Concert Review - John Hiatt, Joe Ely, Guy Clark and Lyle Lovett
Only one complaint - the show was too short. Two and a half hours went by in what seemed like 15 minutes! I was so entranced, I could have sat there all night.
Norene and I are continuing our concert going habits from last year. I'd seen an email about this show and forwarded it to her with this message, "I feel we should do this." She replied, "I can't argue with that logic."
Man, am I glad I convinced her.
The setup was pretty basic. The four of them on stage with just their guitars taking turns singing (mostly) original tunes and telling stories. Funny stories, too. Lyle, of course, was the funniest but Guy Clark was nearly as funny.
Guy Clark - his name was familiar and he started out with L.A. Freeway and his next selection was Always Trust Your Cape. That explained why he was familiar, those are AZPHC favorites. He also did Desperados Waiting for a Train and after I got home, I found out at his site that he wrote Home Grown Tomatoes. I'm pretty sure that John Milner has mentioned Clark at least one of the times we've made him sing that song.
Joe Ely - I didn't know him before the show and didn't recognize his songs at all. Apparently, he's pretty well known in Texas, though. His stuff was good but he didn't talk much so I only got a sense of his personality. Seemed like a cool guy.
John Hiatt - I saw Hiatt years ago ('93 or '94?) when he opened for Jackson Browne and I've been a fan for a really long time. His first song, he had technical difficulties with his sound and looked pretty uncomfortable while it was getting fixed. Lyle said to him, "How do you think it's going so far?" in his dry, Lyle way and it was quite funny. That Lyle, I just love him. Hiatt played great once he got started and did a lot of fancy guitar work while playing with the other guys. Lyle also got him to tell the story of when he and some of his buddies stole a car when they were 14. Funny stuff.
Lyle Lovett - I wish the people who scoff at my admiration for Lyle would go to just one of his shows. He's a great performer. His songs are wonderful and clever. His story presentation is interesting. His delivery is very slow, quiet and deadpan but he says the funniest stuff. He did most of the chatting and recognized his fellow performers several times. He started out with an old favorite, Pony on a Boat, and played his latest, My Baby Don't Tolerate. Gosh, I just adore him! So much so that I would even try to get over my horse phobia if he swept me off to his ranch.
I can dream, right?
Norene enjoyed the show just as much as I and she, too, thought the time just flew by. We had great seats at the Mesa Arts Center. They were in a box on the second floor right off the stage. They've done a great job remodeling that whole facility. I would happily go back for another show there.
All in all, it was a special evening. Apparently, these four guys have been touring off and on for years. If you get a chance to catch their show, grab it. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
Norene and I are continuing our concert going habits from last year. I'd seen an email about this show and forwarded it to her with this message, "I feel we should do this." She replied, "I can't argue with that logic."
Man, am I glad I convinced her.
The setup was pretty basic. The four of them on stage with just their guitars taking turns singing (mostly) original tunes and telling stories. Funny stories, too. Lyle, of course, was the funniest but Guy Clark was nearly as funny.
Guy Clark - his name was familiar and he started out with L.A. Freeway and his next selection was Always Trust Your Cape. That explained why he was familiar, those are AZPHC favorites. He also did Desperados Waiting for a Train and after I got home, I found out at his site that he wrote Home Grown Tomatoes. I'm pretty sure that John Milner has mentioned Clark at least one of the times we've made him sing that song.
Joe Ely - I didn't know him before the show and didn't recognize his songs at all. Apparently, he's pretty well known in Texas, though. His stuff was good but he didn't talk much so I only got a sense of his personality. Seemed like a cool guy.
John Hiatt - I saw Hiatt years ago ('93 or '94?) when he opened for Jackson Browne and I've been a fan for a really long time. His first song, he had technical difficulties with his sound and looked pretty uncomfortable while it was getting fixed. Lyle said to him, "How do you think it's going so far?" in his dry, Lyle way and it was quite funny. That Lyle, I just love him. Hiatt played great once he got started and did a lot of fancy guitar work while playing with the other guys. Lyle also got him to tell the story of when he and some of his buddies stole a car when they were 14. Funny stuff.
Lyle Lovett - I wish the people who scoff at my admiration for Lyle would go to just one of his shows. He's a great performer. His songs are wonderful and clever. His story presentation is interesting. His delivery is very slow, quiet and deadpan but he says the funniest stuff. He did most of the chatting and recognized his fellow performers several times. He started out with an old favorite, Pony on a Boat, and played his latest, My Baby Don't Tolerate. Gosh, I just adore him! So much so that I would even try to get over my horse phobia if he swept me off to his ranch.
I can dream, right?
Norene enjoyed the show just as much as I and she, too, thought the time just flew by. We had great seats at the Mesa Arts Center. They were in a box on the second floor right off the stage. They've done a great job remodeling that whole facility. I would happily go back for another show there.
All in all, it was a special evening. Apparently, these four guys have been touring off and on for years. If you get a chance to catch their show, grab it. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
