was a huge gift to be able to hear him. His daughter Kelly joined him onstage during the second set - among the songs they did together, The Pilgrim was the highlight mostly because he clearly got a kick out of performing it with her. Simply Powerful As it turned out, I was right – the closing song was a movingly prophetic rendition of For The Good Times. I am going to choose to believe I wasn’t the only one moved to tears when he sang the words “Don’t look so sad, I know it’s over” – which took on a whole new meaning in this context. Yes he was saying goodbye, yes he was saying thank you, and yes it was both sad and beautiful. He left the stage for about ten seconds and came back for a very moving three song encore that simply added to the feeling he was taking his final bows in a far greater sense than just the end of the evening: A Moment of Forever, Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends, and Why Me Lord. Now a lot of people are surprised I love Why Me Lord – I am after all a practicing Buddhist, not a Christian. But there is a power in this very simple song that I really love – and a passion I find inspiring. I am always moved by people who not only have faith, but really live that faith and I’ve always felt this song portrays that. This was a very understated show by a man who is aware there is far less time ahead than there is behind. And who clearly, has loved every minute of the ride. The power in his performance comes from that simplicity – the sheer reliance on the imagery he creates with words and the direct and simple delivery of them. All I can say is thank you Mr K for that moment of forever. First Set: Shipwrecked In The Eighties Darby’s Castle Me And Bobby McGee Here Comes That Rainbow Again Best Of All Possible Worlds Help Me Make It Through The Night Sam’s Song (Ask Any Working Girl) Casey’s Last Ride Nobody Wins Feeling Mortal From Here To Forever The Heart Broken Freedom Song The Law Is For Protection Of The People Sky King Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again) Second set: The Only Weakness In My Armour Duvalier’s Dream The Golden Idol Billy Dee They Killed Him Daddy’s Song Just The Other Side Of Nowhere Jody And The Kid Good Love (Shouldn’t Feel So Bad) The Hero Between Heaven And Here The Pilgrim, Chapter 33 The Wonder To Beat The Devil Sunday Morning Coming Down The Silver Tongued Devil And I For The Good Times A Moment Of Forever Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends Why Me Lord https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXJbtAQ-Qjo