I got to see him singing live once, in 1997.
He was touring in Europe and played one night in England at the Royal Albert Hall. I ended up with 4 tickets because of being keen to get the best seats that I could. But I managed to sell the other 2.
On the night, Jewel
was his support act but I’m afraid that my friend and I didn’t go to see
her. We just wanted to see Johnny and if
possible to see him arrive. We went for a drink at the Albert Hall’s bar and
then went to wait outside to see if we might actually see him coming in.
It was April and at
the hour of evening when it is starting to get dark... and it wasn’t too warm,
but I was shaking with excitement over the prospect of seeing my childhood
hero. And hoping that he would still be
in good singing voice. He was then in his mid-60s and I knew his health wasn’t
too good. But when he arrived, I wasn’t
quite prepared for how frail he looked.
He was a tall man but now a bit stooped and his hair was thinning and
greying. He moved very slowly, and
didn’t speak but signed a few autographs before going into the Hall.
My friend and I
went in and took our seats and both of us were excited and apprehensive. My friend said that he hoped very much for my
sake that Johnny’s voice was still good, because it meant so much to me and he
too loved the man and wanted to hear him singing well. But we both knew that time can take its toll.
And we could see
that he wasn’t the big strong looking man that he had once been.
But when he came on
stage, he bounded on like a 20 year old and said “Hello I’m Johnny Cash” and I
realised that he could save his energy for the performance and that he was
going to be all right.
I can’t remember
now what song he stated with, but I think it was Folsom Prison Blues. His son John Carter Cash was performing with
him and his wife, June…
And his voice was
as good as it ever had been. Strong,
resonant, powerful and tuneful.
I don’t think I’ve
ever seen or heard such a wonderful concert. I can remember many of the songs,
Lefty Frizzel’s’ Long Black Veil, Big River, Ghost Riders in the Sky, Jackson
(with June)….
June was charming
and funny and sang and played beautifully, and the love between her and John
showed very clearly in their duets. It almost moved me to tears when Johnny and
June sang together. When it was all
over, we knew that he wasn’t up to doing an encore, but had played and sung for
about an hour and a half, and had sung his heart out. As we left, we saw him and June leaving.
Not too long after
that concert, Johnny’s health got much worse and he had to give up touring
abroad and gradually had to cut on tours In the US. But he kept on singing and recording as long
as he could. All of his life.
And a while ago,
reading a biography of Johnny, I found that his sight had been failing at that
stage and I realised that that was why he had walked so slowly… He probably
could hardly see in the poor light and the unfamiliar location. But it didn’t stop him from working and
singing. In biographies of him, I’ve
Read of friends and family saying that they were worried, around that time, when
they realised he could hardly see in a poor light or if he came indoors from outside,
but that when he got ready to sing, he would be fine. And that sums him
up.
I only saw him live
once, and we were lucky because that was the last chance we would have had... So
I am deeply grateful for the wonderful experience.
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