pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news

Well, had you asked me at the beginning of the week, “are you going to see Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt?,” my answer would have been “um… no.”  I wouldn’t say I was seeking out going to this show.  However, some friends of ours who had tickets ended up with a conflict and gave the tickets to us (thanks J&M!).

For me, Lyle’s music is a touch too close to country to seek him out, and I had never even really heard of John Hiatt.  Regardless of that prejudice and ignorance about their music, I had a lot of fun.  Lyle and John came out around 7:45pm and immediately started talking.  This would kick off the format – a lot of talking and each person trading off songs.

They were both great storytellers through their songs, and I was glad that they weren’t too twangy (really my only big gripe with country music is the twang).  It’s actually hard to say which part was more entertaining, their songs or their banter.  After about an hour, they’d only made it through 8 songs, and their songs aren’t generally long. They really seemed to be good friends who let us into their living room to watch them shoot the shit and play some songs for each other.

Setlist: two and a half hours

• Drive South [JH]
• Fiona [LL]
• Walk On [JH]
• LA County [LL]
• Thunderbird [JH]
• Home Is Where My Horse Is [LL]
• Tennessee Plates [JH]
• I Will Rise Up [LL]
• Always Movin’ On (new) [JH]
• South Texas Girl [LL]
• Have a Little Faith in Me [JH]
• Choke My Chicken [LL]
• Crossing Muddy Waters [JH]
• North Dakota [LL]
• Memphis in the Meantime [JH]
• Her First Mistake [LL]
• Through Your Hands [JH]
• My Baby Don’t Tolerate [LL with JH guitar solo]
• Ain’t No More Cane [LL & JH]
• Encore: Thing Called Love [JH & LL]
• If I Had a Boat [LL]

Overall, it was a great show.  They were both great storytellers and quite humorous.  They seemed to be very well paired and play off (and with) each other well.  Thanks again J&M for the tickets!

The Appropriate Linkage:

• Lyle Lovett’s Official Site
• Lyle Lovett on MySpace
• John Hiatt’s Official Site
• John Hiatt on MySpace
• The Hult Center
  

~Dan – np: Nellie McKay – Normal As Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day