Kris Kristofferson at City Winery

Born to a military family in Brownsville, Texas, Kris Kristofferson moved often, finally settling in San Mateo, California, and studied creative writing in college in Pomona, California, and Oxford, England. He started his musical career unsuccessfully in England under the name Kris Carson. Pressured by his family, Kristofferson joined the U.S. Army, but then rejected an opportunity to teach at West Point Academy, leading his parents to disown him. Instead, he moved in 1965 to Nashville, Tennessee, where he swept floors at a record company and flew a commercial helicopter until he began peddling his songs to well-known recording artists in the 1970s. By 1987, it was estimated that more than 450 artists had recorded Kristofferson’s compositions. Kristofferson had several successful albums of his own and launched an acting career; he has appeared in 70 films. His 29th and most recent album, The Cedar Creek Sessions, was released on June 17, 2016.

In 2016, Rolling Stone reported that the 80-year-old Kristofferson was struggling with Lyme disease, originally diagnosed as Alzheimer's disease. At Kristofferson's solo acoustic set tonight at City Winery, the third of three consecutive nights at the venue, there was little evidence of the affliction beyond a much more frail vocal delivery. Kristofferson was charming in his between-song chatter, and accompanied only by his acoustic guitar, the sparse interpretations of his songs demonstrated how gifted he has been as a songwriter. While his soft vocal delivery was absent the husky projection of his past, his new renditions only made the lyrics more poignant and the lonely, pensive passion more genuine. Despite its limitations, Kris Kristofferson's performance was startlingly timeless and a first class experience.

Visit Kris Kristofferson at www.kriskristofferson.com.

Setlist

1. Shipwrecked in the Eighties (Kris Kristofferson and the Borderlords cover)
2. Darby's Castle
3. Me and Bobby McGee
4. Here Comes That Rainbow Again
5. Best of All Possible Worlds
6. Help Me Make It Through the Night
7. Billy Dee
8. Rocket to Stardom
9. Casey's Last Ride
10. Nobody Wins
11. Feeling Mortal
12. From Here to Forever
13. Broken Freedom Song
14. Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)

Set 2:

1. Just the Other Side of Nowhere
2. Duvalier's Dream
3. I'd Rather Be Sorry
4. They Killed Him (Kris Kristofferson and the Borderlords cover)
5. Jody and the Kid
6. The Pilgrim, Chapter 33
7. Jesus Was a Capricorn
8. To Beat the Devil
9. Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down
10. The Silver Tongued Devil and I
11. For the Good Times
12. A Moment of Forever
13. Why Me

Encore:

1. Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends (Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge cover)