AT TANGLEWOOD: Is Garrison Keillor actually retiring? Really?

When the on-air portion of “A Prairie Home Companion” ended at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Keillor, band, and guest singers immediately launched into a record-breaking 1.5-hour encore performance.

Lenox — For a guy who’s supposed to be retiring at the end of June, Garrison Keillor was certainly in no hurry to leave the stage at the close of his final Tanglewood broadcast of “A Prairie Home Companion” on Saturday, June 25. He was having far too much fun to stop. So when the “on air” light went dark at 8 p.m., Keillor and band remained on the Shed stage, doing what the 73-year-old baritone loves best: singing old favorites with his friends, which on Saturday happened to be a heavenly host of 10,000 voices. (No wonder he loves Tanglewood.)

Garrison Keillor during the Tanglewood live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion. Photo: Hilary Scott
Garrison Keillor during the Tanglewood live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion. Photo: Hilary Scott

Two hours earlier, the 6-foot-4 Keillor, dressed in his trademark white linen suit with red tie and sneakers, had made a somewhat unorthodox entrance: Carrying a wireless microphone, he entered the back of the Shed after leading the Tanglewood Great Lawn Festival Chorus in a pre-show sing-along. Making his way slowly down the aisle like some kind of Priest of the Prairie, Keillor continued his reverent vocalizations until the ritual procession finally reached its destination at the Shed stage. That’s when the broadcast show began.

In many respects, Saturday’s show was almost ordinary, like the countless broadcasts fans have been enjoying week after week from the time “Prairie Home” was born in 1974. Rich Dworsky played the familiar opening piano theme (Tishomingo Blues), Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Fred Newman took their regular places onstage, and Special Guests Heather Masse, Rob Fisher, and the DiGiallonardo Sisters made their entrances in due time.

Many in the audience were diaper-clad toddlers when they first became aware of “A Prairie Home Companion.” First-time listeners on Saturday were, of course, befuddled by much of what they saw and heard. But, by the end of the show, they understood: Powdermilk Biscuits, the Ketchup Advisory Board, Lake Wobegon, and other standard “Prairie Home” properties are Keillor’s fictional creations. Once Saturday’s newcomers had figured this out, they were ready to enjoy the show.

Tim Russell is the world’s foremost impersonator of Donald Trump. (This is easy to verify simply by listening to audio clips of the June 25 show at the “Prairie Home” website ) The brilliance and value of this amazing feat stems partly from the fact that Keillor writes all of the show’s Trump dialogue. And — believe me! — he gets it right every time. (Read more of Keillor’s incisive Trump commentary here.

Garrison Keillor with Fred Newman, Tim Russell, and Sue Scott, during the Tanglewood broadcast of 'A Prairie Home Companion.' Photo: Hilary Scott
Garrison Keillor with Fred Newman, Tim Russell, and Sue Scott, during the Tanglewood broadcast of ‘A Prairie Home Companion.’ Photo: Hilary Scott

Sue Scott, on the other hand, is the world’s leading Hillary Clinton impressionist. Many have attempted to impersonate Hillary, sometimes with respectable results. A few who have done so are famous comedians or actors on hit TV shows. None are in Scott’s league, and this, too, is easy to verifyThe character of Duane’s mother in Keillor’s famous “Mom” skits also is a perennially standard role for Scott. It’s one of Keillor’s funniest characters, in large part because (tragically) Duane’s mother is so recognizable and powerfully true to life.

Musicians in the show’s house band have come and gone over the years, but Music Director Richard Dworsky truly is a fixture. Dworsky has been with the show since time immemorial.

The high level of house-band musicianship is especially conspicuous when Keillor has the players pulling bizarre stunts like performing bluegrass renditions of classical music standards or pop tunes performed — on three seconds’ notice — in the style of Mozart, as Dworsky was called upon to do during Saturday’s encore. Keillor throws all manner of curve balls and monkey wrenches at the “Prairie Home” house band during live shows, and hearing how the players respond is always great fun. They always amaze.

This was the band’s lineup on Saturday:

Richard Dworsky – Music Director, piano, keyboard, melodica, organ, vocals

Jonathan Dresel  – drums

Larry Kohut – bass

Richard Kriehn – mandolin and fiddle

Chris Siebold – guitars

Being a true variety show, “A Prairie Home Companion” presents a range of music so eclectic and unpredictable that for frequent listeners it’s only a matter of time before they bump into a musical performance they strongly dislike. But Keillor’s fans understand this and accept it, because he has always challenged them (and himself) to stretch and explore musical territory beyond their comfort zones.

Garrison Keillor sings a duet with Heather Masse. Photo: Hilary Scott
Garrison Keillor sings a duet with Heather Masse. Photo: Hilary Scott

Special guests on “A Prairie Home Companion” often become regular performers on the show. Although Heather Masse was billed as a guest, she has appeared on the show so many times, even she seems to have lost count. (Her own website doesn’t provide this number, probably because it changes every seven days.) Suffice it to say, Masse has become a frequent guest on the show over the past several years, often singing duets with Keillor but also taking turns in the spotlight as a featured soloist. Masse was in top form Saturday on everything she sang, but her performance of “My One And Only Love” was especially strong.

The DiGiallonardo Sisters (Daniela, Nadia, and Christine) also have appeared on “Prairie Home” too many times to count. (It’s difficult enough trying to keep track of how many times they perform on any given show.) On Saturday, the Sisters sang at least 15 songs, not counting their performances during the evening’s record-breaking Mother of All Encores. All three women are strong singers, and their blended voices are always magical.

Rob Fisher has on many occasions brought his keyboard skills and expert knowledge of musical theater to “Prairie Home.” Fisher was onstage Saturday to play on a number of pieces, the most notable being the piano-four-hands numbers he and Dworsky performed together.

See video of Saturday’s special guests here.

When the on-air portion of “A Prairie Home Companion” ended at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Keillor, band, and guest singers immediately launched into a record-breaking 1.5-hour encore performance consisting of more than 20 songs. Keillor and crowd sang every kind of song imaginable, songs like “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” “It is Well With My Soul,” and — huh? — “Honky Tonk Woman”? Yes, even the Rolling Stones have a place in Keillor’s songbook.

Garrison Keillor and the cast of the Tanglewood live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion bow following the performance. Photo: Hilary Scott
Garrison Keillor and the cast of the Tanglewood live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion bow following the performance. Photo: Hilary Scott

Many of the encore numbers were impromptu group-singing performances, replete with the usual fractured melodies, forgotten lyrics, and wandering key signatures. But some were fully-rehearsed arrangements. One standout was “Goodnight Sweetheart,” featuring Chris Siebold’s killer guitar solo. This farewell song was the first of several decoys that ultimately led to Roy Rogers’ classic, “Happy Trails.” At this point, the encore came to an end (not that the Shed crowd actually acknowledged it).

Long-time Keillor fans (including his band members) have come to understand that his sing-along performances are “homespun” affairs held on America’s virtual front porch. That’s why it doesn’t matter whether Keillor sings in tune or whether lyrics are forgotten or remembered. It’s family.

It’s always great fun when Keillor forgets the words to a song, because then you get to hear him make up brand new lyrics on the spot. He’s gotten pretty good at this over the years, and, miraculously, his off-the-cuff lyrics often rhyme i.e., Saturday’s rendition of “Save the Last Dance For Me.”

Practically every broadcast of “A Prairie Home Companion” includes at least one old standard that Keillor has fitted with goofy new lyrics written during the preceding week. Some of his lyrics are merely silly, but many are substantial parodies that poke meaningful fun at a venue’s local history, geography, politics, and so on. On occasion, Garrison Keillor’s lyrics are so funny they make Coke come out of your nose.

Keillor’s 1.5 hour faux encore had its own encore, this time a real one — the kind of encore a crowd must earn through prolonged cheering and applause of sufficient volume to coax the performers back onstage. The Tanglewood crowd succeeded. Keillor proclaimed Saturday’s encore the longest in the history of the show.

So . . . is Garrison Keillor retiring, or not?

Time will tell, but judging by the lengthy itinerary of road shows and other professional activities already on his calendar, the correct answer must be, “Not.” But yes, Keillor’s title will change from “Host” to “Executive Producer” on October 15, when the show’s fall season begins and mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile of the bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek steps in as the new host of “A Prairie Home Companion.”

And what’s next for Keillor? Daily rounds of golf? Gilligan’s Island reruns? Binge-watching the shopping channel? Hardly. You’ll find the authoritative answer to this question on Keillor’s own website. Do you see all those live shows beginning in July? The Alaska cruise in August? Over two dozen additional shows booked through April, 2017? There’s your answer.

Make no mistake: “A Prairie Home Companion” will live on for quite some time. And so will Garrison Keillor.