I'm sitting here in a darkened basement on a quiet Sunday evening listening to "The Early Recordings of Lefty Frizzell" on the turntable -- my musical mojo still a buzz from the great performance witnessed last Friday night -- Kris Kristofferson at McCarter Theatre in nearby Princeton. Arleen and I have never seen Kris perform live before, so we weren't entirely sure what to expect. Before the show I could only remember a few of his songs -- Me and Bobby McGee, Sunday Morning Coming Down, and Help Me Make it Through the Night. After the show, I was astonished by how many great songs I had just heard -- They Killed Him, Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down, Shipwrecked in the Eighties, Nobody Wins, Best of All Possible Worlds, and Johnny Lobo to name but just a few. What a prolific, poignant and profound songwriter!
Upon seeing a lanky 72 year-old Kris standing all alone, squinty-eyed and gray on that big McCarter stage in front of a sold-out audience of 1,100 with just his guitar, a few harmonicas and a bottle of orange Gatorade on the small table next to him, I couldn't help but feel how brave, vulnerable, and human he must feel. He may have forgotten a word or two, struggled with a guitar string here and there, but no one minded because he deftly plucked everyone's emotional heart strings with that unmistakable voice, thought-provoking lyrics, and warm and confident spirit. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my cheeks during several songs. It's not easy to explain why words sometimes have such a powerful effect. I suppose it's what separates the good songwriters from the great ones, and there's no denying that we just saw one of the great ones.
Upon seeing a lanky 72 year-old Kris standing all alone, squinty-eyed and gray on that big McCarter stage in front of a sold-out audience of 1,100 with just his guitar, a few harmonicas and a bottle of orange Gatorade on the small table next to him, I couldn't help but feel how brave, vulnerable, and human he must feel. He may have forgotten a word or two, struggled with a guitar string here and there, but no one minded because he deftly plucked everyone's emotional heart strings with that unmistakable voice, thought-provoking lyrics, and warm and confident spirit. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my cheeks during several songs. It's not easy to explain why words sometimes have such a powerful effect. I suppose it's what separates the good songwriters from the great ones, and there's no denying that we just saw one of the great ones.
1 comment:
Emotional expression is what makes us humans so special, glad to hear your human, G.
Post a Comment