Full of wit and grace, Prine’s set at the 2017 Newport Folk Fest was a guest-heavy affair. Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon (making his first appearance at the Fest with the Bill Withers tribute Grandma’s Hands Band) came out for “Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)”, followed by My Morning Jacket’s Jim James on “All the Best”, Margo Price for the duet “In Spite of Ourselves”, and Nathaniel Rateliff on “Sam Stone”.
The biggest surprise of all, however, was when Roger Waters and Lucius appeared for “Hello in There”. Waters, who had headlined the fest two years prior, was in the middle of his “Us + Them Tour”, but he and his collaborators flew in from the Midwest to sing with Prine on “Hello in There”. Yes, Waters traveled across the country to play one song, not even staying around for the full-lineup sing-a-long on closer “Paradise”. That finale also featured Nick Offerman, The Lone Bellow, I’m With Her, and many more.
Now, this legendary performance is being pressed to vinyl. The limited edition John Prine and Friends is a double-LP housed in a deluxe Stoughton old-style tip-on gatefold jacket. Though the vinyl isn’t expected to ship until October, pre-orders will receive an instant digital download.
Proceeds will benefit the Newport Festival Foundation in its ongoing charity work for musicians in need and music programs all over the country. The release is limited to just three copies per customer, and the Newport website warns “attempting to purchase more may lead to cancellation of your order.” Pre-order John Prine and Friends at the Newport Festivals website beginning March 23rd at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Waters kicks off the cover by playing acoustic guitar and singing half of the first verse by himself.(Rolling Stone)
Lucius then takes over, narrating Prine’s story about a lonely couple whose children have grown up and become distant. The screen splits for the chorus, and they all sing the lyrics about old trees, rivers and people in harmony. The song originally appeared on Prine’s self-titled debut in 1971.
Waters has covered the song a few times in recent years, beginning with a performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 2015; he’s also covered the Prine song “Paradise.” The “Hello in There” clip that dropped today comes courtesy of a film about Newport, Our Voices Together. The 86-minute stream — which dropped in lieu of a physical fest — also featured performances by James Taylor, Tom Morello, Phoebe Bridgers, Courtney Barnett and many others. It was released as a fundraiser for the Newport Festivals Foundation, which has been giving money to musicians affected by the pandemic.
