The showstopping line, at once classic and familiar, came toward the end of John Prine’s show at the Citi Wang Theatre Friday night: “You know that old trees just grow stronger.’’
It was vintage Prine, from the chorus of “Hello in There,’’ and he’s sung those words at least a thousand times since the song showed up on his 1971 self-titled debut.
But as shopworn as the lyric is, it was a poignant commentary on how essential Prine sounds at 63 and how well his songs have aged. You could even argue that, as a grizzled lion in winter, Prine makes more sense as an old man, much like Leonard Cohen does in his 70s. Prine’s weathered voice, both gentle and gruff Friday night, now carries the weight of loneliness so many of his songs have explored.
He had a simple stage setup - just Prine on acoustic guitar with superb and lean backing by Jason
It was heartbreaking to see him alone and singing, “I got so much love that I cannot hide,’’ from “All the Best.’’ During one of the night’s few rollicking moments, Prine cut loose on “Bear Creek Blues,’’ his left leg swinging and twitching the deeper he and Wilber dug into the rockabilly groove.
The expected moments turned out to be anything but. He could have had opener Patty Griffin join him on “Angel From Montgomery,’’ which most folks know from his live duet with Bonnie Raitt. Instead Prine offered a threadbare rendition that was as stately as it was elegiac.
Griffin later graced the stage for a pair of duets, including “Long Monday,’’ from Prine’s latest album, 2005’s “Fair & Square.’’ Griffin had big shoes to fill on “In Spite of Ourselves,’’ the kooky, he-said-she-said love song Prine recorded with Iris DeMent, but Griffin’s warm sincerity put her own stamp on it.
A singer-songwriter especially beloved around here from her early days in Boston and Cambridge folk clubs, Griffin used her opening set to preview gritty gospel songs (“from a lapsed Catholic,’’ as she noted) from her upcoming album. By the time she finished “Making Pies,’’ an ode to her time working at the Table Talk pie company in Worcester, it was clear an evening with Griffin and Prine meant one thing: Misery really does love company.
James Reed can be reached at jreed@globe.com. 
