Concert Review: Lyle Lovett - July 28, 2006
Published August 03, 2006
“That sounds like Scott Joplin on the piano.”
I know it is a free concert and all, but if you want to hang out and talk, go the freak somewhere else!
Moving closer to the front to get away from the chatter we found ourselves amongst more chatter, but at least the volume was loud enough there to drown it out.
The Large Band cooked something hot that night. The backup singers, especially Francine Reed, have toured with Lyle for years and are well greased in his tunage. On songs like “(That’s Right) You’re Not From Texas” and “Church” they swing and fly like a well oiled locomotive.
As I complain about the audience I must also say many were quite enthusiastic as well. There was much white-boy country boogy-ing going on and we all enjoyed Lyle allowing the audience to finish “Here I Am” by shouting “make it a cheeseburger.”
The concert employed two people to sign for the hearing impaired. It was a beautiful thing watching a kind looking young lady perform what may have been the world’s greatest air cello performance during John Hagen’s extended solo.
The show ended without an encore and an apology from Lyle for not being able to play longer due to a city ordinance. The band left the stage to a beautiful, if short, fireworks display over the river.
Cost of a free concert:
$120 per night hotel
$3.00 per gallon of gasoline
$15 average cost of five meals dined out
$8.00 seat cushion to fend off wife’s fanny from hard Arch steps
$4.00 drinks at the concert
$300 in total.
It was worth every penny.
Set list:
Don’t Cry a Tear
Old Cowboys Sang??
This Traveling Around
Instrumental
I Will Rise Up
It Could Be All Downhill From Here
(That’s Right) You’re Not From Texas
I’ve Been to Memphis
The Last Time
Cute as a Bug
My Baby Don’t Tolerate
San Antonio Girl
That Old Train??
I Live in My Own Mind
Bottomland
Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down
Down the Old Plank Road
More Pretty Girls
If I Had a Boat
Give Back My Heart
Here I Am
What Do You Do
Sugar in My Bowl
Church
Cello Solo
I’m Going to Wait
Here I Am (Instrumental)
Mat Brewster is an American stumbling as an ex-pat through the streets of Shanghai. He is helped by his lovely wife and an enormous piles of bootleg DVDs. He is chronicling his adventures in the Shanghai Diaries and musing on pop culture at The Midnight Cafe.
- Concert Review: Lyle Lovett - July 28, 2006
- Published: August 03, 2006
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Country and Americana, Music: Live Concerts
- Writer: Mat Brewster
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- Mat Brewster's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
Despite the heat, the rain, and the obnoxious people it was a great show. I saw Lyle in Indinapolis a few years back minus the large band and was very disappointed.
These guys smoked.
Went to the Lyle and KD Lang Show in NYC last night, great show. The large band is good times however there are not that many songs that can be played with them so it makes the shows pretty similar to past Large Band shows... All in all though, GREAT TIME!
That's a good point Chris, and one I hadn't thought about. With that big a band, they would be limited to what they could perform. But still, what they do perform is incredible.
I have a bootleg of Lyle with a very paired down band (bass, drums and cello) and it is a much different, but beautiful performance as well.
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Sounds like a great show, and the price was right. From the way he opened the show, and by your description of the Large Band's performance, it sounds like the concerts David Bromberg used to put on.