A massive, multi-day event full of concerts celebrating the late John Prine has been postponed, moving to October of 2022 as Nashville continues to struggle with COVID-19.
Titled “You Got Gold: Celebrating the Life & Songs of John Prine,” the week-long musical tribute to a country and folk legend was originally set for October 3-10, but was today (September 8) put on hold.
Back in May, the Prine family announced the event, imagining a series of tributes and concerts to mark Prine’s impact in venues around the city. The Grammy winner was full of wit and insight over his long career, an influence on artists like Eric Church and the writer behind brilliant tunes such as “Sam Stone,” “Paradise,” “In Spite of Ourselves” and more, but he passed away after contracting COVID-19 in April of 2020, just as the pandemic began. Now, with hospitals in the Nashville area once again filling up, ICUs running out of beds and elective surgeries canceled, his family has decided the right thing to do is hold off.
“Our sincerest wish was to gather safely this October to celebrate the life and music of our beloved John. Given the ongoing situation with Covid-19 Delta variant, in Nashville and beyond, we’ve made the very difficult decision to postpone “You Got Gold” until October 2022.
“This decision to reschedule was not made lightly. We worked tirelessly to find a way to move forward in a safe and responsible manner, while also keeping in mind the intended joyful spirit of this long-awaited celebration and remembrance. This event is extraordinary in the sheer number of artists, crews, and fans that are planning to travel and gather together. In light of how John died, we just could not reconcile pushing forward and adding any undue stress and anxiety during an already fraught season.
“We stand in support of all of our friends and colleagues who continue to work on playing shows this fall and recognize we are all doing the very best we can to find safe pathways forward.
“Our deepest apologies to those disappointed in hearing this news. Our family wanted nothing more than to gather with you all and remember John together. We very much look forward to seeing you all next year when we can gather safely and joyfully, and truly be together as a big family and community to remember and celebrate the life and songs of one extraordinary man.“
The Prine family had previously announced that they were weighing options as COVID-19 numbers spiked, noting that a full year of work had already been done to get the tribute event going. Proceeds were intended to benefit the newly created 501c3, The Hello In There Foundation, and this year’s selected grant recipients — the Nashville based non-profits Room In The Inn and Thistle Farms. Although this year’s events are now postponed, the foundation says it will still move ahead with making gifts to both organizations and looks forward to completing its full charitable commitments next year. Meanwhile, the foundation will also announce fundraising efforts this fall in response to nationwide natural disasters and Afghan refugee resettlement programs.
You Got Gold: Celebrating the Life & Songs of John Prine will now take place in Nashville October 7-12, 2022. Ticketing and refund information is available at www.yougotgold.johnprine.com.