I’ve
been trying really hard to get in contact with Kris Kristofferson,
another incredibly gifted songwriter. Since Glen Campbell has now
receded from public view because of his Alzheimer’s problem, we are all
aware that Kristofferson is suffering from similar symptoms. He’s
forgetting faces, words, deeds, etc. However he did not cancel his tour
to Australia, and just so you know how it’s going, my dear friend Ginny
Peters from New Zealand sent a small press release review of Kris’s
recent show. Bruce Quirey wrote this….. “Country music singer
songwriter Kris Kristofferson knows only too well he’s in his twilight
years. But last night, like a defendant in a witness box, the 77-year
old let his fans at the Dunedin Town Hall know he’s not gone yet. Tall,
with his white hair and beard, and dressed casually in black, the
singer-songwriter opened with no introduction to a hushed audience.
Under the glaring theatre lights, alone on stage with only a guitar he
looked lonely. His voice, never his strongest asset anyway, faltered at
times and his fingers took their time to warm on the strings. But it
was the lyrics, especially that people came for and words hung in the
air as the crowd sat in almost reverence. Kristofferson has counted as
collaborators, confidantes, and drinking co-conspirators such luminous
county artists as Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson. With
many of his peers gone, Krisofferson’s latest album is titled ‘Feeling
Mortal” from which he offered up a taste, showing he’s lost none of his
introspection. “I’ve begun to soon descend, like the sun into the
sea.” His songwriting explores human emotion, returning often to themes
of love and regret, with honesty and humour It seems simple but
carries plenty of weight. And, thankfully, one after another, he
delivered his old songs, such as Casey’s Last Ride, Me and Bobby McGee,
Loving Her Was Easier, Billy Dee, Just the Other Side of Nowhere, Sunday
Morning Coming Down, and yes, To Beat the Devil. Later, he was joined
on stage by his daughter Kelly, on vocals and banjo, and while she was
by his side, he stood taller and sang stronger. It seemed some of the
lines he wrote 40 years ago were for this moment, the twilight years.
And if he was on trial, he found a sympathetic and grateful jury.
Bob Everhart for Country Music News International