Friday
I'm really torn over my next music choice. I have never been disappointed by watching Brian McNeill's Friday night show over at the Club Tent and I know that he's going to be joined by members of Four Men And A Dog, I've already discounted the Pine Leaf Boys as I know they are performing again tomorrow, now that leaves Stage One and John Prine an artist that I haven't seen perform in years, making an all too rare appearance in the UK.
Mentally making apologies to Brian in my head, I head off to Stage One for John Prine. I'll catch Brian and a whole multitude of others in The Brian McNeill Session, Stage Two Saturday afternoon.
To be honest, the first thing you notice about John Prine is that he does not look well. Briefly I wonder if I've made the right choice, but as soon as he strikes that first note on his guitar and utters the first syllable of his first word, you instantly know that here's a man that is still very much in the game.
Prine was part of the big folk boom that brought the likes of Dylan and Kristofferson to the fore and both have given Prine great accolades as have many others with his collection of Achievement Awards and Hall Of Fame memberships. Here on a sultry summer's evening, it's easy to hear why.
Whilst he's a master of the guitar, well except for one small slip, which in true Prine style he passes off with a quip about inventing a new chord, it's his use of words and silences that have truly set him on the road to song writing greatness and he lays it all out before us as pearls to the swine, if you'll pardon the metaphor.
There is something about Prine, the performer and the writer that makes you want to listen and rewards you for doing so. It really is like watching a master class with one of your favourite teachers injecting real life into the subject and that is an absolute gift.
Another absolute gift his when he brings on Gretchen Peters for a couple of songs. To use another cliche, it really does put the icing on a deliciously rich cake. At the end, I really do have to pause to believe that it really is over.
To end the evening, as the phrase goes, it's time for something completely different. Last year's novelty act was The Spooky Men, this year it's Birmingham's fifteen man anarchist orchestra The Destroyers.
The band absolutely filled the stage which only added to the sense of madness. There were times when you thought they were bound to bump into each other, but it never happened, even when the whole band excluding their fez festooned leader all fell down dead in the second number.
Needless to say there was a resurrection of a scale that would put Lazarus to shame and the whole madness starts again. If you think of cirque macarbe with a combination of Brummie and Pirate accents perfoming in fancy dress and you're not far of the mark.
When I used the term novelty earlier it was in no means derogatory, I really mean this is a genuinely novel band. Their good musicians, they have got a real sense fun. They are a wonderful way to end the music for the evening before that final catch up with friends to discuss the events of the day. Then that's it Friday closed.