John Prine publicity photo

In the case of music veteran John Prine, even his most heartbreaking songs manage to leave the crowd feeling somehow uplifted.

Prine, 64 and considered by many the consummate singer-songwriter, played nearly all of his familiar tunes to a packed house Saturday night at the Michigan Theater. When he walked out on stage Prine received a rock-star-style ovation, and the enthusiasm didn’t dim as the night went on.

The show started with “Spanish Pipedream” (with its “Blow up your TV” lyrics) and, over the course of two generous hours, included just about every fan favorite imaginable (missing was “Illegal Smile” and “Please Don’t Bury Me,” not that I’m complaining).

Highlights included a pull-out-the-stops version of “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore,” “Angel From Montgomery,” the playful “Fish and Whistle,” “Grandpa Was a Carpenter” and “Souvenirs.”

Early on, it seemed the two otherwise excellent backing musicians (guitarist-mandolin player Jason Wilber and bassist Dave Jacques) were turned up too loud, nearly drowning out Prine’s hard-to-hear lyrics. But that problem seemed to rectify itself quickly, and the several solo tunes Prine played more than made up for anything that may have been missed during the show’s opening stanza.

The superb solo set included the upbeat story-song-with-a-moral “Bottomless Lake,” “Clay Pigeons,” and what are perhaps two of the saddest songs ever written - “Sam Stone,” about a drug-addicted veteran, and “Hello In There,” which laments growing old lonely and forgotten. The main section of the concert closed with the rousing, guitar-driven “Lake Marie.”

The audience was more than primed for Prine thanks to the opening act, the superb brother and sister duo of Sara Watkins (fiddle) and Sean Watkins (guitar). Until it broke up in 2007, the Watkins siblings were two-thirds of the acclaimed bluegrass group Nickel Creek.

For the three-song encore, Prine brought Sara Watkins on stage to join him for “In Spite of Ourselves,” with Watkins performing the Iris DeMent part of the duet. Sean Watkins came out for “The Late John Garfield Blues,” which was followed by a definitive version of the coal-mining classic “Paradise,” on which all the musicians were given well-received solos.

Prine’s raspy pipes seem to have improved since he last performed here during the 2007 Ann Arbor Folk Festival. It’s been 10 years since he was treated for neck cancer, with the radiation and surgery taking a toll on his voice, which still manages to pack a wide range of emotion, even as it breaks in a valiant effort to reach an elusive high note. He’s a survivor and, like his songs, remains as relevant as ever in a world that values flash over musical substance. Maybe even moreso.