A Prairie Home Companion....Again!

[Atticus Finch]

A Prairie Home Companion will be doing its live broadcast from the Durham Preforming Arts Center this Saturday evening. The show begins at six. Please listen closely to the front, left side of your radio. Lord willing, I will be applauding from there!

This will be my second time seeing PHC. We went to the Charlotte live broadcast two Octobers ago. It was a fantastic show and I can hardly wait for tomorrow night!

AF

 

[Elmonteman]

It's coming to Los Angeles on June 5th at the Greek Theatre. This will be the second time I've seen the show live. It's vintage radio at its best, great music and comedy. How do you explain to someone that you actually look forward to commercials about 'ketchup,' 'rhubarb pie,' and 'buttermilk biscuits?'

What did you think of Altman's film?

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Lucky man! I've been a loyal APHC listener since 1996 and I've read Keillor's books several times, with Wobegon Boy being my favorite.

I know you'll enjoy yourself! *grumble grumble*

 

[Nathan Flowers]

I envy you. Have fun!

 

[Atticus Finch]

What did you think of Altman's film?

I loved it! We bought a copy and still watch it from time to time. I think it captures the feel of the show very nicely.

...Wobegon Boy being my favorite.

Managed to score a signed copy of Pontoon, when it came out. Its sitting in front of me here on the desk as I write.

AF

 

[Atticus Finch]

While it is darned silly for a fifty-three year old man to yammer like a little girl about what he's wearing to a show...I will yammer, anyhow.

The temperature will break 90 degrees in Durham, today. Gotta dress cool. I'm wearing my best pair of well-worn, just-out-of-the-drier khakis; a dark-blue Hawaiian shirt and my fedora-bashed, silverbelly, '50s Open Road.

Now, its almost time to head up-state!

Af

 

[Geesie]

Oh I am jealous. I have enjoyed Garrison Keillor's radio show (under any name) since I can remember (I'm 28). Unfortunately, I have always been unable to go see it when it's been in a city where I lived.

It's one of my top "comfort" things. I always feel so good when it's on the radio.

 

[Matt Crunk]

My fondest memories of Prairie Home Companion was the summer of 1987 -the year I turned 21. I was newly divorced, having married way too early, and had just bought my first sailboat, a 24 footer. I practically lived at the local sailing club that summer. Every Saturday evening like clockwork I made sure I was out on the lake, with a packed dinner and a bottle of wine, sometimes accompanied by a date, but often not, just to leisurely sail/drift around and watch the sun set while listening to A Prairie Home Companion.

One of the best summers of my life.

Ironically, June of '87 marked the show's final broadcast in it's orginal run, so I can only guess that my local NPR station was repeating old shows for most of the summer.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Excellent show!! The October '07 show in Charlotte was great, but Saturday night was really much better. There was more music; the show "flowed" better; the audience was better---younger and more active; the Durham Performing Arts Center was far superior to the venue in Charlotte. And this is just a personal thing, but I used to live in Durham, so I felt like I was home again.

I can't help but think that the cast of PHC enjoyed the show as much as did the audience. They really seemed to draw energy from the crowd in a way that just didn't happen in Charlotte. This may have happened after the broadcast ended, but at one point Keillor asked the audience to sing a verse of Brown Eyes to the cast, and we did---quite loudly and with much conviction. He, and the other cast members, seemed genuinely pleased, if not amazed, by our efforts. Finally, fifteen minutes after the broadcast had ended, the lights came on and people began to shuffle home. Even then, several of the musicians kept jamming and truly acted as if they didn’t want to the show to end.

We needed to be in Beaufort by eleven Sunday morning, so we decided to go home after the show rather than stay overnight in Durham. As we drove east, a big, yellow moon rose, bathing North Carolina's countryside in a soft, pale light. The air had cooled into the 'sixties, and after we got beyond the RTP traffic, we opened the windows so that we could feel the breeze. Every now and then, we'd pass a big patch of honeysuckle, growing on some farmer's ditch bank, and the air would suddenly smell like heaven. Far off to the northeast, down near the coast, the tops of large thunderstorms sparkled with orange and blue lightning. It was the first of this year's soft, summer evenings and I couldn't help thinking how lucky I was to live where I do.

AF

 

[Elmonteman]

Tonight's the night! Prairie Home Companion hits LA. (Los Angeles not Louisiana) Special guests at the Greek Theatre will be Martin Sheen, Sheryl Crow and K.D. Lang. It's been raining a little (!) and thundering a little (!!) so I'm concerned about which fedora to wear to this open air concert. Maybe it will clear up by this evening.

Nice description of your evening, Atticus.

 

[Atticus Finch]

I listened to the broadcast tonight. It was a great show! K.D. Lang and Cheryl Crowe...that's pretty tough to top. Lang's guitar player reminded me greatly of Chris Isaak.

AF