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Pete Clark's rating
, A true silver spirit
By
Pete Clark
3 Apr 2008
The last time I saw Kris Kristofferson many years ago, he asked me to go for a jog with him around the freezing streets of Helsinki early one morning. As he stepped on to the bare stage last night, it was immediately apparent that those days are behind him.
At 71, he has retained his trim figure and luxuriant quantities of hair on head and chin, now turned a stately shade of silver, but seemed low on vitality. With just an acoustic guitar and harmonica for company, there was nowhere to hide.
Early in the set, a version of Me & Bobby McGee was distinctly downbeat and an invocation to the spirit of Janis went unheeded. Help Me Make It Through The Night was similarly weary, although the song’s author wryly adapted the sentiments to cover the evening’s performance.
Frequent recourse to a handkerchief suggested a cold, and Kristofferson had regular recourse to a bottle of bright blue liquid, the top of which flew off prompting him to mutter, “can’t even drink”.
Somehow, over the best part of two hours, the veteran performer managed to charm an audience which was palpably willing him on. Among the twee and sentimental ditties about kids and candy — without which no C&W show is seemingly complete — there were gems of narrative concision with not a word wasted. Sunday Morning Coming Down still evokes the tortured essence of a hangover better than most, while Jody and The Kid resonates with the sadness of unforced nostalgia.
And Kristofferson is still the great American liberal. Barack Obama got the seal of approval, while the result of the last election was frankly derided. In The News, a recent composition, was a moving plea for the fighting in which his country is involved to stop now. Neither has the timing of the thespian deserted him. When not self-deprecating, Kristofferson heaped praise on Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and all the dead heroes of popular music. In the spotlight, those sculpted cheekbones cast a long shadow.
In the end, it was all handshakes and encores. The aficionados went home satisfied, even if the sense of a swansong was hard to dispel.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (1)
I saw Kris 3 years ago in Birmingham and its true that he seems to have aged much more than 3 years in that time. Last nights performance was not as energetic or driven as the last time I saw him but it had an amazing air of poignancy. As he sang about the life he has lived and the things he has learnt it had a real swansong feel about it. Given that most of the audience were middle aged his performance found an audience that understood that thoughts of their own mortality are more frequent as the years pass by. It was a wonderful night and I am glad I was there it may be the last time he tours the UK and he is a song writing giant.
- Teresa Pearce, London, 03/04/2008 10:56
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