John Prine's eighteenth and last studio album, The Tree of Forgiveness, turns five today. It was released on April 13, 2018, and included guest vocals from Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, and Brandi Carlile. It was the last album Prine released before he died on April 7, 2020 after developing COVID-19. It was also the tour where I finally was able to fulfill my dream of seeing Prine live, and boy was it worth the decades-long wait. The show was terrific—it was equal parts brilliant, emotionally moving, and funny. It was also the only show I've ever been to where they sold fly swatters at the merch booth! (The orange swatter I bought is printed with the famous lyrics from Angel from Montgomery: "There's flies in the kitchen, I can hear 'em there buzzing").
If you haven't heard The Tree of Forgiveness, go listen to it. To get you started, here's one of my favorite tracks, "Summer's End." I think I'll drink a toast to Prine tonight. I sure do miss him.
