Philzone.org - Philzone Phansite Community Discussion Board: Setlists and Reviews: Non GD Related Reviews: Archive: Lyle Lovett Large Band - Beacon NYC 6/29/08

Lyle Lovett always puts on an amazing show with his big and last night's gig at the Beacon Theatre was no exception. The bulk of the set consisted of 14 musicians and three back-up singers. As he usually does, he hasd a local gospel choir sing for a few rousing numbers. Last night's guests came from Danbury, CT and were stellar. 14 musicians make up the large band along with the three back-up singers including jackie Greene from Ry Cooder's old touring band.

The show was one long set and two encores. It was generously sprinkled with older song including (at least) three from his 1986 debut: Cowboy Man, If I Were The Man You Wanted, and This Old Porch. I can't recall all of the songs but there were plenty: Long Tall Texan, That's Right (You're Not From Texas), My Baby Don't Tolerate, Cute As A Bug, Penguins, I'm going to Wait, If I had A Boat and many more.

Highlight for me was an amazing version of Ain't No More Cain at the end of the show with gospel choir. Haunting and powerful.

I'm a fan of Lyle Lovett so I loved it but the music is very accessible and well performed so I would go see it if you can. He's only doing short tours with the large band these days which is too bad.

Good to see this getting noticed. Went and saw this show about a year ago and rank it as one of the best musical experiences of my life.
The band is awe inspiring and the sound is impeccable. I have not heard a cleaner sound at any concert ... and I've seen alot of shows.
Another surprise was how personable Lyle is. He does alot of between song banter and is just hilarious. We were laughing out loud numerous times. Left the show totally enamored of this eccentric cowboy.
If the Large Band comes to your neck of the woods don't miss it.

Was anyone smoking, especially pot?

I saw him get WORKED UP about that in the middle of a show at the Greek once. He lectured the person and the crowd.

Texans, sheesh.

His shows are excellent though.

I've only caught him once. It was at Telluride. Jerry Douglas and Sam Bush sat in! They did "FOTD", of course.

Well, Lyle is off my list here in Denver, unfortunately, due to a very freaky experience I had at Red Rocks, of all places. It's not Lyle, it's the people he brought out locally who blew my mind.

My concert-buddy, Steve-o, and I had great reserved seats in like 11th row and had a couple beers on our tailgate prior to walking in. The folks who streamed past us uniformly made no eye contact and turned their heads when we naturally greeted them -- it's a show, right?

So we get in our seats and a lady who's been selling beer at the Rocks for the past decade or so (Judy, a real sweetheart), recognizes us and comes over and whispers 'Who ARE these people?'

No one is buying beer, no smoking (naturally), and little conversation. It seems they're mostly couples on a date. Nine-fucking-thousand of 'em! That's 4500 couples!

So Lyle comes out and strikes up the band -- the large band -- and we jump up and start boogying. I'm tellin' ya, with Lyle and his large band, the human body cannot resist.

"Sit down!" "Sit down!" from a lady three rows back. I look around and notice that not one person is standing up in the whole place but us two.

Choice retorts naturally run through my mind, but I settle on diplomacy and leave my seat to head back on the side where one could stand up unmolested.

Well, eventually it begins to pour and, suddenly, it's apparently okay to stand up and dance, which every single person does for the last few songs of the show.

Great music -- but I'll never go to another Lyle show because, at least around here, he draws some real freaky folks who apparently don't like to have a good time.

I mean (last moan), a 9,000-strong audience composed almost completely of couples on dates? And these were rod-up-the-wazoo folks who apparently go to shows once every ten years and don't tolerate dancing.

If someone told me the whole place was filled with Baptists (oops, there I go again), I'd have believed it.

Anyway, we were permanently scarred by the experience...

What a trip Phil the crowd in Concord California didn't move either. It was downright eerie ...

The Beacon show was much of the same. Nobody stood save for one or two numbers. Fine with me. I'm one of those jerks who feels that seats are meant to be sit in unless the music truly warrants dancing or when everyone is on their feet.

The lone dancer blocking my view pisses me off.

I love Lyle's music, but I've found many of his fans to be music snobs. "We're better than you". As I posted before, I saw him at Telluride. And there, the hippies and malcontents ruled!!

>>> I've found many of his fans to be music snobs. "We're better than you"<<<

Not like us, who are open to any type of fan, whether you like to stand and smoke or just sit quietly.

We (my wife & I, so I guess that makes us "a couple") went to see Lyle at Red Rocks the last two times he's come by (so since he comes by almost every year, I'll say it's the last two years). I wasn't sure what to expect from the crowd, but relative to the other folks I know who like Lyle Lovett, I didn't think they were any better or worse than the audience for any similar act. They sure aren't WSP fans, but I wouldn't expect them to be (nor would I expect WSP fans to sit still & listen).

Phil, he has Leo Kottke this year as an opener. I think you should go. Even if it is on a "date" night (Friday 07/18).

Just saw the show at Westbury last week - same setlist but great performance overall.

Lil jazz, blues, country, rock, and even his bluegrass "keep it in the pantry" - great stuff

>I love Lyle's music, but I've found many of his fans to be music snobs. "We're better than you". As I posted before, I saw him at Telluride. And there, the hippies and malcontents ruled!!<

Usually I agree with you Dominic, but being a veteran of many Lyle shows..I disagree.

In my experience, the Lyle crowd has been great. One crowd that was riveted to their seats was the concert I saw in Boston in support of his "Step Inside This House" CD. One of the best shows I've ever seen.

You know, with these great Texas songwriters, it's sometimes more about the listening than getting up and dancing.

But then again, there's Robert Earl...

"The lone dancer blocking my view pisses me off."

Yeah, I can understand that, felt the same at times -- and CLASSIC that someone posted who was a part of that Lyle-on-the-Rocks audience I dissed. Oooops! Obviously, nothing personal intended here.

I'm thinking (in my dreams, natch) that when the large band comes out and launches into some swing music, there perhaps would be an early grace period where if you felt it, you could get up and let the band know it's welcomed to town.

I'm not exactly Mr. Kinetic Energy and I too sit down during long portions of shows to listen. And yeah, sometimes a 6'4" guy gets up and blocks out the sun -- definitely a perennial hazard I've never developed a philosophy for, just going with the feeling.

Just struck me as a little tight-ass at the time at that Lyle gig. Plus, I remember feeling like a fool when I saw the looks on the audience's faces. I guess I've been catching the more-rugged-crowd-type shows at the Rocks and I was odd-man-out there.

Thanks for the invite to this year's Rocks show, Posthead, and adding Kottke sounds tempting. I might be more likely to return to Lyle at, say, the Paramount, which is made for comfortable sitting. Plus, we're heading to Chautauqua in Bldr for Derek Trucks the next night. Cutting back a bit on the 'big' shows...

The only show I'm taking in at the Rocks this year (steady customer since 1974) is ABB with Ratdog.

Here's my take on that one, just to acknowledge that I'm not all there -- the ABB crowd makes getting our center, up-front seats a reasonably predictable, if arduous event. (Gotta get in line by 8 am to nab those seats in an honest manner.) But add the GD crowd and, man, it gets to be work.

Oh well. The type of crowd anticipated has definitely become a factor in my concert-going schedule -- even though I'm often only projecting past prejudices. Frankly, I'll do nearly anything to see ABB at the Rocks.