Stephen Colbert to Roger Waters: Tributes to John Prine poured in after singer’s death

What remains with us through another week of social distancing, a period that has turned home computers and smart phones into concert stages, is a loss.

Over a week on, the passing of John Prine continues to register with fans, peers and proteges. That his death came from complications of the coronavirus, the very thing that has changed on and offstage worlds as we know them, adds an even greater level of gravity to a parade of online tributes.

It should be noted, before going further, that the first scheduled concerts on Prine’s itinerary at the time of his death were a pair of shows over Memorial Day weekend. Both were scheduled at the Louisville Palace.

Acknowledgements of Prine’s inspiration and influence have been plentiful, so this week’s roundup of recommended streaming performances is devoted to Prine tributes of varying length and design that have peppered television and cyberspace. All have been archived online for viewing during these quarantine days.

Stephen Colbert pays John Prine tribute

▪ ”The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” essentially held a vigil of sorts that began as word of Prine’s hospitalization spread. First up, was the April 1 broadcast of a previously unaired duet between Prine and Colbert from 2016 of “That’s the Way That the World Goes ‘Round.” Colbert’s wish to the late songsmith in the introduction: “Happy Enchilada, John.” The remark references a stage comment Prine regularly made on how a fan mistook a lyric that began with “it’s a half an inch of water” for “it’s a happy enchilada.” “I’ve never written a song about an enchilada,” Prine would regularly say during his shows, “much less a happy one.”

▪ In the days following Prine’s death on April 7, Colbert called in a pair of high-profile pals, Brandi Carlile and Dave Matthews - to honor the late songwriter with solo acoustic performances broadcast from their homes. Carlile offered what amounted to a pitch perfect reading Prine’s beloved elders requiem “Hello in There.” A sidenote: Carlile, along with Kentucky’s own Sturgill Simpson, supported Prine during a 2018 performance of “Summer’s End” on The Late Show. Last weekend, Simpson announced he has tested positive for COVID-19.

▪ The following evening, Matthews offered The Late Show a brittle yet delicate version of “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness,” a tune that defined an often overlooked period of Prine’s career – a mid ‘80s run that included the release of two sublime indie albums, “Aimless Love” and “German Afternoons.” Where Carlile’s performance came with heartfelt introductions by the singer and Colbert, Matthews plowed right into a three-minute performance ripe with emotive tension. You can see full episodes and catch clips at cbs.com/shows/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert.

Todd Snider’s Purple Prine performance

One of Prine’s foremost proteges through the years has been East Nashville songwriter (and longtime Lexington favorite) Todd Snider. It was through Prine’s Oh Boy label between 2000 and 2004 that Snider released some of his finest recordings, including what is arguably his finest work, “East Nashville Skyline.”

Snider has been honoring Prine in recent weeks through his weekly “What It Is” streams for the Purple Building Live site. Last weekend’s program was one of the most direct, unadorned and emotively endearing testimonials of his mentor’s “ecclesiastical” music. While there were favorites for those yearning for the familiar (“Sweet Revenge,” “Paradise” and “Angel from Montgomery”), the true devotional magic came when Snider dug deep into Prine’s catalog for such overlooked gems as “Living in the Future,” “Maureen, Maureen” and “Just Wanna Be With You.”

The uncontested highlight, though, was an impromptu reading of the title tune to Prine’s second album, 1972’s “Diamonds in the Rough.” Curiously, this was the only song on the record Prine didn’t write. It was instead a vintage Carter Family spiritual Prine sang acapella. Snider did the same with his version and, in the process, offered an appropriately fitting eulogy.

For Prine and Snider fans alike, this is essential viewing. Streamable at purplebuildinglive.com.

Other John Prine tributes

▪ Perhaps the most unexpected of Prine acknowledgements came from Pink Floyd architect Roger Waters, who has posted a solemn, strident version of “Paradise” on his Facebook page. Stylistically, Prine and Pink Floyd were polar opposites, but Waters seems to have found a thematical kinship to the song’s portrait of a land tortured by strip mining. Very different, but worth a watch at facebook.com/rogerwaters.

▪ There were two extended online Prine tributes last weekend. One, a benefit titled “Angel from Maywood,” featured Warren Haynes, Norah Jones and Grace Potter, among others. It was streamed live on Instagram, but, as of this writing, has not been archived. What is available, though, is an NPR Tiny Desk concert tribute that featured Margo Price, Courtney Marie Andrews, Nathaniel Rateliff, Brandy Clark and a very stirring reading of “Sam Stone” by John Paul White. Viewable at npr.org.

▪ Bonnie Raitt, whose 1974 recording of “Angel from Montgomery” gave Prine, herself and the song considerable career boosts, offered a curve ball tribute. She dedicated a heartfelt reading of Karla Bonoff’s “Home,” along with an equally sweet introduction/remembrance, to Prine’s memory. Go to billboard.com.

▪ Finally, for a splash of brilliant local color, last weekend’s wonderful livestream from Cosmic Charlie’s by Eric Bolander also honored Prine in a way that didn’t include a Prine song. During a two-hour performance that shifted from spacious folk meditations to rugged electric reflections, Bolander served up a guitar, cello and drums version of the 1992 John Anderson hit “Seminole Wind” as a Prine tribute. Bolander was part of the bill when Prine headlined the 2018 Master Musicians Festival in Somerset. Bolander’s full Cosmic Charlie’s set is well worth a view at facebook.com/spacechucks.

This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 5:31 PM.