Kris Kristofferson: Live Performance Review
Kris Kristofferson is on tour. He appeared at the Colonial Theatre in Keene on 2 May 2017. Bill Thulke was at the show u0026amp; he has kindly shared his experience for those of us that couldn’t make it.
On the night
Good morning all! Well, Kris came and he performed wonderfully. By now, he has more than likely set up camp at his next stop in Boston, MA. but my comments are all about his time spent briefly in the city of Keene, New Hampshire.
(The pic in the tweet is from the show in Boston 2 days later)
Legend Kris Kristofferson in Boston pic.twitter.com/1pJrTTfbSS
— Scoots (@scoots781) May 4, 2017
The Colonial Theatre is a reasonably sized venue of some antiquity and was well packed last night. Once seated, I noticed the stage immediately and saw a single mic stand and a few monitors present which indicated that Kris would be doing a solo act.
No band this time and my question as to why he has backed off playing Under The Gun was answered. As he himself was quoted as saying, “Playing with the band is more fun”. I also knew that “Under The Gun” was a piece best played with the band! He could no doubt perform it “unplugged” but I believe it would have lost a bit of the energy in the translation. After all, it is a bit of a kick butt number when played with the band.
Needless to say, Kris still nailed it as expected!
This gifted performer is still a force to be reckoned with even at 80 years of age and clearly, there is no slowing down for him. Age has only enhanced his performance in that his songs seemed to have taken on new meanings at times. That gritty voice is etched with experience, wisdom and soul that can only be authenticated by one who has actually been there.
Like a tired, stubborn old warrior, he keeps marching on. I was amazed how Kris could stand in one spot for an hour straight while pounding out his songs one after the other with only a brief “Thank you” after each one. I was half expecting him to at least be sitting on a stool while he performed but this is one ol‘ soldier who stands at attention for his audience.
Someone in the audience shouted out “Thank you for your service”. This was met with vocal approval from the audience and I thought – Yeah, in more ways than one!
What was particularly sweet was how (during several songs) the audience sang some of the lines along with him. Their voices were gentle as they sang in a supporting way. This added a nice touch of “unofficial” backup for him, u0026amp; neither overwhelmed nor distracted from Kris’s performance. Indeed, this added that special touch of adoration for the artist.
If there was any disappointment on my part, it was only that his dialogue with the audience was somewhat limited. I have always been a fan of simply listening to him speak and tell stories of his past. He did manage to share one with us that made everyone laugh. He certainly does have a gift for storytelling as well 🙂
All things said, Kris has once again proven his talents to be varied, exceptional and “inspiring” – at the very least to myself.
Thank you, Kris, from the bottom of my heart and……. God bless you…. You old “Son of a bitch!”
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