I really had planned on a Lyle Lovett Bootleg Country before I knew that I’d be seeing and reviewing him for an actually attended live concert, I promise.
Lyle Lovett is, perhaps, best known for his short-lived marriage to superstar Julia Roberts. When they wed many folks were asking, “how could she marry him?” but to partially quote marketing material from Say Anything, to know Lyle Lovett is to love him.
Recently while trying to compose a list of my all time favorite bands in response to Eric Berlin's I kept coming back to Lyle. He isn’t a poet like Dylan, or a pop craftsman like Lennon/McCartney but he has something that elevates him above just about everyone else- to me anyways.
His lyrics have a way of being both hilarious and poignant at the same time. In person he has a dry, wry delivery that makes even the most mundane of stories beautifully humorous.
His style has changed a lot over the years from straight-ahead Nashville country to Texas swing to the more folkie, alt-country stylings of today. He’s a bit like Willie Nelson in his ability to write songs that hold true to whoever is singing them.
01/27/92
Guthrie Theater
Minneapolis, MN
This is one of my favorite all-time bootlegs. The sound is absolutely perfect. It makes me feel like Lyle is in my living room, playing for my friends. The music is lovely, and Lyle chats it up as if he is at a family reunion instead of in front of a paying audience.
He is playing with a scaled down version of his Large Band. The horns have been nixed, the back up singers are gone, all that’s left is Lyle on acoustic guitar, drums, acoustic bass and cello. Similar to Nirvana on Unplugged, this spare style highlights Lyle’s beautiful songwriting ability.
Article comments
1 - Mat Brewster
If interested you can download this bootleg from my blog.