Lyle Lovett and His Large Band in Concert

 

On Sunday night, I went with a friend to see Lyle Lovett and His Large Band at the South Shore Music Circus. Truthfully, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but many people had remarked that he would put on a good show.  Wow! Did he ever!!! It was two and a half hours (no intermission) of great music. In addition to Lovett, there were eleven outstanding musicians and one other singer on the small, revolving stage. He joked about fearing he might lose his horn section as they were pretty close to the edge. The music was phenomenal; gospel, swing, country . . . the only type missing and that I had hoped to hear was western swing.

Sometimes performers don't do much talking, but what I really liked was that when he featured each musician, he would talk about the player and give some background or tell where they had first met. Some members of the Large Band have been with him for over thirty years. For instance, he told how he had searched for a sax player and contacted the music department at a Texas university; long story short, the head sax professor now joins the Large Band every summer when it goes on tour, and boy, could he ever play! Another member of the horn section was asked to tell with whom he had played in the course of his long career. He went on to list a veritable who's who of American musicians. The sassy, powerhouse vocalist, Francine Reed, was great. Also appearing with the band  on quite a few gospel pieces was a wonderful local, contemporary gospel group, Gary Lyon & Living Water.

What also struck me was just how many young people there were in the audience as there were many families in attendance. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.  So, trust me; if Lyle Lovett and His Large Band ever come to your area, don't miss it.