Cash In Concert 1997

It will be obvious to anyone reading this blog that I love country music. And mostly I love the singers that came to prominence in the 50s and 60s. But the one I love most is Johnny Cash. I saw him singing live once, in 1997. He was touring in Europe and played one night in England at the Royal Albert Hall. 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 it was starting to get dark. I was shaking with excitement over the prospect of seeing my childhood hero. I was 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 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. 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”. We 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 started with, but I think it was Folsom Prison Blues. His son John Carter Cash was performing with him and his wife, June. His his voice was as good as it ever had been. Strong, resonant, powerful and tuneful. I don’t think I have ever seen 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. Soon after that concert, Johnny’s health got much worse and he had to give up touring abroad and had to cut tours In the US. But he kept on singing and recording as long as he could. Some time later, reading a biography of Johnny, I found that his sight had been failing then. 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, that 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. He went on singing as long as he possibly could. 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.