The Lyle Lovett Acoustic Trio, Winspear Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, May 30, 2005
I was in Alberta for a conference and so I thought I would take the opportunity to visit with my brother who had moved there 25 years ago. I had never visited him. A few vacation days were not out of order. Lyle Lovett was playing two nights at a church in Calgary, but the first night was the night I went home. My brother and I share an obsession for good music in all forms and much of our time spent together is listening to, or talking about music. He hadn't ordered tickets for the concert in Edmonton because Edmonton has a river that runs through the city, and the bridges that cross that river are one way only, always in the opposite direction that you need. But the Winspear Centre still had tickets, so off we went, an hour and a half north of Red Deer on the newly named Queen Elizabeth II highway. It used to be Hwy 2, but good Queen Bess had just visited, and this renaming was a generous gift by the people of Alberta.
Now, I was not well acquainted with Lyle Lovett's music. Sure, I'd heard bits of it over the years, but when you listen to as much music as we do here at Green Man Review sometimes you pass over people simply because you don't have any more time or storage space on your shelves. Well, Monday night was a revelation, and I rushed home to clear a spot on the shelf for as many Lyle Lovett CDs as I can find!
The Winspear Centre is a beautiful facility. A stage at one end, and a deep hall lined with boxes and two balconies opposite the stage. Every seat was filled. We were in the top row, right against the back wall. The stage seemed a mile away. Lyle Lovett would be playing that tiny guitar! Suddenly, after pre-concert music supplied by a Little Feat CD, three men walked on stage. James Gilmer stopped behind some congas, and cymbals, John Hagen sat with his cello between his legs and Lyle Lovett stepped up to the microphone, picking a Martin guitar. Or, at least it looked like a Martin from where I was sitting. The sound was extraordinary. Clean, balanced, and crisp. The guitar, cello, and percussion mix was fabulous. Sweet, intimate, and warm. And Lovett's vocals were strong and melodic.
After the first three songs Lovett walked away from the mic, picked up a cup of water and sipped from it. "I'm takin' a break!" he declared. He is a compelling storyteller. His halting, almost stuttering speech is engaging and entertaining. After, or before, one song a cell phone rang out. "You better check it," he began, "it could be important . . . might be the babysitter. Maybe somethin' terrible happened. Maybe the kids are torturin' the dog . . . my cousin Wanda used to do unspeakable things to the dog . . . " The audience howled. Call phones were shut off all over the Winspear!
Lovett performed songs from his whole career. A handful from each album. Whenever there was need of a guitar solo it was handled impeccably by Hargen on the cello. He is a master on his instrument, applying classical, jazz, blues and abstract motifs to the essentially American folk (country?) music Lovett plays. The newest album was featured too. "My Baby Don't Tolerate," "In My Own Mind," and others were added to old favourites like, "If I Had a Boat," "What Do You Do/The Glory of Love," and "She's No Lady." It's pretty clear from the lyrics that Lyle has had more trouble with the ladies than we know!
His stories of how songs were written were hilariously funny, even when they came out of near death experiences. "Fat Babies" was written after a close call with an eighteen-wheeler and the Ford Pinto in which Lovett was driving. Its lyrics reflect a dislike for audience singalongs. The songwriters felt if people had to sing, "Fat babies have no pride, who needs pride" too many times they'd quickly feel silly. It seemed to work!
Lovett is no slouch fingerpicking on the acoustic guitar. No flashy solos, just pretty melodies ringing out, over which his lyrics are delivered in a straightforward and honest way. The trio is on tour and this is just the start. They're on their way east. Look for them someplace close to your town.
