Kris Kristofferson's Story Hasn't Ended (And If It Did I Wouldn't Tell You)

Country music isn't my normal musical fare. But there are certain country musicians who have made an indelible imprint to American culture and warrant our tribute while they still travel from town to town. 

With this in mind, I decided to go see Kris Kristofferson play at the Wilbur Theater in Boston this evening. Given that Kristofferson turns 81 next month Lord knows when the chance to see him might come around again. It wasn't so long that Kristofferson was suffering from memory loss. It was feared he was afflicted with Alzheimer's or dementia much like his contemporary Glen Campbell. Fortunately, it was only Lyme disease. While Lyme disease is certainly debilitating, it isn't terminal.

Much to my surprise, the evening was an acoustic solo set. The only other accompaniment Kristofferson had was a harmonica. His voice is leathered and weathered, yet there is a richness of depth with frequent flashes of defiance such as when he shouted, "God Almighty Here I Am" on his 2012 song "Feeling Mortal." There were also moments of tenderness as demonstrated in his 2009 song "From Here to Forever". Dedicated to his children, the verse "I'll love you from here to forever and be there wherever you go" is as good as any he has written over the past half-century. 

But the vast majority of his material was set in the early 1970's. Indeed, Kristofferson played 10 of the 12 songs that appeared on his eponymous 1970 debut album. Many of those songs contain lyrics which are a part of the American songbook as attested by the audience which sang along with him on "Me & Bobby McGee", "The Pilgrim, Chapter 33" and "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down". During the latter song, Kristofferson quipped the audience back up vocals "sounded like church."

Kristofferson kept the banter to a minimum although it was clear he was enjoying himself on stage. He did beam with pride that Bob Dylan had recorded "They Killed Him" with a children's choir on his 1986 album Knocked Out Loaded. During "The Silver Tongued Devil & I", Kristofferson interrupted the song to tell the audience his 5-year old son didn't like the song because he never accepted responsibility for his actions. Kristofferson added, "These days we're pretty tight," suggesting that his son had learned a lot about life or perhaps unlearned it. 

Country music at its essence is devoted to the consumption of alcohol and this was reflected in the audience which had consumed a great deal of alcohol during the evening. Fortunately, these were happy drunks particularly the female portion of the audience who were becoming more and more attracted to Kristofferson as the evening wore on. A full head of hair certainly does him no harm. 

Fittingly, Kristofferson ended the evening with his 1974 hit "Please Don't Tell Me How This Story Ends". Although it became a big hit for Ronnie Milsap, Kristofferson first sang it with Rita Coolidge before their marriage ended in divorce:

This could be our last goodnight together
We may never pass this way again
Just let me enjoy 'till its over
Or forever
Please don't tell me how the story ends

For now, Kris Kristofferson's story hasn't ended. So if he happens to pass your way you might want to enjoy it until its over.